Help with my CEL

[lucasarg]

Hello all, i am new here. I recently got a camry 97 le v6 and I am loving it. I has 253000 miles (I drove already 5k). The car runs great, but it came with a check engine light p0420. I got the car from my inlaws and they said that it is fine. I took it to midas and had them check out what it was, and there seems to be a crack on the front pipe of the exhaust. To be more specific it is about two inches away from the bolts that connect the engine to the pipe itself. Midas gave me a price of about $800 (they said that they would have to remove the whole cat) to fix the crack. I was thinking some options and need expert advice from you all.
1.
Get a new cat something like this
http://www.streetperformance.com/ART...1801/23880.jpg

This will fix my problem, but I would have to pay for the new cat and I would have to pay for labor to install it. (Or is there some DIY on how to install the cat?)
2.
Put the “HELP” extender in the post cat o2 sensor.
http://www.chevycobaltforum.com/foru...420-code-1337/

About option 2, will it mess the A/F ration? Or is the post cat o2 sensor JUST to check if the cat is plugged or not? Also if I use the extender will it fix my cel code?
That’s my dilemma.
It is either paying a high amount of money or just using the extender.
Sorry for my weird grammar, English is my second language.
-Lucas

[LynchburgCSI]

Midas sucks. Really. I was quoted $500 for an $80 job by shops like that. Look around and take it to a reliable mom and pop exhaust shop.

P0420 is a code I'm familiar with. It reads "Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)". Basically, you have an exhaust leak like midas said.

You posted a picture of a Y-pipe, the flex pipe and then the cat. The cat can easily be removed with a grinder and then a new one can easily be put in. However, your description of the problem makes me think it's the header on the front side of the engine block. The header is the part where the exhaust exits the engine block and merges into one pipe. Honestly, if the crack isn't terrible it MIGHT just need a simple weld to seal the crack. DO NOT do option 2. That's just side stepping the problem.

[lucasarg]

Originally Posted by LynchburgCSI

Midas sucks. Really. I was quoted $500 for an $80 job by shops like that. Look around and take it to a reliable mom and pop exhaust shop.

P0420 is a code I'm familiar with. It reads "Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)". Basically, you have an exhaust leak like midas said.

You posted a picture of a Y-pipe, the flex pipe and then the cat. The cat can easily be removed with a grinder and then a new one can easily be put in. However, your description of the problem makes me think it's the header on the front side of the engine block. The header is the part where the exhaust exits the engine block and merges into one pipe. Honestly, if the crack isn't terrible it MIGHT just need a simple weld to seal the crack. DO NOT do option 2. That's just side stepping the problem.

Thanks you for the reply.

Okay, i think i confuse the y-pipe with the engine header. Awesome we are making progress.

Hmm i think i didn't describe what i saw very well.
http://www.2carpros.com/discovery/im...ust_system.jpg

Once the Exhaust Head Pipe (in the picture) goes up to the engine in my camry at the end of it there is another connection in which there all this black thing around the joint itself.

Like the joint in this engine where the engien header and the exhaust connect.
http://image.turbomagazine.com/f/106...5de_engine.jpg

Could my problem be a bad gasket? between the engien header and the y pipe? Because the cat and flex pipe look all new and the midas mechanic said that it look liked it was put in recently.

So what i am thinking now is that the "new" cat was never put in right.

Thank you for your help.

On another note, there exhaust doesn't seem to vibrate when nor rattle. The car is just loud.

[LynchburgCSI]

I'm not sure if there is a gasket between the header and the rest of the exhaust system. A missing gasket anywhere would explain a leak though. Have you tried looking for the leak while you pull on the throttle cable (or have someone else rev it)? Where in the system is the leak?

[Chris Crash]

There is a gasket between the header and the flex pipe.

there's a gasket at every flange, actually.

They're cheap, a few bucks each. Replace them.

[lucasarg]

Originally Posted by LynchburgCSI

I'm not sure if there is a gasket between the header and the rest of the exhaust system. A missing gasket anywhere would explain a leak though. Have you tried looking for the leak while you pull on the throttle cable (or have someone else rev it)? Where in the system is the leak?

The leak or hole is somewhere between the end of the y-pipe and the engine header

http://cdn1.ioffer.com/img/item/141/220/113/m8Mj.jpg

Where the multiple tubes become one.
I think it on the joint itself because what ever keeps going after the y-pipe is all black around it. Also the y-pipe seems to connect to something really solid. Not another tube as i remember. An easy analogy would be a tube connected to a wall and around the connection of the tube it is black. Maybe what i am describing it is wrong but i dont have alot of experience with exhausts.

Thank you for your patience.

[lucasarg]

Originally Posted by Chris Crash

There is a gasket between the header and the flex pipe.

there's a gasket at every flange, actually.

They're cheap, a few bucks each. Replace them.

If this is the problem, could this be a DIY job?. If so is there any place i could get a walk-through or something similar because midas quote me a high price because they said that they would have to lower the engine itself to reach this spot.

[500KCamry]

Originally Posted by Chris Crash

There is a gasket between the header and the flex pipe.

there's a gasket at every flange, actually.

They're cheap, a few bucks each. Replace them.

What he says.

An impact wrench helps to take the flanges apart, or penetrating oil and time for it to work.

The gaskets are compression types - one time use only - they shouldn't be reused once they have been crushed. Its an easy job to do yourself once you deal with the flange nuts and bolts.