Car or 532 Labby?

What kind of car? There are many other reasons the CEL can come on and then off. I had a Sonata. I made the mistake of filling it while the engine was running....the EVAP Canister had to be replaced. However, this does not cause an intermittent. A problem with the gas cap will however. If you didn't have it checked you should. Were you able to get a code? Advanced Auto here in the DC area...they will check it for you gratis. The EVAP system has other components that can give problems but not as commonly as the gas gap. Engine misfires resulting in improper burn and changes in exhaust can do the same thing if the problem is intermittent. The point is that there are some problems that the computer will reset if the problem goes away and some that it won't....at least that is my understanding and experience.

My wife had a PT Cruiser she purchased before we met. Now, that was a problem...kept getting a code for either thermostat or slow rise in temp. I researched this online and found that many people had the same problem replacing a zillion parts and costing a bundle. Luckily a friend of mine is a mechanic or we would never have gotten it fixed. What do you want from a Chrysler. :tsk:

Andrew124C41 said:

What kind of car? There are many other reasons the CEL can come on and then off. I had a Sonata. I made the mistake of filling it while the engine was running....the EVAP Canister had to be replaced. However, this does not cause an intermittent. A problem with the gas cap will however. If you didn't have it checked you should. Were you able to get a code? Advanced Auto here in the DC area...they will check it for you gratis. The EVAP system has other components that can give problems but not as commonly as the gas gap. Engine misfires resulting in improper burn and changes in exhaust can do the same thing if the problem is intermittent. The point is that there are some problems that the computer will reset if the problem goes away and some that it won't....at least that is my understanding and experience.

My wife had a PT Cruiser she purchased before we met. Now, that was a problem...kept getting a code for either thermostat or slow rise in temp. I researched this online and found that many people had the same problem replacing a zillion parts and costing a bundle. Luckily a friend of mine is a mechanic or we would never have gotten it fixed. What do you want from a Chrysler. :tsk:

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The car is a 2000 Volvo S40. The code was PL420 or something like that, which meant Cat below threshold. Well, today after driving for awhile, the light came back on! Ugh

-Alex

Sorry to hear that. Intermittents are a real headache...especially if it turns out to be the computer module itself I don't have any idea how much that costs. Perhaps a wire is loose...

Andrew124C41 said:

Sorry to hear that. Intermittents are a real headache...especially if it turns out to be the computer module itself I don't have any idea how much that costs. Perhaps a wire is loose...

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Indeed. I took it to an auto shop & they said the Cat failed the temperature test, but why would the CEL turn off? I read online it might be due to the computer not monitoring that system and came back on when it was re-evaluated & didn't pass?

Anyway, I'll need to save up for a Cat now, just to be on the safe side

-Alex

Alex,
Considering the cost...it is best to get it right. You have no idea what I went through with the PT Cruiser...sensors, thermostat, ac condensor fan...and that is not all. If it were not for my friend being able to get junk yard and after market parts...it would have cost a fortune. You don't want to replace the converter and have the same problem

Andrew124C41 said:

Alex,
Considering the cost...it is best to get it right. You have no idea what I went through with the PT Cruiser...sensors, thermostat, ac condensor fan...and that is not all. If it were not for my friend being able to get junk yard and after market parts...it would have cost a fortune. You don't want to replace the converter and have the same problem

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True! I had the auto shop do a level 1 diagnostic check and they reported that the Cat isn't working at operating temperature, the day before I stopped at an Xpress Lube where the scanner showed the cod PL420 which means Cat isn't working at maximum capacity.

The car runs fine and everything, no problems etc... but Cat aren't supposed to fail, which makes this a little strange but who knows!

I'll stop by the Xpress lube again tomorrow, to ask more question & their opinion.

