Check engine light came on.. Catalytic converter

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Just to be clear the "CEL" (check engine light) and the "SES" (Service Engine Soon) light are the same thing, right? I feel like these abbreviations get used interchangeably in here a lot.

Regarding Seafoam...your light was on for months and then went off? Please check back in here a few more times if it stays off. I'm sure there are a lot of us in here that are interested in your continued success!

I'm in a 2011 QX with the same mileage as you, w/the SES light on (steady - not flashing) and a diagnosis of Bank 2 CAT needs to be replaced.

Thanks!
 
TallahasseeQX said:
Just to be clear the "CEL" (check engine light) and the "SES" (Service Engine Soon) light are the same thing, right? I feel like these abbreviations get used interchangeably in here a lot.
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Yes, same thing. Also MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light) is the same.

If the SES light is FLASHING, then you should NOT drive the car unless absolutely necessary. It's indicative of pending doom :D That's from my dealer.

Seafoam and a road trip caused my SES light to go out too, but it eventually came back.

Later,
pjdavep
 
I tried the 2 cans of Seafoam trick today. Literally everything I read on the topic, as it relates to "cleaning CATS," says it's bunk info...yet still I hold out hope that damn SES light will go off and save me the $1300 it's going to cost to replace that bad CAT.
 
As of today I have all the parts to replace the drivers side catalytic converter, I plan on doing it this weekend and takin lots of pictures. CBlake, how did you remove the studs and which ones had to come out? Thanks!
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it's the middle 2 studs on the bottom. If I remember correctly, they had an star head on them like an inverse torx head.

Once you get the heat shield off, you have the hardest part done. You'll have to mangle it to get it out, but you can do it.

Just keep at it and you'll eventually find a way to get all the nuts off the studs for the manifold. You may need several extensions.

Did I give you my phone numbet to call or text me?
 
I did get your number and it is in my phone! Thanks! After you mangle the heat shield, do you un mangle it to reinstall it?
 
You're welcome.

No you have to keep it mangled to reinstall it. After you get it back in, you'll have to use prybars and screwdrivers to bend it back enough to bolt it back to the manifold.
 
I am new to this forum. I own a 2014 QX80 w/93,000 miles and I have been fighting the cats with the sea foam treatment and the cataclean treatment and the light goes off but will come back on. I've been debating tackling this project myself too. I would be interested to see how your project turns out. I've seen the cats on Rockauto for a reasonable price. I just do not get why the cats are "failing" with under 100,000 miles. Local mechanics I've spoken to contribute a large part of it to the ethanol that is added to our fuel. Don't know if this is the case but definitely disappointed with this situation given the price of these vehicles.

Thank you for everyone's input on here because it is very helpful.
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STexQX80 said:
I am new to this forum. I own a 2014 QX80 w/93,000 miles and I have been fighting the cats with the sea foam treatment and the cataclean treatment and the light goes off but will come back on. I've been debating tackling this project myself too. I would be interested to see how your project turns out. I've seen the cats on Rockauto for a reasonable price. I just do not get why the cats are "failing" with under 100,000 miles. Local mechanics I've spoken to contribute a large part of it to the ethanol that is added to our fuel. Don't know if this is the case but definitely disappointed with this situation given the price of these vehicles.

Thank you for everyone's input on here because it is very helpful.
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I'm knee deep in a diy job, I'll let you know how it goes
 
Well one side done! It's honestly not as hard as I though but it was still kinda awful. The hardest part was the head shield on the manifold, mangling it out and in mangling it back in. The actual manifold and exhaust pipe was pretty straight forward. Both studs on the rear port had to come out and the center bottom stud as well (very easy). I recommend an electric 1/2 impact for the exhaust pipe bolts, I also removed the studs out of the bottom header flange to get it in. Infiniti says they loosen the motor mounts and raise the motor, apparently that allows them to get the heat shield out unmanglef without removing the radiator and ax compressor. If I did it again on the drivers side I would pull the steering shaft. Warning! Do not try to buy an aftermarket manifold online! They won't fit without removing all studs and or raising engine! Returned it and bought OE part from Infiniti. Job not for the faint of heart but doable!
 
0macman0 said:
Well one side done! It's honestly not as hard as I though but it was still kinda awful. The hardest part was the head shield on the manifold, mangling it out and in mangling it back in. The actual manifold and exhaust pipe was pretty straight forward. Both studs on the rear port had to come out and the center bottom stud as well (very easy). I recommend an electric 1/2 impact for the exhaust pipe bolts, I also removed the studs out of the bottom header flange to get it in. Infiniti says they loosen the motor mounts and raise the motor, apparently that allows them to get the heat shield out unmanglef without removing the radiator and ax compressor. If I did it again on the drivers side I would pull the steering shaft. Warning! Do not try to buy an aftermarket manifold online! They won't fit without removing all studs and or raising engine! Returned it and bought OE part from Infiniti. Job not for the faint of heart but doable!
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Glad it went well?!? So no aftermarket manifolds? What are the OE part numbers for the manifold? Forgive me if this was discussed earlier. Thank you for sharing your experience. Would you be kind enough to tell us about how long the job took you from start to completion. Just a rough guess will suffice. Once again congratulations on the job, pat yourself on the back for me.
 
