I recently (about 2 months ago) purchased a '04 Prius with 122k miles on it and it now had 124k. The only problem that it seems to have it a sporadic P0420 cel that come on and off every once in a while (even while on the same tank of gas); I always make sure the gas cap is on tight. On my last fill-up I got about 50mpg, so nothing seems out of the ordinary.
View 1 RepliesAbout two weeks ago I noticed that my parking brake light was not illuminating when I enagaged the brake. Since then it sometimes comes on when I engage the brake but not always (most of the time it doesn't). I can't replicate the conditions and there doesn't appear to be a pattern of temp or time of day.It is an '04 with 146,000 miles.
View 1 RepliesJust picked up a 2005 with 146k and full Toyota service history, although seems a steering recall was not done. Will run it to the dealer today to check. I need to decide a.s.a.p. if I am keeping the car or not (I know the seller, he will take it back)
Anyway to cut a long story short, two questions.
1) Car had P3190 and P0420 when I got it. Seller reset, drove home and within 5 minutes on the road the CEL was back on. Checked the codes at home and see only a P0420. Much to worry about? Seems this might be big (Cat) or small (O2). Car getting great mileage - 60mpg at 60mph and it seems to be running great. Should I worry or forget about it? Note I am in Florida with no inspections.
So I bought a used 2005 Prius back in August it had 88,000 miles on it and was out of warranty. But I had a full inspection on it and the car was in great shape. Well, after a few months of driving, I got the P0420 error. I took it into my mechanic who cleared the code and told me to call him if it came back on. It came back on, then I cleared it myself, and it came back on again. So it was confirmed that I had a bad catalytic converter.
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I have P0420 on my 06 prius with 220K miles. I reset it and it comes back after roughly 50 miles-ish. I have freeze frame data when the code is thrown. I read live data at 2500 rpm while the car is warm, and have all the data on the video link below.
My upstream O2 voltage is 3.1-3.3V. Downstream is .2-.4V. I understand that the downstream should be steady, and the upstream should fluctuate and read something between .1V-1V.
I have also taken thermal temp gauge and measured across both cats and readings downstream seem to be only slightly higher (+50F). It should be ALOT higher shouldn't it?
I checked out a 2006 Prius yesterday a guy is selling. It had the CEL on (not sure why somebody would try and sell a car with that, but anyway). He said that it's because they get gas at a station that consistently doesn't tighten the gas cap enough but by the time the tank is down to 1-2 bars the light always goes away. Although I don't doubt his story, I absolutely doubted the cause. So I took it to get the code pulled and it was P0420, which is catalytic converter threshold below efficiency.
View 15 RepliesSo today my CEL came on. I immediately looked at my mileage and I was EXACTLY at 500m past my oil change the other day. I checked the dip stick and lo and behold, it was about 3/4" past the full marker. I took it back to the oil change place and had them drain it down to a good level.
I had driven from NH to NY this week. I filled up my gas tank on my way home from NY. Gas cap was on nice and tight for sure.
The code is still on (not sure how many miles or drive cycles is required) for something to clear. I figured it was perhaps due to too much oil added. I decided a few hours later to take it to AutoZone and grab the diagnostic code. It's a P0420 code (Cat System efficiency below threshold: Air leak in exhaust before rear HO2S, AF Sensor Error, Fuel System Fault, Faulty Catalytic Converter).
My check engine light has been coming on and off and it seems to show P0420 for catalytic converter. The light stays off for about a week and it'll come on for a day or two and off again.
Wouldn't a failed converter stay failed? Can P0420 be triggered by loose/bad gas caps?
2003 Prius - 213 K miles on it.
Problem: Sporadic heat this winter and sporadic a/c in last summer. (Freezing to death)
I've taken it to two mechanics and they both stated that it is a electrical issue and the a/c clutch was check and it was good. It does have code 22. Where the A/C relays and the Heater relays are?
I have a 2007 f150 lariat with 88000 miles on it that I just bought and during slow throttle from 40-50. I am getting a sporadic shudder right when it goes into overdrive is worse when going up a light grade it goes away when i get to about 60 and whenever i give it full throttle it acts really sluggish like the tranny is slipping but it shifts very smooth.
View 8 RepliesI just drove my new 2011 IV with sunroof/sloar option and leather home yesterday and I noticed a sporadic low pitch rattle coming from the rear inside area. I will remove everything from the back today and see if it goes away.
View 8 RepliesI have a 2007 Prius/70,000 miles and live in NY. The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check Engine Light) came on back in May when I was visiting Texas and I stopped to have the code read and got a P0420 code - possible emission problem. As I was far from home I took a day to think about what I should do and by the next evening the light had shut off. Driving back to NY the following week the light came on again about 150 miles from home. Once again within a few days it had shut off. End of June I had the same thing happen - this time I took it to a Auto Part store and had them read the codes again. The guy there told me the only thing that showed up was some kind of emission error. Again within a few days the light went off. Just yesterday (August now) the light came on again. I've resisted taking it to the dealer because I know they will charge me $100+ just to plug it in and tell me what I partly already know. I've been reading up the P0420 code online however still have a few questions.
A. Is it normal for this code to go on and off repeatedly without me really doing anything?
B. Is there any way to figure out what the specific issue is without taking it to Toyota?
C. If it is the catalytic converter would I be covered under the Federal Emission Warranty? - which from what I've read is 8 years/80,000 miles?
