Check Engine Light woes

[jymvee]

I'm in San Diego. Due to circumstances I was forced to drive my P5 from the west end of Imperial County all the way to Yuma on only 2 cylinders. Come to find out the coil for the 2 inner cylinders was bad. Got it fixed in Yuma. Got it back to SD. Then the check engine light came on again, accompanied by some rattling in the back of the car. Of course, it won't make the rattle at the mechanic's place. My mechanic put in a new oxygen sensor. Came on again. He said that the cat is weak but that the car is driveable. He reset the CEL. Within a matter of driving hours the CEL has come back on again, with the accompanying rattle from the rear. Seems to only rattle while accelerating. I'm concerned that the catalytic converter has gone bad, but my mechanic said the part from the dealer is over a grand.

The car in question is a 2003 Protege 5 with 95k miles on it.

Does anyone know of a reputable mazda mechanic in the San Diego area? One that really knows the P5? I'm tired of this guy and his "maybe it's this". Also, anybody know where I can find a catalytic converter that's less expensive than over a grand?

Thanks in advance!

 

[hornsfan10609]

Aftermarket high flow cats can be bought and welded in to your stock exhaust for under 300 bucks. You can also always gut the cat by breaking out all the material inside it, it's free and frees up some power.

 

[NCZ13]

Unfortunately due to cali emissions, aftermarket cats are having a harder time passing in california.

where in SD are you?

 

[jymvee]

In the city. Just north of Hillcrest. If you have good infor regarding best thing to do (rockauto.com?) and where one can get installed, please PM me.

Thank you!

 

[jymvee]

You're right, NCZ13. Neither of the cats for the P5 that rockauto.com has are legal in CA. Of course, I do have to pass smog.

Options?

 

[MaxPower]

Your best options are to buy the parts used off of this website. Post in the wanted-to-buy section and somebody will have the parts you need.

The RockAuto parts (made by Walker) should at least let you pass inspection. Even if they aren't legal. Not sure how you'd get them shipped to you since I believe shipping them to CA is illegal, too.

Before you start buying stuff, get the problem properly diagnosed...

Are you sure the rattle is inside the exhaust system? If so, unbolt it and whatever is causing it should fall out. Alternately, it could be a loose exhaust hanger/heat shield making all the noise.

To find a better mechanic, you can search the Mechanix Files at CarTalk's website: http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/find.html . Not necessarily the most scientific or reliable surveys, but I think they can be helpful.

 

[jymvee]

Thank you! The mechanic mentioned the heat shield was rattling. He said he fixed it. The rattle seems to not happen all the time, but always precedes the check engine light coming on. Then later the mechanic doesn't hear it.

Why won't mechanics just get in the $%@$% car and let you drive it while they listen???? (rhetorical question...) :K