Dealer wants me to buy a new exhaust
 

Ok, I've had my 2001 Cherokee for a year now, and it's time to get inspected, except of course the check engine light is on. I take it to a dealer, and they call me back saying they need to diagnose it first for $90, then fix it, then inspect it. No kidding, that's why I brought it there.

See, it's throwing code P0432 (iirc), and I've tried new plugs and cleaning the throttle body including the IAC. It helped a little, and the light went out for a week then came back on. At idle, the tach bumps up and down every second or two, just a little, like between 520 and 550 RPM, which is either the IAC or the computer trying to rich/lean cycle to feed the cats.

Seems to be a common-ish problem, like this guy: http://www.fixya.com/cars/t2356050-m...elow_threshold
It's a conceptually simple problem, except parts for the nutty exhaust in the '00-'01 4.0 (and '02 on the Wrangler) are hard to come by. Very few in the bone yard, and little support in the catalogs.

My options are a

• $1400+ exhaust system, but then I have no idea if the root cause will bring this problem back, even if it takes a year or two.
• Taking it to an exhaust shop and having them change the O2 sensors, do what the guy in the link did, and hope to squeeze by this year, and tinker with it over the next year.
• Have an exhaust shop do a custom exhaust with different cats. A shop here said they'd do it, but the light will probably come back on.

It just hit 100k, and I've been planning to do a re-build at around 125k, but cats weren't in the picture. When new plugs and a coil pack did nothing to smooth out the idle, I figured it was a lifter plus aging sensors and decided to just live with it for now. Now I'm really stuck.

takes like very little time to change the O2 sensor... if you have 2 replace both... if you need exahust go to a muffler shop and have them just make you one for very little money.. buy a free flow cat from jegs or summit racing take that to a muffler shop tell them to make everything eles ... get a nice muffler to... will cost you more like 500 bucks and have nicer exhaust....

and an extended warranty, and floormats, and rust proofing ha! $ 1400 exhaust????!!! guess they dont drug test at that dealership!!! stay awayfrom them go aftermarket: much cheaper/ much happier i m o .......

Ouch.......... They dont call them Stealerships for nothing.

I have had ur prob before not with inspection but I hate that light! So run ur jeep for 15 min. Then pull out both o2 sensors. Careful the exost is hot then clean the heck out of the sensors with brake clean. Put them back in and send me one thousand just cause I'm a nice guy.

Don't '01s have like 3 cats and 3, 4 or 5 O2s? Still, $1400 is absurd.

Check napa they have all the parts for a hellot cheaper.

I have an 01, and took it to Midas to have the muffler replaced if needed. I'm a fanatic about having quiet vehicles.

It is original, and the guy at Midas said they started putting stainless steel mufflers in a lot of vehicles about that time, and they were putting Midas out of the muffler business. They are no longer branded as Midas Muffler, but Midas Auto Service or something like that.

You should slide under there and look for problems. If you hear a light noise, it's most likely a weep hole at the front of the muffler. Watch em, and don't let them steal from you.

1400$ forget that noise!!!

Yes, the 2001 has 3 cats and at least 4 O2 sensors. I know there's one before and after each pre-cat, but I haven't found one anywhere near the back cat. I'm going to go to the dealer and see what is included in this part, then take the Jeep back home, run some Seafoam, clean the TB again, pull the battery wire and see if I can get it to run long enough to pass emissions w/o the light coming back on.

Probably going to get this: http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sk...r/cat1031.html or the like and take it to an exhaust place and have it installed any maybe some O2 sensors, maybe the main cat.