Hey all, im a newb to these forums and I was wondering if someone might be able to help me.

I have a 1999 Accord LX 4 cyclinder V-Tec

Last week I got my car inspected and the mechanic said I needed new Timing Belt and Cam seals. He said he would do it for $520. Right before I brought it in I got a CHECK ENGINE light come on. When bringing in the car to get the Timing Belt changed the guy ran a diagnostics and it said "Cyclinder Two Mis-Fire". He said he would fix that; probably bad spark plug or wire. OK, I got the car back 5 days ago and now last night I get the check engine light again. So I brought it back to the guy this morning and he runs another diagnostic and its says Cat Converter neeeds to be replaced because its causing low fuel efficiency.

My question is, Is it hard to replace the Cat Converter ?

Sometimes when I go to stop at a light the RPM's drop to around 500-600 and the car stutters. Is that a sign of a bad Cat Converter ?

Thanks for any and all help

 

no thats probably a cylinder not firing. usually when you get a low catalyst efficiency DTC the car runs just fine, but that second o2 sensor is picking out that the cat isnt running like new anymore. and i think its all one welded unit that costs thousands to replace if you get a new factory part. im not positive about that though. my old hondas cat just unbolts and i can take it out in 20 minutes. if you have that style then it is very easy. if it is not that style it is still easy if you know how to weld. if you dont......just take it to a good muffler shop and have them weld a universal cat in there. they should be able to do it for about 160 bucks give or take.

but my best advice to you right now is to not take it to that same shop anymore. when they cant figure out the problem the first time it shows incompetence, and that is not the kind of person you want working on your car. just to start with they are going to wind up charging you a ton more money then if you just had the problem fixed right the first time.