Well my cat is shot for the past 2 weeks. Ive been meaning to replace it. But last week, i wanted to pass a car, so i hit the gas a bit, and out of the blue the check engine light came on. So no the car is nice and slugishhh---slowwww---
but this morning, i was about to pass another car, and when i hit the gas, the steady Check Engine Light started to blink...about 20 times, and then it returned back to steady.?????? And that happend twice today....what the hell does that mean???? <<Hurry up and change me >> Is that the way the catalytic converter communicates with its drivers??? what gives

 

When it blinks like that it means something is so out of wack that the computer thinks your engine is getting damaged,i.e. raw fuel,misfire,etc. is it steady now?if it's still blinking,I'd park it and find the problem before you really do damage the engine.Locate the problem with your obd2 tester ,you do have one don't you?
If not get ye to a harbor freight tools or some such and get one they are only 50 bucks or so and will serve you well in the future.
racepages.com has cats the whole system or just universal cat replacements.

once again don't drive it till you fix it.
ohlord
post your codes when you pull them on the obd,or if you dont want to get one now go to pep boys or autozone and they will pull the codes for free.You really should have the tester though.

 

wow that bad---
No i dont have those tools or that reader. I just bought the car a month ago.
Other then the cat it really has no problems.
The ligth is steady now...and it has only blinked like i said only twice and only after i hit the gas hard to accelerate.
Althou i have noticed for the past 3 days that after i drive the car for like 30 min, and i slow down, or stop, i begin to notice a tug-ing feeling. It kinda feels like a mis fire as i accelerate, but it goes away after i get in 2nd gear.
God dam all this from the damm cat?? My cat is coming in Thursday, i also ordered the rear OS sensor, and not the front.

 

when do you know when your cat is shot? i've heard if it has a bad smell to it or in your case..., you got a severe rapid engine blinking light (warning)! right now... my cat did have a faint rattling sound, but, the sound is getting a little louder, but, not an annoying sound - i just want to make sure i change the cat before it becomes too costly.

 

I man im freaking out right now from what the guy above me mentioned----
I had a tiny rattle 4 weeks ago---then a louder one 3 weeks ago, 2 weeks ago i had people looking at me at red lights, cuz it sounded like i had tincans bouncing in the exhaust pipes...and thats when i had the car lifted---turns out that it was the driver side cat next to the drivers seat....all i had to do is shake the pipe to replicate that sound---and then thurs, i hit the gas hard to pass a car and the car bogged so i let go of the gas pedal---and thats when the CHeck engine light turned on--STEADY. Until today---it started to blink on 2 occasions.
I ordered the full driver side pipe for $366.95, and the rear OS sensor for $95.00.
Both are the direct replacements. They are coming in thurs. IMO change ur cat ASAP....

PS If u have 8 years or 80k or less, MB will replace the cats FREE..I missed that window 2 months ago

 

Did you get the whole replacement from racepages?Most complete pipes include the sensors.Be careful with the wires...
ohlord

 

I got the pipe from here: http://www.1motormart.com/unified/pa...=oxygen_sensor
another member mentioned it. They are direct replacements- no sensors-
the guy tried to sell me on both sensors but i figured that the rear one might of went bad since its the closest to the problem area, if not ill order the other one too.
Ive also heard that the other cat might be going ...everyone is saying that ...if one goes the other goes soon there after.........grrrr

I ve read into this blinking light thing...from what i gather the blinking light comes on when the engine is missfires ...and therefore damaging the cat.., but the cat is damaged already....im just worried now about the other side!?!?

 

Best to run the codes first to point you in the right direction of possible causes.
follow this link,see if you are near a harbor freight or order one.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=94169

pays to shop around,like I said,call racepages.com and see what they price out sensors included.what year is your car?model?e430?
If your pipes are good you can find muffler shops that will splice in just the universal cat from eastern cat supply.they are only 50-70 bucks.
If you need to buy anything look to the forum members first,they have located most of the best and reliable suppliers out there.Our sponsors have great deals,so be sure to support them
ohlord

 

Thank you for the link....i will buy one of those y not.
And i have been asking questions here on this board...i think this board is great
The reason i didnt just cut out and replace the old one is because i felt like thats something i can do with my mustang but not my benz....lol...but looking at the prices and maintenance of these cars ...who knows...now i know why people trade their cars in after the warranty ....cuz to fix them is a arm and a leg
By the way my car is a '99 E430 Sport w/88k on it....its beautiful...ill post some pics when i take some....and so far i love it

 

for instance at your site air filters for a 99 e430 are 21.00 at autohausaz they are 12.95.
A bad cat does not mean your o sensor is bad also,that's why I suggested you run the codes to see which are active or stored and get back to us for some tips.
Lots of ways to skin a cat!
ohlord

 

You choose wisely,
taken care of,it will last a long and useful life.Don't fear the out of warr. issue if you dig in and learn from this knowledge base,and aren't afraid to learn how to use tools,you will very shortly find out what most of us backyard mechs. have found out,,these cars are not that hard to work on and if you do your own maint. they are downright economical to own.Just don't fall for the dealers story of 550 dollars for a new maf ,when it comes time for one and it only costs 200 bucks and 10 minutes labor if you do it yourself.
ohlord

 

hehe........I guess i panicked....and just bought what i thought would of gone bad in my stang---
I really dont have a Autozone anywhere close to my house ....so i might not be able to check the codes till this weekend. I just dont want it to be too late. U know what mean. Theres a pep boys thou, i just might end up goin there.
Then Ill deff post my bad codes. I appreciated all the help so far.

 

PepBoys will have an OBDII scanner and can also run your error codes for no charge.

 

Ok so i had my friend run the scan, and it came back with :
Miss fire cylinders 1-4-3-2. So I gather from this info that the whole left side is miss fireing due to the bad cat. I was told that the broken cat bounces around in there and till it finally blocks the flow, thats when I loose power momentarily.
Well the good thing is that I received my DEC direct replacement pipe with the rear sensor, so im changing that tomorro. I guess we ll find out if that was the problem.

 

Is it less than 8 years 80,000miles or less,if so it's still under warranty.
just thought I'd check,profile does not show year of your car.Also putting the cart in front of the horse,a massive misfire can create a quick end to your cats,so be sure to check engine function as the cause of the cat failure first, not the other way around!
ohlord

 

I know but i had no choice.
The cat rattle was first, so i ordered the cat. Then I hit the gas once and the check engine light came on, so i just ran the scanner the the misfires came up.
Unfortunately, Im doing this *** end up.!

 

Fix the cats,clear the codes,and from the sound of it you should be okay!
Born in Brooklyn raised in Elmont...
ohlord

 

car is in the shop as we speak.......we ll c what happens when i go and get it.

 

---I just found out that the cat i ordered is for the wrong side---great!!
So now i reordered the right cat, and have to send back this one----madddd