My wife drives a 2005 Honda accord and the catalytic converter heat shield recently fell off. I am wondering if it is safe to continue driving the car without the heat shield? I have read that the main function of the heat shield is to prevent fires when parking in long grass. Does it also protect the bottom of the car from starting on fire?
View 1 RepliesMy wife drives a 2001 Suzuki XL7. While she was out, the exhaust heat shield fell off the catalytic converter. My question is does this affect the car's ability to function in any way? Is it still safe to drive? My wife is freaking out over it.
View 6 RepliesThe heat shield on the catalytic converter of my 2005 Honda Civic rusted and was hanging on by one nut, so I decided to rip the bottom part off. Is it necessary to get a replacement or can i go without it?
View 5 RepliesThe catalytic converter shield is tack welded on the front end but free on the rear end. There was originally some braided wire packing at the rear to keep the shield from rattling against the pipes. Mine was deteriorated and had been damaged, I think, when I sustained some oil pan damage last summer -- big jolt to the system when running over a muffler on the highway.
The fix is simple. Bought a foot of 3/16" braided stainless steel cable. I used about 8 inches and layed in the lower bead line on the catalytic converter shield (see picture below). You can see a bit of the cable thru the gap in the upper/lower shield on the left side. (1/4" cable would be a better fit, but this will work for a long time.) Cost: $1.84
The local VW parts man dug out an exploded drawing of the system but it showed NO parts or packing for this problem.
Got a rattle from the car, I think it's the catalytic converter heat shield. Looking for any pictures of what it looks like? I don't know if it is a full cover on our Toyota's, or a half cover. I will post a picture of what mine looks like now that it is rattling later today. Hoping it's an easy fix.
2009 Corolla CE 1.8L.
My wife and I have a 1997 Honda Accord, roughly 260k miles. A few months back the Check Engine light came on, diagnostic came back with P0420, typically indicating the catalytic converter is shot. Who am I to argue, it was an factory part. So we replaced that with an inexpensive Magnaflow converter. (don't have the part number on me); this was 5 days ago. Today my wife takes the car in for inspection. Check Engine is still on with the same code. The guy at the testing station begins laughing at my wife when she says we only spent about 200 in parts and labour on the new converter. I'm inclined to think that since we already replaced the converter that I should be looking somewhere else (O2 sensor maybe). But I also don't want to just start throwing parts at it. Do I have a case here? I would really prefer not to spend $1000 on a car that old with that many miles on it just to pass inspection.
View 4 RepliesThe Honda dealership read the check engine light code on my Honda 2002 Accord, that said the catalytic convertor is not operating within the efficiency range(plus the converter has a rattle in it...it is not the heat shield as it was taken off years ago). They said it was too expensive to have fixed at the dealership and to find an independent repair shop to replace the converter.
They warned me to not get the cheap universal converter as the check engine light for the converter would come back on and stay on. They said get a more expensive one but would not give any specific brand or price range and said it SHOULD keep the check engine light from coming about the converter.
I have an independent shop and they agreed about never using an universal converter. However when I press them about the $270 converter they would put on would keep the check engine light for the converter from coming on, they hesitated in assuring me it would not come on.
Honda Accord converter can be replaced with an after market converter, what did it cost, and did it keep the check engine light for the converter from coming on?
I want to replace the auto trans coolant lines on my 2001 F150 4.2L. I discovered I can actually see the top coolant line flare nut from outside the right wheel well, with the wheel and wheel liner removed. The lower line is just a few inches below. See photo, it's a little off, so the line connector is not seen:
The heat shield is just a little bit in the way for my hands, I have to put one through the red circled area. A 1/2" hex head bolt holds the shield to the frame (circled in green). This was easy to remove from the wheel well. After that the heat shield could be moved slightly away from the points I need to access.
I would prefer to unfasten the shield & move it out of the way for my hands. I found another bolt holding the rear end of the shield down to the frame, wasn't able to remove this - the bolt fastens to a U-nut in the frame that broke off & has trapped the bolt. Are there any other bolts fastening the heat shield down?
I was able to remove the old flare nuts with a 5/8" flare nut wrench, but have not been able to start the new nuts into their fittings, just not quite enough visibility and access.
I needed to replace the same (rear) catalytic converter of my 2006 Honda Pilot LX (2WD) in less than 16 months. The first time it happened in October 2014 when the vehicle had 160K miles (Car's service code was P0420), and the second time it happened this month (same code P0420), when the vehicle had 184K miles. I have it replaced at Honda Service both times.
When it happened for a second time so quick (160k miles wth first converter vs 24K miles with the second converter), I asked Honda Service for a free warranty replacement, but they said it only has 12K miles, and 12 month warranty on repairs, they called Honda corporate to see if they would do anything extra (they did not), but Lute Riley gave a discount to do it at their part & labor cost only ($800 first time vs $550 second time).
