jbudhram015

I really wish that were true but it is not. From what I've seen there are different engine family codes for every model, every year. I just got a ton of new info today that makes things very interesting, if you live in CA and have the p0420, stay tuned.........

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

seems like the people living in the states that boarder California could make some money boot legging converters into the state .

Here in Pa It is just a scam for money the emission inspections because the number of vehicles that fail is so small.

jbudhram015

Just passed smog! I reset my light and drove for a week and went in a tested and passed. Got told by a shop that drilled into my pipe and tested my front cat that it was definitely going bad and needed to be replaced and that there was no way I would pass smog. The readings from the smog shop show the cats are doing fine.....

Ive been throwing the P0420 for about a year now and have been dreading having to smog after seeing what the dealer wants for cats and what has happened to those that went aftermarket. A small muffler shop I talked to said that the O2 sensors can fail partially and cause the P0420 code but not the bad O2 sensor code. The guy called it a "lazy" O2 sensor, has to due with switching rate of the sensors decreasing but still partially functioning. My smog sheet says my O2 sensors are under performing (based on O2 and CO2 content in the exhaust) but still working so it looks like he may be right.

I would really recommend to anyone that has the P0420 to reset it and see how long it takes to come back, if it takes weeks don't run out and replace your cat. Reset it and drive a week and see if it passes. The O2 sensors are 300ish for the pair but are much cheaper than the cats if you're throwing and intermittent light. The guy I talked to said if the cat is actually bad the light will come back in a days, not weeks or months. If you have 20 bucks or so for a pre test (no cert) you can get the readings from your cat(s) and know if you'll pass the sniffer portion of the smog test. If your sniff test results are good but you're still popping the light, start with the sensors.

The O2 sensors are a maintenance part and are supposed to be replaced around 60-70k. In my case I didn't even replace the sensors, just reset the light and was able to pass. I know some people are are dealing with actual failed cats but if you're experiencing what I was it may not be as bad as it seems. Hope this helps.

cajieboy

Hey Jbud, congrats on passing that test! Looks like you did quite a lot of research on your Cat problem, so I thought I'd ask if you came across any alternatives to the Toyota OEM Cats? I've been told that I'll soon need a replacement, and looking for options to OEM. I live in Florida but have Cali Cats, and do not need to pass a test, so that's no problem. I have a 2002 SR5 2WD V6 4Runner. Thanks.

jbudhram015

Look at Carsound (Magnaflow) according to all the smog guys I talked to. The Walkers and Catcos are supposed to be on the cheaper end but In my case I didn't have an approved Carsound. They are a little more expensive but supposed to be worth it. If you can have it done you might be able to have a shop redo your exhaust with a single cat which would be nice. To answer your question Carsound, Walker and Catco were the options here in Cali.