LoL, good question.

OK, well then I'll probably just go ahead and order it if its only that much.

Thanks mt_goat!

Fink

 

Another question, since that is for the rear 02 sensor and I removed the front cat., closest to the AF/M, should I have them move the leftover cat closer to the front of the rig?

Not sure if that was a clear explanation.

Fink

 

No probs Dave... I deleted my post to avoid confusion.



Chris, did you write/call Gadget? I would suggest that as your bottom line.

 

No I haven't, it sounded like the conclusion was this simulator would work. I might write him an email asking about the placement of the cat like I asked about in my last post.

Fink

 

Fink, if you use the O2 simulator, it doesn't matter where the cat is. In fact, it doesn't matter if you have a cat at all. The rear sensor has to be left in the system however.

 

Wow, thats crazy!

So what if something does indeed go wrong with the cat. that I do have? I take it no code will be thrown?

Fink

 

If something goes wrong with the existing cat, the ECU will not know it because the O2 sim will be giving it the same steady signal "fooling" the ECU into thinking all is well with the cats. If you are worried about the cat going bad, remove it. Not exactly environmentally friendly but that is your decision. If you do remove your cats, understand that your exhaust will be a lot louder. I put a 4" x 18" round Magnaflow muffler in place of the cats in the "test pipe" on my truck to keep the noise down.

 

Will my mileage suffer any if I do remove the last cat? If not then I might think about it, I like the sound of my Vortex now though so I'm not really sure what to do...the cat is brand new so I think it'll be OK, I was just wondering.

Alright, well I think I'm gonna order the simulator now, I have no idea how to wire it up but thats what YT is for!

Fink

 

Your mileage won't suffer. In fact it may improve. A little more power also. You have the new cat though. Unless you sell it, you are stuck with it. Just leave it on. What the hell----. Don't worry about the wiring. A truck specific wiring diagram comes with the O2 sim. Just make sure you specify what truck you have when ordering.

 

Awesome, thanks for all your help on this guys!

Just another reason why

Fink

 

Fink, my rig (twin to yours) just threw the cat code today so I am reading and watching intensely

Erich

 

Have you removed one of your cats? If so, it sounds like the best route for us to take is to order that 02 sensor simulator and wire it up to the rear cat. I am getting ready to order it from URD as we speak.

If you would like, you can wait to do anything and I will tell you how it works...if it solves the problem then you can go ahead and order it and if it doesn't...back to the drawing board!

Good luck, if you find any more info out let me know A.S.A.P!

Fink

 

UPDATE: Ordered URD Rear 02 Sensor Simulator

This is a pretty cool deal, doesn't matter if one of my 02 sensors goes bad or even if my cat goes bad...if I notice a drop in performance I will just replace the cat as that is the only thing that could cause bad performance at this point!

Hopefully I'll be able to wire this bad boy up without too much difficulty and have my rig performin' the way she did right off the assembly line (apparently in California, lol)

Fink

 

i live in CA and got 1 cat on a 2nd gen 4rnner....i just passed smog 2 times....due to transfer of ownership

 

So did the transfer of ownership override the only having one cat? What does that have to do with it?

We don't even have inspections here so, I could completely cut off all pipes coming from my exhaust and the only thing I MIGHT get is a noise ordinance violation.

Gotta love the country!

Fink

 

I haven't touched my exhaust yet. It just threw the code today and I had it checked and cleared by a shop near work. It's still off now and I started looking for options when I found the thread. I'll be waiting to see how your situation goes. We got 8 inches of snow today or I would get under the rig and see if I have Cali emissions too (I most likely do though).

Erich

 

The 02 simulator just got here! Amazing service and fast shipping, awesome!

The wiring diagram is pretty self-explanatory except I'm not exactly sure where the black wire is supposed to go...should I e-mail Gadget about this or maybe TRDOLMAN can help me?? Maybe, maybe?

Fink

 

You better ask Gadget. I don't have a wiring diagram for your truck or the O2 sim for your truck. They are all different for the different years. I could guess at it based on the wiring for my 04 but I don't think you want a guess. Get the right info from the "man"

 

While we wait for Fink to get his rig back and install the O2 simulator I've been trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my CEL/Cat converter.

My first question: Is there any state that requires California Emission equipped cars to continue to be California compliant? Example: If you are tested in Oregon and have a Cali Emissions, do they have stricter guidelines just for you?

The reason I ask is because I talked to an exhaust place I had heard good things about and he tried to tell me that State or Fed law (he didn't know which) said the rig had to meet Cali requirements even if its not in Cali. I told him that was a load of crap. First, we are in Alaska! They don't have a single emissions testing facility in the state! He said Fairbanks is thinking about starting one and that it's only a matter of time before we have one here...

Secondly he tried to tell me that the other states see the Vin and automatically change the test parameters because they know it's Cali equipped. I tired to test his theory asking, "Why aren't all vehicles required to be Cali equipped then? "

Needless to say, I'll need to find another muffler shop when I decide what to do.

My plan right now is to buy my own OBDII scanner and just keep clearing the CEL and hopefully my gas mileage will come back up.

Side note on that. I went to the dealer straight from the muffler joke and asked them to check the CEL. First I was asked if I had bought gas recently The tech said if I have a leak (I'm assuming in the filler neck, letting air in) that it will set it off. I was instructed to open the gas cap, let it sit for 20 sec, close it until it clicks, and then it will take 3-4 trips to clear the light I convinced him that it wasn't on because of that. I wanted to write down exactly which Cat code it is throwing. He said he could fit me in on Dec 8, and it would cost me 1 hour diagnostic time

ODBII reader shipped to my door, $96, thank you very much!

Last question: If the simulator works, can I just wire it up and leave my exhaust alone? I don't know of any other muffler shops at this point

Thanks,

Erich

 

Erich...where did you get the OBDII reader from? I may go ahead and get one myself, thats MUCH cheaper than I thought it was.

Thats ridiculous that they were wanting to charge you so much for checking the CEL.

And yes, you could completely cut off both cats and the computer would work JUST fine.

Fink