STexQX80 said:
Glad it went well?!? So no aftermarket manifolds? What are the OE part numbers for the manifold? Forgive me if this was discussed earlier. Thank you for sharing your experience. Would you be kind enough to tell us about how long the job took you from start to completion. Just a rough guess will suffice. Once again congratulations on the job, pat yourself on the back for me.
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It took anywhere from 8 - 10 hours. If someone can figure out what infiniti does exactly (besides loosening the motor mounts) to lift the engine a bit, that could probably be reduced a few hours. From what I understand they do not follow the service manual procedure, and I don't blame them. I know CBlake posted the part numbers earlier in this thread, I just drove to infiniti and said I needed the drivers side manifold and gaskets. Glad they had it in stock or I would've been in a bad spot. However, they stock them heavy for a reason (per parts desk.... hmmmm)

I also recommend replacing the 8 nuts on the manifold with fresh ones. They got a little rounded coming off. I also used copper anti-seize just in case I had to get back in there. I think I already mentioned that removing the exhaust studs was surprisingly easy. So was cleaning up the exhaust port surfaces... just a razor blade to the carbon and a wipe. :)

I will be doing the passenger side in about two weeks, so I'll update when I get there.
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0macman0 said:
As of today I have all the parts to replace the drivers side catalytic converter, I plan on doing it this weekend and takin lots of pictures. CBlake, how did you remove the studs and which ones had to come out? Thanks!
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Well, too bad you did not follow through with this promise of taking tons of pictures to share. I know I was truly looking forward to seeing some.

0macman0 said:
Well one side done! Warning! Do not try to buy an aftermarket manifold online! They won't fit without removing all studs and or raising engine! Returned it and bought OE part from Infiniti. Job not for the faint of heart but doable!
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Can you please tell us a bit more about the aftermarket cats you bought that you had to return? What brand was it and where did you buy it from? Would you mind posting a link to the ones you bought? I am surprised you say it did not fit, since they are supposed to be exact fit and same specs as OEM. So, I know it would be very good info for some of us to know what exactly you used that did not fit. Before you decided to buy oem.

Did you also go ahead and change your oxygen sensor? Or say the Air/Fuel ratio sensor?
 
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PetitFrereArmada said:
Well, too bad you did not follow through with this promise of taking tons of pictures to share. I know I was truly looking forward to seeing some.



Can you please tell us a bit more about the aftermarket cats you bought that you had to return? What brand was it and where did you buy it from? Would you mind posting a link to the ones you bought? I am surprised you say it did not fit, since they are supposed to be exact fit and same specs as OEM. So, I know it would be very good info for some of us to know what exactly you used that did not fit. Before you decided to buy oem.

Did you also go ahead and change your oxygen sensor? Or say the Air/Fuel ratio sensor?
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I have some pictures but will take more when I do the other side in a couple of weeks. Sorry for the letdown.

The aftermarket cats where the only ones I could find. They were made by davico mfg. I think there is only one company making them currently, but I can tell you they will not fit, the flanges are correct but the overall dimensions are wrong. You may be able to get them in by raising the engine up or removing every exhaust stud. Not to mention I wasn't impressed by the build quality or the cat size, I have serious doubts they would've lasted or worked at all.

I did replace the upstream a/f sensor as it's a requirement. There was no need to remove the downstream sensor from the pipe.
 
0macman0 said:
They were made by davico mfg. I think there is only one company making them currently, but I can tell you they will not fit, the flanges are correct but the overall dimensions are wrong.
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That is a very valuable information. Thanks for sharing that.

Yes, I have seen only Davico selling aftermarket cats for our QX. I am surprised to hear it does not fit. But glad you could share that information with the rest of us.

I wonder who else on here has replaced their cat with aftermarket. I know someone somewhere here said they had bought aftermarket, but they did not mention if they have installed it yet or not.
 
ugh, just spent 2 months getting engine replaced and now the car is throwing p0420. 102k miles. out of warranty by 2k. starting to think this thing is a piece of crap.
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cbkqx56 said:
ugh, just spent 2 months getting engine replaced and now the car is throwing p0420. 102k miles. out of warranty by 2k. starting to think this thing is a piece of crap.
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Well, I think there is a very strong correlation between the timing chain issues and the cats failing prematurely. Techs at Infiniti even told me that. Make sure you call Infiniti corporate and let them know you are unhappy. If enough of us tell them maybe it will pay off.....
 
cbkqx56 said:
ugh, just spent 2 months getting engine replaced and now the car is throwing p0420. 102k miles. out of warranty by 2k. starting to think this thing is a piece of crap.
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Do you think they used your old manifolds/cats on the new engine??
 
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