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should a bad Cat converter give a code??

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Old Sep 12, 2021 | 08:40 AM
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should a bad Cat converter give a code??

Got a 2003 with the 4.2 and the engine began running shaky during acceleration and as I was taking off today I smelled the infamous rotten egg smell, the only code I and 2 different auto parts stores can get is the P1000 and nothing else, should my truck be throwing a code for the CC? also how can I tell which one of 2 is the bad one with no code, they both go into a single exhaust. One, which is the one I think it is when warm, the intake side (with a slight gold discoloration) is hotter than the exhaust side- is this a indicator its bad?? Thanks
 
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Old Sep 12, 2021 | 01:07 PM
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should a bad Cat converter give a code??
Depends on WHICH converter may have failed and the particular failure mode.

The only thing monitored is the chemical activity of the upstream cats, nothing else is monitored by the PCM's software.





 
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Old Sep 12, 2021 | 07:22 PM
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If nothing else, I would pull spark plugs first and get a read on them before anything else.

My ‘03 with a 4.2 has a miss or something extra to the idle as of late. Took it to work for a drive a few Thursdays ago and it was fine. Friday morning, stumbly idle and turned right back home to trade out trucks. No misfires on the scanner, just the P1518 that had me stumped.

I’m expecting to find plugs that are oil fouled like I did five years ago, which probably means that some blowby is tripping that P1518 and I’ll need an engine sooner than later.

Anyway, enough of me thinking out loud. Pull plugs and diagnose first. Also, stop pulling battery cables and you won’t get P1000.
 
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Old Sep 13, 2021 | 12:23 PM
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You can buy a pressure gauge that plugs into where the 02 sensor goes. The cat that builds the most pressure is the bad on.

OR run the vehicle in a furious rage......it actually works.
 
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Old Sep 13, 2021 | 03:55 PM
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There is an easy way of telling if a cat is bad on one of these older trucks. (This will not work on newer type cats)
Go get the heat/laser beam type temperature reader from Harbor Freight (around $20.00) and get the cats hot, now aim it at the front and backsides of each cat, there are four of them. If the readings are close to 100 degrees from front to back on each cat they are bad. Anything over 110/120 degrees or more spilled is an okay cat.
 
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Old Sep 14, 2021 | 12:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Kellem
You can buy a pressure gauge that plugs into where the 02 sensor goes. The cat that builds the most pressure is the bad on.

OR run the vehicle in a furious rage......it actually works.
But police officer, I was told to drive it this way because of my 02 sensor .....
 
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