flyboyplo

I thought it was the cat but the cat is fine , how I know because I monitored my mpg and it stands great.. a lil less than 19mpg for combined ... On cold with the check engine light on my rpm goes to a lil more than 15000 , when no check engine on my rpm on cold hits 12500 ... my engine do sound a lil harsh now after the code ... what should I do ? Im like mad **** I want my car to be quite again and no more christmas lights ... and does anyone want to sell an upgraded map CD?

kyddo112

15000 and 12500? thats a really high revving motor lol. i'm assuming you mean 1500 and 1250.

have you checked the wires around the o2 sensors? i had this code come up and noticed the wires were crimped up and loose. have you tried testing the o2 sensors as well to make sure they are within spec?

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

how did you check for leaks?

could be the Oxygen sensors on that bank.

flyboyplo

lol oopps sorry I meant to say 1500 and 1250 ... I was advised to run a soap and water test on the pipes so I did that and there was no lekage ,my garage was freezing cold at that time and there was no steam , I mean you would think it will steam from whatever is leaking ... the sensors looked attached no tear , tho I will look at again ... I hope its not the cat , I changed the other one before and it was $500 for original without o2 ... Would this problem make the carsound louder rom the engine compartment ?

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

uh buddy, you would have been looking for bubbles, not steam.

if you warmed the car up then did it there would have been steam everywhere.

flyboyplo

no bubbles neither , but I will do it again tonight and double check ... by ay chance do you know any good mechanics around Passaic County NJ that I could turn to with this issue ?

LScowboyLS

your mileage sucks, I get 22 combined on a '96!! - and a '99 should be a slight bit better!

Lexus cats usually don't have problems, but the only real tests are excessive backpressure at the pre-cat O2 sensors and tattletale CEL reports from the post-cat O2 sensors.

flyboyplo

I thought 19 combined was ok but Im sure my high way is around 20s and those tests do sound expensive alright .... My probem is that I don't have a good reliable mechanic ...

LScowboyLS

the cat back pressure test is easy and cheap, just connect an

exhaust pressure gauge

exhaust pressure gauge

into the hole where you unscrewed a pre-cat O2 sensor and note the reading

flyboyplo

Thanks for the tips guys much appreciated ....