QuestionHello Dinger,
Thank you so much for the quick response to my question. After taking your advice I also want to thank Mr. Jack DeSanto at Cottman Transmissions here in Austin, Tx 78751 for his time and professionalism.
Dinger, the codes Mr. Desanto provided me with are a PO430: bank 2 CAT efficiency below limit. And a code P1000: OBD11 system check incomplete. Mr. DeSanto and myself sat for a while and discussed a few things that might be wrong and he suggested a return visit with his electrical tech. Which I will schedule at a later date.
Any additional info that you might add would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
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Hello. A friend with a 2000 Mercury Cougar with 102,000 miles recently asked me to check her car and these are some of the things I found: "missing" at idle and even more noticeably when the A/C is on. It also "sputters" during hard acceleration but does not "sputter" when the gas is applied gently and smoothly. After a hard acceleration the check engine light comes on and then turns off when the engine evens out. Also, I have noticed that a "wrench" indicator light is on in the overhead light cluster. Although the engine "misses" at idle it does not seem like it is going to turn off. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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HI Ruben,
It's likely a bad sensor due to that light being on. You will need to have someone scan it for you and give you the code numbers. You can re-submit to me and I will tell you what they mean as far as for repair. I would have originally said spark plug wires until you mentioned the check engine light (Wrench). Cottman Transmission and Aamco transmission will both check it for free for you.
AnswerWell done Ruben,
Ok, the Cat efficiency below limit is a full catalytic converter and this needs to be replaced. A little pricey, but not to bad. There are a number of after market companies that have them available for a lot less than the dealer and seem to work fine. You can ignore the P1000. I will call Jack and thank him personally. For this repair, I suggest taking it to a muffler specialist.
