Does this mean I need to have my Catalytic Converter replaced?
I have a 2003 Toyota Matrix with nearly 90,000 miles on it.
In Feb, I was on a road trip and happened to notice I was running low on gas. I had just hit a stretch where there were no gas stations and by the time I got to one, my check engine light was on and my 12 gallon tank took 13.08 gallons of gasoline.
I drove a few hundred miles with my CEL on before I figured I better get it checked. I went to Autozone and the guys said they thought the problem was probably with my fuel system, maybe an O2 sensor or something. I told them about nearly running out of gas and they that might have been it so they reset the CEL.
I went to go get my emissions check done for my tag and my car failed the test. The guy said everything else passed but the car failed because I had had my CEL reset and now there wasn’t enough history to pass the test.
Well, my CEL stayed off for quite a while, I was driving back and forth to my University and it remained off. It wasn’t until I left for another road trip (GA to New Orleans) that my check engine light came on again (I think I was about 350 miles into the trip but I had put about 500+ miles on the car since the CEL was cleared).
Now, I really need to get my emissions recheck so I can get my tag before the end of April. So I went to a Texaco oil change place just now to get my CEL checked. The mechanic plugged the meter in under my dash and told me that the problem was my catalytic converter and that it had to be replaced. He said that this was a major part of the emissions test and that there was no way to cheat it.
I’ve read that the code that comes up for Cat Converter is the same code that comes up for O2 sensors and fuel system issues and I’m just trying to become an informed consumer so that I don’t want into a shop tomorrow and get taken advantage of because I’m a woman.
I can’t say I’ve really noticed any issues with my car other than the CEL. I haven’t noticed anything different in her acceleration, her idling, or the smell of her exhaust. The only strange thing that happened was once when I started her up and still had my door open… She had been running for probably a minute or so and I heard this weird puff of air noise that sounded like it came from the engine.
The long and short of it is that I have to go into New Orleans for a funeral tomorrow and I was planning on taking her but I need to be able to get her emissions done (and passed) for my tag before I can leave.
Anyone have any suggestions or advice? Sorry this post is so long, I just water to give as much info as possible. Thanks!
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