P0430 Confirmed Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold Bank 2: Service Engine Soon

[Pavesa]

Hi

I had this P0430 Confirmed Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold Bank 2 error show up with the notification "Service Engine Soon" on my 2004 Explorer XLT. I wonder if this has any mechanical significance? I live in rural Nova Scotia and it's 18 months until my vehicle inspection comes up and if it's irrelevant mechanically I'm minded just to ignore it. I was wondering if anyone could give me any pointers on this?

Thanks
Andrew

 

[Rick]

A clogged converter is bad for performance and fuel economy. They can also get incredibly hot so be careful about parking over any brush. I don't think it will affect anything mechanically.

 

[Stynx]

Could it be a bad o2 sensor?

 

[Pavesa]

Thanks for the thoughts.

I used my diagnostic tool to cancel it yesterday and see if it comes back. It didn't on my couple of local drives around today. If it stays off I guess I'm good. If it takes many days to come on again, maybe it's a marginal sort of situation..

It's a 2004 but only has 120,000 miles. Could a converter block in that mileage? Maybe that depends on whether it's just local runs..

How could I check if it's a bad O2 sensor? There's no actual engine fault, it's just saying Service Engine Soon

 

[Stynx]

Replace the O2 sensor with OEM. Short of replacing the cat and it isn't some esoteric electrical or computer issue it's not clear to me what else you can do.