I need to decide what to do about my CC/420 code (o2 sensors have been ruled out).

I deliver mail in my '96. An aftermarket CC was installed a little over a year ago, and it has failed. Lots of people I talk to, including a mechanic I trust 90%, say you can't get one from the factory anymore, and the aftermarket ones are garbage. My aftermarket one certainly was, lasting only a year.

The Jeep is running great, but I get to stare at my Check Engine Light all day. The only code I have is the 420 one. I'm not really cut out to not give a damn and drive it around with the CEL on and not worry about it. So what are my options? Please assume the CC is the actual problem. And no, I don't want to pull the bulb for the CEL, lol. I'd like the CEL to still have meaning.

What's going on in the computer while I drive around with this code? How is it affecting my fuel efficiency? Can the CC be deleted and the error code somehow be disabled? Does anyone besides Flowmaster offer a warranty on new CCs?

I am in Oregon.

Thanks for any insight.

 

You live in Oregon and your code is 420? Story checks out.

I don't have much to offer other than to say I get the impression aftermarket cats are all crap unless you go with one of the expensive ones from a credible performance company.

 

Lol.....good catch there.

I don't mind an expensive one, as long as it lasts. Come to think of it, I don't really know what the life expectancy of a factory CC is anyway.

 

Well, you have a 96, so the only thing that code is doing is to tell you to fix your cat. The data from the rear O2 sensor is not used by the PCM for running the engines. (There's a sticky at the top of the forum about it. I hear the fella who wrote it up is kinda dumb,and really ugly, but despite that, he got it right by reading it straight out of the factory service manual.)

The later models did use the rear O2 sensor(s) to manage the fuel, so it's a bit more complicated. I'm not sure yet what year switched over, but I know my 97 wasn't using the rear for engine management. I suspect they switched when they went to the coil pack waste spark ignition.

Anyway, it's not a problem on your 96.

As to making the CEL go out, well, I like your thinking. Makes life a little tougher than the "I don't care" crowd, but I like it. Maybe there is an electronic method to fool the PCM. Find out what a good cat looks like to the PCM, and mimic it.

I did a quick search and found a few options:

http://www.colorado4x4.org/vbb/showt...-sensor-bypass

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=mim...=v171-1&ia=web

 

The better ones are C.A.R.B. compliant but they do cost a lot more .

 

A LOT more. My BIL just got quoted about 2 grand to do the two cats on his F-150. It's insane.

 

Note from DJ

I had a new cat installed on my 88 Cherokee on 7-18 -19 for $297.55 because the SPOG Police decided that I needed a new one; because the cat had been on the Jeep sense 8-1-03 and was still passing smog test but it no longer had the right code numbers for their liking!

 

I put stainless steel magnaflow cats from Jegs on my Subaru several years ago. I think it was close to $700 for the pair. They fit correctly and have worked very well for more than 50k. If they make a direct fit for your Jeep I would trust them.

 

I put a Magnaflow on my 2001 XJ. I didn't think the price was too bad. Contact " Kolak Off-road " I think he can be found on Facebook. He has an AOL address, if you look around on the internet. Another option, if the Jeep was for off road use, would be to install an O2 Bung Extendor.

 

Get rid of it and do the spark plug non fouler trick on the rear O2 sensor to keep the CEL off.

 

Does that really work?

 

I replaced my CC a couple of years back, was still in California at the time, I ended up getting a Walker direct fit CARB certified replacement. At that time, I spent around $230, bought it off Amazon. That same part is now over $400 on Amazon.

Luckily for you, since you live in Oregon, you don't need the CARB stamp on your CC....I have run my cat on a stroked motor for several years now, and no complaints. Here's a link to one that's not CARB compliant, notice the difference in price...

https://www.google.com/search?q=walk...obile&ie=UTF-8

The ONLY difference between the two? One has the stamp, one doesn't.

What a racket.

One more reason I don't miss Kommiefornia.

 

It's got to...the internet says so, 🤣

 

cats can be ruined by faulty other parts. mine died do to rich mixture, rich mixture was do to a failed egr.

 

Excellent point.

Mine was replaced due to age, it was the original, the honeycomb finally broke up and clogged the flow.