i just bought a 2007 prius from a private seller. A day later the engine lights on. He said it was due to a cat converter sensor and no big deal. He said they cleaned the converter n it was fine. $110 later at a toyota dealership after they diagnosed it they said it cant be cleaned and needs to be replaced. They said part alone is $2000 and suggest i go to a local emmisions shop so its cheaper. Ive read some forums that say to just do the sensor. Car has 90,000 and i live in nj. What are your opinions?
The seller LIED to you. Catalytic converters can not be "cleaned". And the sensor(s) involved are not just for the converter. Call around to a few muffler shops in your area. Not sure I'd trust one for less than $100 from an unknown seller but you should be able to get one for a LOT less than $2K.
I'd get estimates from shops like Midas & Meineke as I'm not a mechanic & don't know what other parts I might need. At least you know what the Magnaflow sells for so you can compare the shop's price. I'd also check out an indy garage in the neighborhood.
No, in CA and NY, you need a CARB certified Cat. none exist except Toyota. It works in the the other 48 states. Slightly upscale for 48 state use is 2004-2009 Toyota Prius Catalytic Converter - Walker 16337 - - PartsGeek.com or 2004-2009 Toyota Prius Catalytic Converter - Bosal 096-1692 - - PartsGeek.com they are direct fit replacements.
From that website: "Notes: EPA Ultra Direct Fit Converter -- Must Be Used With 55431 Resonator Assembly; Fits Fed. & Calif. Emissions Models.; Not legal for sale in the state of California. Not legal for use on California emission vehicles in New York. Legal for use on Federal/EPA emission vehicles in New York." I believe that all North American Prius are rated as compliant with CA emissions. If anyone living in the US has a 2G Prius whose emissions label indicates Federal only (not California) please take a photo and post.
Toyota and Subaru vehicles are KNOWN for logging "cat efficiency" codes at efficiency loss levels that are below what any testing can detect in real-world situations. Put another way, the ECM is hyper-sensitive to even a tiny efficiency loss of the converter. Aftermarket converters are a cr@pshoot at best and are widely reported to have lives measured in months, not years. There are MANY things on a modern vehicle that can cause FALSE cat efficiency codes, not the least of which are exhaust leaks, bad oxygen and air-fuel ratio sensors and excessive oil consumption over a long period of time. There are many reports of successful cat cleaning, I have never tried it nor do I know anyone who has. My suggestions: 1) Rule out the potential of an exhaust leak 2) Look up, in your favorite search engine, spark plug anti-foulers in the 18mm size and prepare to install two between the exhaust pipe of your car and the REAR (downstream) oxygen sensor after enlarging the holes in the adapters to allow the sensor to screw into them. This is 100% effective and is NOT any form of emissions cheating device or method. It simply evens out rapid changes in exhaust oxygen concentrations that can trigger FALSE cat efficiency dtcs on older vehicles where the emissions are completely within the regs.
California is dealership required only. So Anything you do will have to be done yourself. Like having a magnaflo one sent to a out of state friend then to you..... Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
That could be for both NY and CA, though best to check. During my last smog check (locally), the tech went down on his hand and knee with a selfie mirror and visually checked my cat (from in front of the rear drivers side tire area) for oem goodness
Wow, that didn't happen to me. I have the magnaflo. Gas station smog guy didn't say anything. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