What could be the cause of the second catalytic converter to go bad so quick? I have been the owner and only driver of the vehicle since i purchased it new and my driving habits have not changed.
The check engine light on our 2005 Honda CRV (146,000 miles) came on and stayed on. After a week of driving with the light on we brought the car to the dealer to have it checked. The dealer diagosed a faulty catalytic converter given a P0402 diagnostic code and didn't think the P1078 code for the intake manifold a problem. The dealer also stated that the oxygen sensors were fine. We declined the dealers offer to replace the catalytic converter for $2,170 and the check engine light was reset. After two weeks of daily drifting and 1000 plus miles the engine light is still off. Did we actually have a problem? Why hasn't the light come on again?
View 8 RepliesAfter coming home at a late night in my 2005 Honda Accord, I heard noise coming from the drivers side front wheel. I've heard this noise once before after a rock got stuck up in my brakes. I pulled into a parking lot and jacked up the car and got the tire off. I couldn't see anything that would be making the noise. After going to get something from the trunk the car fell off the jack. I had a tow truck come and lift it up. We put the tire back on and he said there shouldn't be anything serious and I no longer heard the noise coming from the wheel on my way home. But after driving it the next day, I noticed when the car is turned sharply to the right while driving, it makes a scratching/screeching noise. What could have happened?
View 8 RepliesMy son-in-law has a 2006 Honda Accord with over 160,000 miles on it. About 8 months ago, the check engine light came on. The code said the down stream oxygen sensor was bad. He took it to a Honda dealer and they replaced the sensor and now the check engine light is back on with the same code. Can the catalytic converter have gone bad and can it have made the oxygen sensor go bad too?
View 5 RepliesThe engine splash shield to my 2010 Prius fell/tore off after ran over some chunks of ice and snow. (The plastic "flap" that folds down to allow access to the oil filter and drain plug. My local dealership says I need to replace the entire plastic lining under the vehicle to the tune of $250+.
View 19 RepliesThe plastic shield under the engine has fell down and dragged while driving. I have put it back up with zip ties and i seem to be getting worse gas mileage now since air is catching?? Is it ok just to remove this guard?
View 5 RepliesMy 2007 suddenly wants to give no heat when idle...as soon as I begin moving again the heat blows hot, but when stopped at a light or sitting in park the heat only blows cold air...
View 2 RepliesI have noticed in my 2009 Honda Accord that the temperature of the heated air coming out of the dash vents drops when I select "all dash" as opposed to "mix dash and floor." It's significant enough to notice as it blows on my hands. But the dealer says the difference is within 5 degrees, which is within specs, so they won't do anything.
I don't think I can measure it myself since I can't fully jam my thermometer in the dash vent, so any reading would be contaminated by ambient temperature.
Nothing will blow out from vents, with heat or AC. I checked the fuse under the hood and that had continuity, I checked the 7.5 fuse under the dash and that was fine. I also replaced the blower motor resistor and the blower motor with brand new ones. Also used a test light to make sure power was getting to the resistor and motor and that is all good.
2004 Honda Accord EX Sedan .....
I recently had my catalytic converter replaced with a non-OEM cat. The check engine light came on and a different shop (different from the shop that replaced the cat) said that it will keep coming on because I had the cat replaced with a non-OEM cat.
View 3 RepliesI have a 2001 VT GTI with 155K miles on it. It is in very good condition. I have loved the car except for the high maintenance costs that typically seem to be associated with VWs.
I found out this week after my check engine light came on that the car needs a new catalytic converter and a new new secondary air pump.
Let's assume that this diagnosis is correct and the repair is accurate for the sake of this posting (and I have no doubt it is). In other words, I don't want to get my question derailed on that issue.
The car has new Michelin tires on it and runs well. The problem is that it will fail the state emissions test I am required to take next December, and I will either be forced to have the car repaired or will not be able to get updated license tabs (isn't that sweet?!).
It seems that I have a few options:
1. Get the repair done (ouch) and keep driving the car for a few more years. Repair cost is about what the market value of the car is (from what I have seen).
2. Sell the car "as-is" between now and December and see what cash I can get out of it. Any buyer will discount the value of the vehicle based on the repairs needed. Of course, then I'll need a replacement vehicle of some sort.
See related guides and technical advice from our community experts:
How to Replace a Catalytic Converter
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I have a 2000 Lincoln Town Car with a single exhaust system, part of/attached to the frontal area of the exhaust "Y" pipe are two lumps with heat shields, the muffler is obvious in the mid-section of the car, but are those "lumps" the catalytic converters, and if so, why two when the older cars had only one?
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