-Alex

LeHap said:

The car is a 2000 Volvo S40. The code was PL420 or something like that, which meant Cat below threshold. Well, today after driving for awhile, the light came back on! Ugh

-Alex

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As I said, car problems don't just go away. Why ask for advice if you aren't going to listen to it? I don't blame you though. Lasers are addictive. They should have an AA version for lasers :crackup:

VisibleGreen said:

As I said, car problems don't just go away. Why ask for advice if you aren't going to listen to it? I don't blame you though. Lasers are addictive. They should have an AA version for lasers :crackup:

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Yes they are, it isn't my fault

-Alex

Well if you do need a new catalytic converter then make sure you tell them you want the old one back after replacing it. Cats have platinum inside them and are work $20+ at a metal scrap yard. Wouldn't believe how many people just throw them out.

GR3EN said:

Well if you do need a new catalytic converter then make sure you tell them you want the old one back after replacing it. Cats have platinum inside them and are work $20+ at a metal scrap yard. Wouldn't believe how many people just throw them out.

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Haha, many people steal cats too I believe!

-Alex

LeHap said:

Yes they are, it isn't my fault

-Alex

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Well it's still your fault
But anyways those converters are lined with platinum from what I've heard. It uses heat to chemically change the emissions and platinum can handle extremely high temperatures. It's why a lot of people steal them from junkyards no doubt.

LeHap said:

Haha, many people steal cats too I believe!

-Alex

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Well desperate people do yes. It's nothing a battery powered sawzall and 15 mins can't accomplish especially on a SUV you can just crawl under.

GR3EN said:

Well desperate people do yes. It's nothing a battery powered sawzall and 15 mins can't accomplish especially on a SUV you can just crawl under.

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Shoot! ive heard of people hooking up their power tools with an extendtion cord to very house that owned the car thay were stealing from. I live in a high rise for now thats in a decent part of a bad city (Fall River MA yes lizzie Bordon Fall River) and my neighbors car is a 96 Honda Accord. The things they have stolen from it is just incredible. We all get the gas caps taken, valve caps of the tires, hubcaps etc. They took the front 2 inner fender liners the front 2 bumper signel lenses the hole jack and tire iron but get this they took the engine oil dipstick! and the factory chrome tip on the tail pipe. There is more but why even bother to say more. Yes she left the door unlocked wich gave them a chance to pop the hood and trunk but if they wanted something that bad, there might have been a chance at breaking a window to get in

VisibleGreen said:

Well it's still your fault
But anyways those converters are lined with platinum from what I've heard. It uses heat to chemically change the emissions and platinum can handle extremely high temperatures. It's why a lot of people steal them from junkyards no doubt.

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The platinum along with a few other metals is inside a ceramic honeycomb structure to give a very large surface area , the metals catalyse the recombination of gases to give less harmful gasses , heat is generated aswell

If engines burn excess oil , the increased hydrocarbon content in the exhaust will cause the cat to generate more heat and can cause overheating and failure .


I hope you get your car sorted , They can been a pain , I'm still on my first car; its had its ups and a few downs but it happens , exhaust fell off , hole in exhaust and engine issues . I do agree It would be nice if engine problems would just go away

About 5 weeks ago my Peugeot 206 had a idle problem , would idle at 2500RMP compared to its 750RPM as soon as the throttle peddle was pressed and it wouldn't then go away , Temp reading on the dash would work on and off aswell when it idled high .

Few days later it stopped , thought nothing of it , then it came back , had it looked at ; got nothing , then a few days after that while driving to the Peugeot garage to get it looked at again . While sitting at lights engine hit over 2800RPM idle and suddenly steam bellowed out the side of the bonnet , it had boiled and blew the water filler cap off and all the water from the engine was all over the engine - guess it needed a clean anyway , in the end I got towed instead xD

Turned out the temp sensor had died and the fan wasn't turning on , secondly the throttle position sensor was stuffed and casing erratic engine behaviour , trying the accelerate almost stalled the car xD ,

In the end after they had both been replaced its working well again : D

And to answer the main question .... Labby , car can wait : P xD

^Indeed, the car can wait

-Alex