"Steve" <srl1215@comcast.net> wrote in
news:sKydndZRCKV7Pm7anZ2dnUVZ_hudnZ2d@comcast.com:

>
> "Steve" <srl1215@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:GbednQ4Epa4pgHTanZ2dnUVZ_tajnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>I bought my daughter a 99 Honda Accord. It's a real clean car with 86K
>>miles.
>>
>> I recently put $1300+ dollars into it for the Timing belt/Water pump
>> and all belts replaced as well as completely new front brakes and
>> rotors.
>>
>> No sooner does she start using it again then the check engine light
>> comes on. The garage we take it to says they need another $1000 to
>> replace the Catalytic Converter. They told me the codes read that the
>> o2 sesor was bad and the Cat was bad.
>>
>> This smelled a little to me, like one of those "oh, it might be the 02
>> sensor, or the cat, but we just rerplace everthing and make more money
>> that way" kind of answer.
>>
>> Do Accord cats really fail at 90K miles?

Not usually.
>
> So the saga on this continues somewhat, I had the CAT replaced and
> although I asked for an aftermarket there was none available. Another
> factor is that about a month prior I had the timing belt changed and
> also all the other belts and water pump, plus new front brakes and
> rotors.. $1300.
>
> So, we had the work done and they replaced the CAT and associated
> hardware and the total bill was $1386!!
>
> So, put on a few hundred miles and it was fine, and then .....yep...
> check engine light. Only now my daughter has moved out of the area and
> she is in New Jersey. So she gets an appointment at a dealer down in new
> Jersey, D&C Honda and she drivers over there.. to get them to read the
> code.. just before she drives in, the Check Engine light goes out.
>
> The Service Manager tells me there is no sense in reading the code as it
> is "probably a gas cap code" but also that if the light is off, the code
> isn't stored. he says on a 99 it isn't stored.

I believe they ARE stored;if the CEL(check engine light) comes on,that
means a fault has been detected,and the ECU stores it until cleared by a
scan tool.That's deliberate,so that intermittents can be troubleshot.
>
> Any idea on that from anyone?
>
> Anyone buy the "Gas cap theory"... feels like a blow off to me.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
>
> PS She is in Leonia NJ, anyone have a suggestion for a good service
> place down there?
>
>
>
>

there are OBD-2 codes that could indicate a gas cap wasn't screwed down
tight enough. It's part of the evaporative emissions control subsystem.

The car could have some bad hoses,maybe a crack that intermitently triggers
the CEL.


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net