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YOUR RESEARCHAre my O2 sensors bad? ( video of live data included ) - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
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Adjust a/f ratio
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Suggestion
One or probably both of the cats may be partially damaged, causing the DME to try to adjust the A/F ratio to compensate, causing the bog.
Are my O2 sensors bad? ( video of live data included ) - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
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Leading evidence: 'Adjust a/f ratio' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Adjust a/f ratio' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Clean cats like i've seen done in various youtube videos
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No successful repair reported for this finding.
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Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
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Suggestion · Original poster
1) Any sense in trying to clean the cats like I've seen done in various youtube videos?
Are my O2 sensors bad? ( video of live data included ) - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
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I got the dreaded P0420 and P0430 codes on my new-to-me 2002 base 986 and I'm currently rushing to try and get it resolved so I can get it smogged here in California.
Happy Thursday Boxster experts!
I got the dreaded P0420 and P0430 codes on my new-to-me 2002 base 986 and I'm currently rushing to try and get it resolved so I can get it smogged here in California.
It's a long story that is documented
here
if you're interested.
I'm now at the point where I'm trying to figure out if the O2 sensors are the culprit. I captured a video of the live data from an ODBC scanner and would be super grateful if someone can interpret the out put and let me know if anything looks "off".
The video is here:
https://youtube.com/shorts/lD6E2Fj2JdE?si=84myzPnxX1jfHXbg
One other interesting thing that might be a clue here...
Typically this car "bogs down" a bit after a gear change and accelerating into the next gear, it's not horrendous, but definately noticable. However, when I clear the P0420 and P0430 codes, this "bog down" vanishes until the codes reappear. Seems odd and potentially a clue here?
Thank you as always, I appreciate this place a lot.
P 0420 and 0430 indicate your maim cats are failing, not the O2 sensors. I would clear the codes, take the car for a run, and if the condition returns, you need new cats, which in CA have to be factory units.
Thanks so much. 2 questions if the code returns:
1) Any sense in trying to clean the cats like I've seen done in various youtube videos?
2) Any thoughts on why this code causes the "bog down" issue I mentioned? And the minute I clear the codes that issue vanishes and it drives wonderfully?
Thanks again JFP, always appreciate your help and knowledge!
One or probably both of the cats may be partially damaged, causing the DME to try to adjust the A/F ratio to compensate, causing the bog. We have never seen any of the cat bandaid fixes work.
If you want to confirm the cat condition, you need to take the car to an indpendent shop that has an exhaust "sniffer" system that analyzes the exhaust make up.
I removed all the O2 sensors this morning. The worst part of the job was the plastic clips that hold the plugs in place, took me FOREVER to unclip them!
The good news ( maybe it's good news? ) is that one of the sensors is visibly toast. The driver side post cat O2 sensor shown below. The others look ok, but I included pics of them anyway:
I did my best to get videos of the inside of the cataytic convertors.
Passenger side:
https://youtu.be/rG_matfnIzw?si=-mMnDU92WZaeKYoj
Driver side:
https://youtu.be/0Z_PGrSlLYE?si=xAeAo1G8y3zMNhq6
I can already tell I need to order at least 1 new post cat O2 sensor, I think it's a Bosch 15183 to replace the one that is obviously cooked.
Anything else jump out at you here JFP as a potential issue, or is starting with replacing that sensor a decent start?
THANK YOU again for all the help!
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
