Shop said both cats bad on California emissions truck

CEL came on a month ago, took it to Autozone since its free and they could at least tell me what the code was....P0420...gave me 4 entries. Took it to the dealer to pinpoint...definitely the cat and an evap/vac leak....they cleared that one and reset the light but came one as soon as I turned on the truck. They kind of quoted a price (1.8k+) but also suggested a local muffler shop that would be under $400. I took it there and they said my truck is California emissions, so it has two Cats. The first one is the heavy duty one and the second one is the smaller one, both or one is bad. They called the distributor to see if they could replace with just one Cat and were told both cats need to be replaced. Quoted me under $600. When they ran the obd they got 4 codes (3 were Cat related and one was evap/vac leak). I read these forums and basically its 50/50 for go with OEM (which I can't afford) cause its the only way to do this so CEL doesn't come back, but many times it does or go with aftermarket magnaflo or another brand but also has mixed results with CEL returning. I asked the tech about the CEL returning and he says that is why they are recommending both cats get replaced....any thoughts, suggestions, insight related to this matter are greatly appreciated. And are they pulling my leg with the two cat thing. I have never come across that on anything I have ever read, not that I was looking for it. I just know that cali emission trucks are more finicky when it comes to cat P0420 stuff

Truck is running fine, gas mileage hasn't changed, maybe a tad bit better, there is no loss of power, but I know it needs to get done


thank you guys

 

Whats your question or are you just venting? By the way California does suck for everything except for the 49ers and the scenery. good place to visit for the day not to live.

 

Are they pulling my leg with the 2 cat thing and has anyone had both cats changed and cel has gone away? Or can I just have both cats replaced with one cat? I am venting of course but I am looking for insight man....suggestions.....I don't live in cali, so my truck isn't emission tested...yet

 

A v6 has 2 exhaust manifolds, so it is very possible that it has 2 cats (I have a 4-cyl so don't have any experience with v6). If you think they are scamming you about it, crawl under there and take a look. Follow each exhaust manifold. A cat looks like a small muffler.

Not sure why both would have to be replaced, unless they can't tell which one is faulty.

 

I had this problem with my 2000 4runner, also a Cali, although I lived in Texas. I got quoted the about the same as you, $1,800, so I replaced both cats with aftermarket cats (about $700) and replaced both the O2 sensors as well at the same time. The CEL light was still on so I took it to the dealership again and they said the aftermarket cats were not heavy duty enough to keep the light off, basically they were not as good as OEM cats. I didnt want to fork over the $1,800 for OEM cats, so I bought a URD catalytic converter simulator; and that kept the light off.

 

I'd check the rear O2 sensor, too - if it goes out, it throws the P0420 code, as well. Didn't happen on a Tacoma, but the same thing happened on my Subaru Forester - first shop said 'cat's bad, that'll be $1200' but the second shop pulled the rear O2 sensor, tested it, and replaced it - no more CEL. A failing rear O2 sensor won't put out the expected information the ECU wants based on input from the front O2 sensor, and the ECU assumes it must be the cat. There are codes for the rear O2 sensor, but for whatever reason the P0420 code sometimes gets thrown before the cat codes do.

The guy at that shop I ended up taking it to said mechanics love the P0420 because they can a.) sell you a new cat at retail after they pay wholesale, earning a little profit, b.) 'recycle' your old cat for the valuable metal in it, earning more profit and c.) replace your O2 sensors as being 'necessary' for the job, all of which takes maybe an hour, which is all they needed to do to fix the problem in the first place. Hundreds of dollars of profit for easy work, all over a $60 sensor - I'd check that first before replacing the cats.

 

Jeff, I did look at the urd cat sim...might have to fix it that way if CEL returns....Matt, I have seen posts where they check the o2 sensor, might have to give that a try....wondering what is the life span of a Cat anyways?

 

They're basically pieces of metal - if you don't have a head gasket leak or some other source of contamination in your exhaust, they should last a long time. My Taco has its original cat at 235,000 miles and it's fine.

 

And the beaches in the southern half.

 

Hey OP, I went through the same exact thing your going through. I had the Po420 code pulled at autozone, I researched what it could be. I took it to a shop to find out exactly what was bad. Turned out my rear cat and rear 02 sensor were bad. That shop also told me I had to replace both cats just to be on the safe side because "that was recommended by Toyota". The price that shop gave me was outrageous! I took it to another shop and they said the same thing, about changing both cats, and since its California emissions they said my truck required a "heavy duty" cat. The brand they have are called CatCo. Originally I wanted magnaflow 50 states legal because thats what I've heard works with our trucks. So after researching the Catco brand I came to the conclusion that their cats were not the cheap aftermarket ones, and in fact are made for vehicles that need to pass California emissions. I'm in the process now of getting everything put on. I ordered my 02 sensors from rock auto. Once they get here the muffler shop said they would put them on at no extra charge. My price here in Austin Tx is $600 for both Catco heavy duty mufflers and labor.

So to answer your questions... From my experience, both cats should be changed out at the same time. Also, I'd recommend getting a heavy duty cat, either magnaflow, Catco, or whichever cat the shop has, just as long as its gonna work with California emissions. Also, the shop should warranty it. Mine comes with a 5 year 50k mile warranty, Which would cover a failed emissions test due to bad cat converter.

Hope this helps.

 

Moe, your post does help a lot....the shop echoed your words today. They also use catco and magnaflow, he said it depends on what the truck needs. They will make sure that CEL does not return and will fix it or contact the distributor. Could you post the o2 part numbers just in case.
When are you looking at getting this work done. I want to see how it works out for you....

 

Straight pipe it!

 

Rock auto is where I bought mine.
$120 for front = DENSO Part # 2349001
$60 for rear = DENSO Part # 2344189

After checking autozone, oreileys, advanced. Their prices were crazy expensive. RockAuto is the cheapest I could find, especially for OEM, which is what is recommended so the CEL stays off!!!

I'm waiting for the sensors to come in, along with lower ball joints. Hopefully they will be here by Monday, that way I can go to the muffler shop Tuesday or Wednesday.

I've researched Catco on TW and there are only a couple posts about them. Atleast all 3 or 4 posts were positive. With the warranty they come with I'm confident it'll be ok. Especially since the muffler shop knew exactly what type of muffler I needed, they didn't try to sell me some cheap aftermarket and call it a day. They made me feel like the product I'm getting is dependable and reliable. Although I researched and new exactly what I needed before I went to the muffler shop, when I spoke with them I acted like I had no idea what I needed or what I was talking about. That way I could tell if they were trustworthy or not.

 

what brand cats did you get?

 

Moe, that is my next quest, I moved to North Dakota (don't you know hey) in summer of 2008. As winter set in I started to feel like a heaviness towards the passenger front. Kind of hard to describe. Sometimes it feels worse than other times. I thought it might have been the brakes dragging. Replaced rotors and pads...still felt it. it could be the tires, even though I have had them rotated. Hopefully I should be getting wheels and tires soon enough. But I have always thought it might bearings or one of the ball joints...something along those lines. Dealership had the truck when I had the scan and I asked them to look over the suspension and they said it was all good?