P0430,rough idle and intermittant power loss | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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P0430,rough idle and intermittant power loss

ASURFCAT

New Member
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
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City, State
SoCal
Year, Model & Trim Level
1997 Ford Explorer
Ok
1997 Explorer, 4.0 SOHC Engine, 105,000 miles

I bought this a few months ago. It's my commuter vehicle. My drive to work in the morning is about 1/2 hour Coming home I sit in a bit of traffic so the commute is more like n hour and it's a bit warmer at that time of day here in SoCAl. After a week or so I noticed that the vehicle was idling rough half way home during my afternoon commute. It would never die but it was definately rough. One day when I was almost home the check engine light came on. A buddy of mine has a simple code reader that gave us the p0430 error code. I wrote it down and we cleared the code. I have been driving it the past 2 months as is and though the CEL has not came back on, the problem persists and I know it's affecting mileage.
I have read a few posts here but I am unclear on which one refers to my specific problem.
So since the CEL doesn't come back on and the rough idling continues I am assuming the O2 sensors are not the problem. Now I am no master mechanic to say the least but I am also thinking that if it was a CAT Conv problem that the rough idle would be constant.(I could absolutely be wrong lol)
Last but not least,while driving home yesterday, as I started to clear the traffic I notice a distinct lask of power and then a return of that power. When I got off the Freeway it was idling rough as usual.
I do not have this issue when the vehicle is cold.
I did not notice or write down if the code reader pointed to a particular bank when it gave us the p0430 error.

Thanks in advance
 






P0430 OBD-II Trouble Code
Technical DescriptionCatalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 2)

What does that mean?Basically this means that the oxygen sensor downstream of the catalytic converter on bank 2 is detecting that the converter is not working as efficiently as it should be (according to specs). It is part of the vehicle emissions system.

SymptomsYou will likely not notice any drivability problems, although there may be symptoms such as a rough/hard idle when cold.

CausesA code P0430 may mean that one or more of the following has happened:

The catalytic converter is no longer functioning properly
An oxygen sensor is not reading (functioning) properly
There is an exhaust leak
Possible SolutionsFirst, inspect for exhaust leaks.

Next step is to measure the voltage at the oxygen sensor on Bank 2. In fact, it would be a good idea to test each oxygen O2 sensor while you're at it.
 






When was the last tune up done? Plugs, air filter, clean MAF etc.
 






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