obd2 sensor?

Question

My daughter has a 2003 Grand Am and she says that she took it to a place and had them test it on a computer and they said it was an obd2 sensor. Something to do with the catilatick convertor (I apoligize for the spelling). She also indicated when she accelerates that she can only go to 10 m.p.h,. the front end shakes bad and the individual at the place she went said there was a "glowing red" and suspected the converter dropped. Before she invests money into it, I wanted to get some opinions.
Any ideas what it could be? How difficult is to fix? What do you think it would cost to fix?
Thanks for any advice you may have.

Answer 1

The code was probably for "Catalyst Efficiency Low" or one of several Oxygen Sensor codes (not OBDII sensor - there is no such thing.)

If the catalytic converter is plugged that would explain the performance issues, and the glowing red hot issues. Only plugged converters get that hot.

This may cost you nothing. Emissions controls have long, federally mandated warranties that are often longer than the manufacters warranty on the car. I'd check with the dealer to see if this is still covered.

Answer 2

The OBD2 system isn't a sensor -- it's the system designed to read and report *on* the various sensors in the car, and other things that the computer is able to intuit from reading them.

I believe you'll find that when running the OBD2 test, they found a bad O2 (oxygen) sensor or one whose reading was impossible for the computer to accept graciously. But that's the least of your worries.

If the cat converter is glowing red, that's an indication that the engine is dumping a great deal of gas out the exhaust or the converter is already dead. In the case of excessive fuel in the exhaust, this will eventually kill the converter ($$$) -- but heck -- if she can only go 10mph, she won't be driving the thing until it's fixed anyway. I doubt they'll cover the warranty that another poster mentions if it is obvious it was killed due to this kind of abuse, and they aren't cheap.

Dumping a ton of gas out the exhaust is indicative of either misfiring (or NOT firing) cylinders (the gas goes in, and the gas goes out unburned, and gets burned in the cat converter instead of the cylinders!) or something is causing that engine to run extraordinarily rich, or no flow through the converter. Needs attention either way.

Mark -- As to only plugged converters doing this -- I've had some engines produce enough fuel in the exhaust to get a cat glowing cherry red. Scared the hell out of me the first time I ran across one way back when!

Answer 3

The catalytic converter is bad and needs to be replaced. The sensor your thinking about is the Oxygen sensor also called an O2 sensor. All cars have 3 or 4 of these sensors so you need to get the car scaned with an OBDII scanner and it will tell you what one needs to be replaced.

Answer 4

Catalytic Converter is covered under federal emissions warranty for 8yrs 80,000 miles (at least). That means no charge to you unless the failure is due to physical abuse/damage such as jumping a curb.

See a GM dealer.