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Auto Repair advice needed
deathnote666
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I have a 98 plymouth grand caravan with a service engine light on. I got a code check and it said that the Oxygen sensor circuit heater was malfunctioning. Bank 1 Sensor 2.
What do you guys think is the real problem?
What do you guys think is the real problem?
deathnote666 on
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I'd just get it fixed. Especially if it's your only mode of transport.
Keep in mind though that nines times out of ten, a "check engine" light is related to emissions and/or performance. So it may not be an absolute priority to get fixed - you may just see a drop in engine performance, or gas mileage. It's (unfortunately) not like that check engine light is tied to anything critical like "Your timing belt is about to let go" or "You're leaking coolant" or "You're about to lose a tire". That being said, some newer or more expensive vehicles have it tied to things like a low oil level sensor and other such important things. So it's something to keep in mind.
A diagnostic at a garage or dealership would be $40-$80 so I would like to avoid it if necessary.
It is actually a family member's van so they have been talking to the dealerships/garages. One of them says it could be the catalytic converter and half a dozen other things.
My question is the legitimacy of their claims about the cat. converter ($400+ repair).
Note that they haven't actually seen the car yet.
As the function of the car goes, neither of these things is super important. A bad downstream sensor won't affect your mileage, as only the upstream sensor is used for fuel adjustment. A bad cat won't do anything other than increase the pollutants you're putting out.
I had a cat go bad once, it ended up melting itself internally partially plugging my exhaust causing intermittent loss of power and soaring engine temperatures.
The good news is OPs error code is saying the heater of the o2 sensor is bad, meaning the ECU isn't seeing the o2 sensor heat up like it's supposed to. On a 1998 Caravan the o2 sensor is heated rather than just using the exhaust gasses bring the sensor up to temp. It still could be something else, but just get it tested. You don't HAVE to go to a dealership.
you can get an ebay special catalytic converter for $20 and get it welded up for $20 at a neighborhood muffler shop.
that said, it's not guaranteed to fix your issue... but it's a good way to save some cash if you are certain those components are busted.... after an $80 diagnosis by a shop, you can just go home and DIY the fix.