Catalytic Converter Different for Manual VS Auto??
 

I have a 2007 Honda Fit Sport with a manual transmission. It has 109,000 miles on it and the check engine light came on. I notice that when I get up to about 4000rpm it kinda bogs down and makes a rattling sound like something is clicking. The engine code (i don't remember the exact code now) but it suggested that the catalytic converter was not performing as it should. Same thing when I took it to the Texas State Inspection. I have seen a few catalytic converters on ebay for a very good price but the ones for the manual transmission seem to be more expensive. I called the local honda stealership and they quoted me a price of $1300 + Tax?!!?! Anyway, I'm wondering, does anyone know if the catalytic converter for a manual transmission is any different than an automatic transmission. The parts department at the stealership just told me they look exactly the same but he would recommend I buy the one (from him) for the manual as I have a manual transmission in my car. The part numbers are different. Another thing: I called the local auto parts store and the guy there told me he was looking at the "spec sheet" on both of them and they "appeared" to be exactly the same. However, before I go an plunk down some hard earned cash I was hoping some of the experts here would please chime in on this question and let me know if there is any difference or anything I should be aware of on this issue. Thanks in advance for your help guys!! Any help sure would be appreciated! :eek3:

I ran into a dirty cat issue last winter on my 2002 Accord (manual) w/114k miles. P0420 indicates an issue with the cat and/or the oxygen sensors.

My check engine light came on and stayed lit, as opposed to flashing. I brought the car to my mechanic who cleaned out the cat and reset the code. (Other than being really dirty, the mechanic could find nothing wrong with the cat and sensors.) If the code had come back, then I would have known that the cat or the sensors were bad.

Right after this, I treated the gas with Cata Clean ($25 approx). The car drove better and my mileage went up by a solid 2 mpg on that tank of gas.

Before swapping out the whole system (cat, sensors) try some of the Cata Clean or getting a mechanic to clean the cat.

There are those who think Cata Clean is snake oil; there are those for whom it has worked.

Thanks for the information Farrago. Just curious. How do the mechanics clean out the catalytic converter?

O2 sensors on most cars last between 100 and 140K miles, Most work better if changed about 80K. YMMV.. And if you replace a cat, replace the sensors. Bad sensors will take out the cat and the reverse..

Cheers

DWTaylorpdx: Thanks for your information as well. I will certainly change both if it comes to that....

I noticed when looking up the Catalytic Converter online that there are more than 1 Oxygen sensors? Which ones should I consider changing first? Is there a proper way to troubleshoot this or just by trial and error? Also, could anyone recommend a good quality trouble code reader Like an OBDII scanner. I bought one called an Innova 3100 or something like that but it wouldn't erase the engine light and always has a bad connection for some reason. I might have just bought a lemon (code reader) but was thinking about buying a better one since I plan on buying more used cars in the future....

Once again, thanks to all of you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Nightowlll

My mechanic took it apart manually to remove the gunk.

ohhhh ok.....

You don't necessarily have to have a mechanic clean the cat. Read through some of these Amazon reviews to get a sense of what people have experienced.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Gasket-Cata...link_1?ie=UTF8

I am still wondering if the catalytic converters are different for manual vs auto trannys?