Hello fellow car nuts,

My daily driver (Accord) had the check engine light come on over the weekend, and after taking it into the shop, they have informed me that the catalytic converter and O2 sensor need replacement.

The price for parts and labor is $1275 (yikes!), with the main cost being the $950 catalytic converter.

Has anyone replaced this part on a car themselves? Is it difficult to do? Apparently the O2 sensor just screws right on to the catalytic converter. Do I really need to go with the OEM part, because it seems like there are alternatives out there for much less.

Thanks for any and all advice...

 

How old is your car and how many miles do you have on it??? I don't think I've ever had a catalytic converter go bad on me. I did have an O2 sensor go bad. That usually costs around $200 - $250 installed.

 

I think it depends on your local laws regarding replacing the converter with an aftermarket one. If it is allowed, you should be able to find a lesser priced aftermarket unit (even a high flow type). In alot of cases its the failure of the O2 sensor that messes up the air-fuel mixture that in turns causes the converter failure.
The biggest problem with doing an exhaust system yourself is dealing with rusted on fasteners that either strip or break off. I'm not too familiar off the top of my head with the accord exhaust, but most Japanese cars have bolt on flanges.

 

Are you in a place that when the cat goes bad, you can remove it entirely? If you are, then do it and have a fitting put in for the O2 sensor. If not, you might look into a high flow cat. These should not cost nearly as much as a stock Honda one.

 

The car is a 1998 model with 92K miles (!!) They are quoting $120 for the sensor, and $950 for the converter, so I will ask if they will install an aftermarket one for me instead.

One more question-- does a bad O2 sensor/cat converter affect anything other than emissions, for example fuel efficiency?

 

Hmm, this makes sense. I would definitely suspect it as the cause of the two failures (although they suggested that the cat failure could have overheated and damaged the O2 sensor).

Thanks

 

A bad O2 sensor will cause lower fuel mileage.

A cat is not hard to replace, you just have to have the right tools. If you could hoist the car up, you would have alomost no problem doing it yourself. I assuem the quote came from the dealer, have you tried an exhaust place?

Lance

 

If you are in the US I thought all emissions related parts were covered by a longer warranty than the 3 year 36K. Check your paperwork on the car before you pony up the cash.

 

The warranty on emission equipment is usually 8 years/80K miles, as set by the federal gov't.

You may want to talk to Honda regional about it - they may be able to absorb some or all of the cost for you.

Good luck.

 

I wasn't sure of the length so I didn't want to say, but I thought for some reason it was 10/100K. Hopefully you can find the cat. cheaper than what they quoted you. Have you tried handaaccessories?