6k on the clock CEL already?
 

drove my car today CEL poped on. thought it was the gas cap, but it wasnt. took it to the nearest Autozone pulled the code P0420 cat efficiency.

hummm, what now.

hummmm... what do you think?
If the problem code came back as "cat efficiency", maybe that is where you should start ;)

How many miles are on your car?
You might still be under warranty to have the cat replaced.
Its possible for it to be the O2 sensor, but might as well let the dealer replace the cat for free (if you're still covered).

6k miles
I think it might be the salt on the road which gets into the wires and plugs causing unstable readouts.
drove 1000 miles continously days ago, a cat cant be broken within 200 miles.

Are you saying the cat was recently replaced?

And you really think that road salt on the ignition system caused this code instead of something more sensible like a misfire code?
But prove me wrong and remove/clean the plugs and wire boots.

nah I drove back from Colorado all the way 800 miles no problem.

no misfire code. just a P0420

Even if your spark plugs were bad, you wouldn't get a P0420 code.
Though... bad plugs can help destroy the cat and eventually create this code.
But the ignition system alone should not generate a P0420 code.

Two highly likely candidates is the O2 sensor on the cat or the cat itself.
You can remove the cat and inspect it to see if the material inside is broken apart.
And then you can inspect the wiring for the O2 sensor to see if its been pulled/damaged.
Or like I said, since its covered under warranty (80K miles) let the dealer worry about it.

Bad cat. Or bad rear o2 sensor.

In rare cases. Bad ecu

I can kill stock cat in 15 miles. Just need to know how :)

Bad cat. Or bad rear o2 sensor.

In rare cases. Bad ecu

I can kill stock cat in 15 miles. Just need to know how :)

Calm down tough guy. He's referring to the wires and harness for the o2 sensor.

:uhh: ok... I thought I was pretty calm... but whatever.
Thanks for posting...

I cleared the code at Autozone see if it reappears then Ill take it to the dealership.
something needs to be done has to be done.

didnt expect this kind of thing would happen on such a new car. the 8 y/o Maxima I sold was better than this.

I wouldn't worry about it.
If the code comes back, just take it to the dealer and let them take care of it.
Then continue enjoying your RX8 :)

Jason listen to these guys they are right.
PO420 is a pretty common problem and simple fix to say least.

Cat- rear O2- check plugs.

Cat has a 80k warranty on it and your bumper to bumper should cover the O2

BTW- Tell us your driving habits?

4000 change gear
8000 rpm once a day

changing plugs is gonna be out of my pocket right?
the engine backfires when idling cold in the morning like thump thump in the exhaust. other than that as far as I know is normal.

I can find you a Maxima Lemon in no time.

yeah I know it sucks that you have such problem on a brand new car, but that doesn't mean it suck or whatever. Would you rather have the Rx-8 or a Toyota that might get you kill in no time ? :angel:

yep:yesnod::yesnod::yesnod:

A retard couldnt turn off the engine or put the car in netural in reasonable amount of time (they claim the lexus was going 120mph+). It's clearly a case of Darwin at its best. My Toyota still runs great, no problem at 13000 miles and I already took the Prius racing on ice/snow/track/autox

so little rx8 knowledge, and you post here why?

guessing you dont know shit..

beers :beer:

Prius? are you trying to tell me your Prius can take a Ferrari in the 0-6 race ? ROFL

Calling people a retard when you race a Prius? LMAO.

Sure your Prius works great, good for you, but no matter how much you love your Toyota, it has a problem/defect, its a fact. and it did caused some death (both carpet/pedal), and you're blaming the owner's for their own death ? wow.

Epic Failed.

Ja, don't worry about it. If it comes back, bring it in to the dealer.

PERHAPs, the change in altitude and the ECU didn't get a chance to reprogram its self.

Got temporarily confused.

6k you say? I wouldn't worry about it! :)

I drove my 2009 off the lot (with 200 miles) and I got a CEL. The dealer said there was carbon buildup which threw the code. After a throttlebody/spark plug cleaning and ECU firmware update the problem went away.

The tech had told me that there was a service bulletin out for this issue - you may check to see if your ECU has this latest firmware revision.

theres upgrade already? humm might need to check them out.

your 8 year old Maxima wasn't using OBDii specs. IT wouldn't have known if it had a cat efficiency problem. it also didn't have a wide band AND narrow band O2 sensor.

as for a cat breaking in a couple hundred miles- sure it could. anything hit the cat? maybe something broke the senor or the wiring. all sorts of thing scan happen while driving that have nothing to do with whether the car is an issue or not.

yea Id say rx-8 system is more sensitive than my maxima which had 4 O2 sensors.
the light hasnt been on for a while since I got it cleared.

That's good news.