The following is what the initial code printout read:
Troubleshooting P0420
OEM Brand: Domestic
Definition
Catalyst efficiency low-bank 1
Explanation
The oxygen sensors monitor the Catalytic Converters ability to store oxygen.
Probable cause
1. Catalytic converter defective (failure possibly due to # 2, 3, or 4)
2. Engine misfire or running condition
3. large vacuum leak
4. Engine oil leakage into exhaust-valve guide seals, piston rings
Looked around and could not find info on 2 codes. 2004 Prius : P0420 and U0293. One I believe is lost communication with hybrid system. Are these serious?
View 3 RepliesI have a 2003 with ~230,000 miles on it. We are the 4th owners, and have owned it for 7 years / 120,000 miles.
7 months ago, in December, I experienced my first red triangle of death. It happened on a warm start, but drove fine. Took it to O'Riley, they used an Innova 3120 to check the codes, and these are the 3 that came back (P1455, P0420, P3191). After starting the car the 4th time, the warnings went away, and all seemed well. It happened again about 3 months ago while on the highway, and again went away after 4 starts. At the time I was not too terribly worried about emissions codes, we live in an area that doesn't require testing, but the 3191 was the more ominous one.
The red triangle came on again two days ago, about 5 minutes after a cold start, and again today, about 5 minutes after a warm start. I do not know what the current codes are, but I will be taking it to a store tomorrow to get them checked. I had an oil change 4 days ago. I checked the intake manifold for any sign of liquid (I saw several posts in RE to the 3191 of that being a possibility), and it is as clean as our '05s. I checked my service history, and didn't have anything done the first two times this happened.
If the same codes persist, I'm assuming the problems could be cheap to almost what the car is worth (~$2,500).
2004 F150 5.4L V8 ...
P0420 Catalyst below threshold bank ...
O2 Sensors or Catalytic Converter ...
The power button didn't work for a while: For about two hours, the power button (and other stuff) on my 2007 Prius didn't work. But, after a couple of hours, the button worked again and I was able to power down my car (this after many, many pushes both soft and hard). I've now turned it on and off a few times and the car seems to be OK and it's behaving as if it's smiling at me and saying, "What?"
My questions: Does this happen a "lot"? Would the car have turned off if I turned off the smart function (as described on page 34 of the manual)? Is this issue as serious as it seems? Should I dump the car?
This is the first time in 138K miles that the below issues have manifested separately or together.
Other issues that happened at the same time (this morning when the car didn't turn off) were that the:
Instrument cluster was completely dark except for the check engine light (the dark instrument cluster was what first tipped me off that something was wrong)
Backup camera didn't turn on when I shifted into reverse gear
Phone didn't automatically go to speed dial when I was in motion
Fifth door unlock didn't work; the four doors locked/unlocked using the lock/unlock button on the door, but the hatchback didn't unlock.
A day or so ago, the check engine light came on and is throwing a "P0420" code (I posted about this separately yesterday).
By the way, I found out that if you hold down the power button for a while, the car goes into a different state of being where the ICE isn't running and the battery shows as completely empty.
I own a 2004 Ford Taurus (3.0L V6, OHV (12), non-flex fuel) registering a P0420 engine code. If I can smell exhaust fumes in the cabin, can I assume there is a leak in the catalytic converter system, or could the O2 sensors be the issue (or could it be the catalytic converter itself...)?
View 3 RepliesI bought an 04 elantra a few weeks ago. The check engine light is now on and I get code P0420 listed twice with my code reader. I have replaced the downstream O2 sensor and reset the codes only for them to return again. It is my understanding that this is going to be a convertor problem. My question is that from the research I have done it looks as though this car has two converters. One at the exhaust manifold and then another in the tailpipe. Which one is going to be the most likely causing my Check engine light to come on. Or do I need to replace both converters.
View 5 RepliesHad the check engine light in the 2005 F150 (90,000 miles) come on. Got the code checked and its P0420. I know that has to do with the cat threshold levels etc. so I believe I am looking to replace the o2 sensor, if I am not mistaken.
How hard of a job is this? Ive done a decent amount of engine work and worked in a shop in high school. Just looking to see if that is the right thing to try first, replacing the sensor, before replacing the cat.
Also I know its the right bank, but if I am not mistaken there is a before and after the cat o2 sensor, which do i replace? Both?
Had a lift done (Rough Country, after reading through these forums) on my 04 F150 Newer Body Style 4x4. Now, sometimes the pedal gets harder to push on until it won't go down at all and the brakes (only the front) start dragging. It goes away after awhile (my rotors are shot and I'm going to have to replace them after I figure out what is going on) but always comes back. The brake lines have been bled and I'm having a shop bleed them again tomorrow (that's what they said the issue was) just in case.
View 11 RepliesI have a 2002 Toyota Solara with 195k miles, and it frequently gives off a hot oil smell as though oil or trans fluid is on a hot surface, but I cannot find any such thing through a visual inspection. About the time this started, the check engine light came on and stayed on until I replaced the upstream O2 sensor.I had hoped there was some connection, but the sporadic smell has continued, so apparently not. Is there some other explanation, or should I keep looking for a leak somewhere on the outside of the engine?
View 3 Replies