04 TB Cat Converter issues

[IAFF78]

Afternoon all.

I have a 2004 TB LT and for the past 2 weeks i have been having issues with my truck.

-Check engine lights comes on, stays on, blinks and reperats
-Rough idle and acceleration
-Lack of power
-Noticeable reduction in mpg
-Exhaust smells horrible like it running rich

I had a 2002 TB and around 160k i needed the catalytic converter replaced and all was well. My 04 has 167k and it feels like the same issues i was having before but i can remember for sure. My guess would be the catalytic converter needs to be replaced. I called some local exhaust shops about pricing and explained what was going on and they felt it wasn the cat and to start upfront and work back. They offered to help diagnose the issue.

Now all this has me wondering if it really is the cat. Any help or info would be greatly appreciated. Also, I'm no mechanic so take it easy on me with the lingo...haha

Thanks for any and all help,
Kevin

 

[Mounce]

My main question: what codes are turning on the check engine light?

Most of the time when it blinks, you're having a miss and it'll tell you what cylinder was missing. The flashing means turn your engine off asap because it's possibly doing harm to itself.

 

[IllogicTC]

Also, misfires accelerate catalytic converter issues, if it isn't already done for running it with a misfire can definitely make it toast.

Do you have any ability to check codes yourself? Maybe have a buddy with a code scanner you can pay a few dollars or a brew to swing by?

 

[Mounce]

Or if you're daily driving it even with it's issues, swing by a parts store and they'll check them for you, just make sure you make note of them so that you can tell us what they are.

Codes are a must..we can't do much for you without them.

 

[Mooseman]

A flashing engine light is an indication of a misfire, which seems to go with the other symptoms. A code reading will confirm this. Fix it ASAP as this will kill your cat.

 

[IAFF78]

I just went to advanced auto and borrowed a code reader and here are the codes I got in the order it was displayed. Some codes were repeated twice for some reason.

C0055
P0495
P0301
P0128
P0014
P0301
P0128
P0014
P0301

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[redmaro42]

misfire cyl 1, camshaft sensor code, and coolant temp codes for the most part. Start with spark plugs, maybe a thermostat if you haven't done that and then clear codes to see what returns

 

[IAFF78]

Sounds like a good starting point, thanks.

I saw all those codes and was like wtf? I almost broke down and cried, almost lol.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Mounce]

p0301 is #1 misfire like stated, p0014 is camshaft position actuator solenoid (commonly referred to as cpas, it's a common part to fail), p0128 is thermostat (even more common to fail), p0495 is cooling fan over-speed which is when the clutch gets stuck on (yet another common part).

All of your codes are pretty common, do some searching here and see what you can learn, there should be plenty of other cases you can learn from.

You need to address the misfire before you clear the codes to see what comes back, it's not good for it to run like that.

 

[IAFF78]

Update

I replaced all the spark plugs and had the codes reset. When I got the check engine light pop up again I had the codes read. Only ones I got were the misfire cylinder 1 codes. The other codes did not show up. The truck still runs like crap. So I guess my next step is to replace the cylinder 1 coil and go from there.

 

[Mooseman]

Before replacing it, try swapping it with cylinder 2, reset the codes and see if the problem follows the coil.

 

[redmaro42]

Before replacing it, try swapping it with cylinder 2, reset the codes and see if the problem follows the coil.

yup, do this to verify before throwing parts at it.