So I've been enjoying the ride since I got my van back on the rode. I really enjoy driving it. But being a 2004 it's time to get dirty again. The left front wheel bearing is growling, I ordered two, see how that goes. And then recently my service engine light came on and these are the codes I'm reading. (P0420, P1283 and P0011 2004 SE) Does anyone know how or if they are related and how to begin? I don't have a heated work area and being in SE Pennsylvania I'd like to do what I can now. Is it ok to drive the vehicle until they are dealt with? Thanks

P0420 by itself virtually always means a dead catalytic converter, but yours isn't by itself. The P0011 is most likely a crapped camshaft sensor on the same bank (bank 1, rear) and may be causing funky IVT behavior and correspondingly funky readings downstream. Fix the P0011 first and then see if the P0420 returns. If it does, your rear cat is toast. Don't mess with that. Plug "cat inhalation" into the advanced search bar to see why. Keep in mind that the P0011 won't necessarily return right away if the sensor isn't the actual cause, and the P0420 will definitely require some driving before it will recur.

The P1283 is almost certainly a bad A/F sensor (front O2) on the other bank.

Hey VStar650CL you still wrenching? I for one really appreciate you being here from my heart. So that is the sensor up top towards the rear of the engine correct? Thanks!

No worries, I'm not going anywhere.

It's sideways in the back wall of the rear cylinder head, kind of buried underneath the airbox and a bunch of pipes and hoses. The retaining screw is a PITA to get a wrench on, a 10mm swivel will help a lot.

I replaced the cam position sensor today and drove to the lake, fished, and drove home, about 15 miles total and the service light isn't on yet. It might be my hopeful thinking but I think the gassy smell on start up was gone also. I will update on breaking news. I did catch a huge 21" large mouth bass earlier today. Nice!

schuylkill wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 13, 2021 5:22 pm

I did catch a huge 21" large mouth bass earlier today. Nice!

Way funner than catching codes. Congrats!

CEL came back with 2 codes. P0430 and P0430 pending. The gauge's description is Cat System efficiency below threshold Bank 2.

By itself with no other codes, that's about a 99.9% chance the cat is shot. Efficiency codes will generally come-and-go for awhile before they become constant. Given the age of the vehicle and the P0430 you got on the other bank, you should probably just replace both. Like I said earlier, total cat failure isn't something you want to risk.

Oh man I'm getting dizzy. So the original P0420 code is for the rear cat, the "Y" shaped twisted looking one? And the P0430 is for the front cat on the firewall side? I guess I'd better get a few cans of rust buster and get out my MAP torch.

Wait a minute Bank 2 in the front is on the left or radiator side correct? Would you advise getting original Nissan parts or would aftermarket function properly for 50K or so?

Yep, bank2 is the front on transverse VQ's. There's nothing wrong with cheaper cats, but I wouldn't visit the bargain basement. Bosal, Eastern Catalytic and the higher-end Walkers are all okay. Stay away from Davico and Dorman, I've seen people have fit problems with Davicos and all sorts of grief with Dormans. I just took a look in RockAuto and they have a set of Easterns that I think will fit your ride for around $250 each. The best way to make sure of fit is to get the Nissan p/n's by VIN from NissanPartsDeal, then do an equivalence search in RockAuto and anyplace else you want to look. If you're shopping by MMY then cats are usually described by location in the pipe first and location on the engine second, so your bank2 will be described as a "front left".

So I plan to replace all three converters and the sensors. The rust on the system is extremely heavy, I doubt that the hardware is coming out with wrenches, at least not on the front from what I can see. Is drilling through the flanges and using nuts and bolts a practical solution? Is there a detail showing all of the sensors on the vehicle in one schematic in the shop manual? I can't find it. Not looking forward to this project.

Not in the ESM, but the parts diagrams in NissanPartsDeal should be pretty explicit about the A/F and HO2S locations. There should only be two of each, one A/F (upper) and one HO2S (lower) on each bank. Should be no other sensors directly in the pipes. Flanges can be drilled out, but make sure to use high-strength bolts with a flatwasher and split lockwasher on the sides with the nuts. They'll rust into place, but you don't want anything backing out before they do.

There is a coolant loss in the vehicle and I can't locate the source though I haven't really tried that hard. I'm thinking now is the time to find it to be certain that it is something external and simple before I work on the cats and sensors. I don't smell a strong coolant odor. I'm going to remove the splash guards and put it up on ramps and run it and see if I can see any signs of coolant. There are no drips when I put cardboard underneath after a run.

Get some UV dye and magic glasses. For very small leaks it's the surest way, it will even reveal "vapor bleeds" that are too small to show up in standard pressure tests. You can get a kit for under $15 at Walmart and the dye is universal, works in A/C and motor oil too. Personally, I'd never be without it.

Got a uv kit today. Also went to the dealer and ordered a gasket for the firewall side cat. They don't list one for the rad side, was told to use silicone gasket maker. Is Permatex ultra copper the way to go? I'm going back to the dealer on Wednesday, should I use their silicone? I see kits online and they include a gasket but I don't see where an individual one is available without getting the whole kit. For the sensors, are the connectors different for the two downstream? What I want to know is can I order two of the same downstream sensors and two of the same upstream ones? There are so many available it is confusing and it looks like the connectors may be different. Enjoying the weather.

I'm not sure what's up with the gaskets, as far as I know there should be upper and lower crush-rings on both cats. No sealer I know about could possibly survive the bake-off temperatures in the cat that occur after shutdown. The lowers appear to be 20692-65J00 (2 req, they're identical). The uppers should be identical too, I think the p/n is 20691-8J100 but I don't know why it's only showing up on the rear bank.

The A/F's (front) should be an identical pair, 22693-7Y020. The rear HO2S's show up as different, 226A0-AR210 and 226A1-AR210, but I doubt that's a connector difference so there may be a single aftermarket p/n that services both. If you're going to go aftermarket, Denso is the best choice.

The upper gaskets are definitely not identical, the front cat tube is a much larger diameter than the rear. I don't know how to proceed with this. Working on it.

Might be a good idea to visit the dealer and have them check with DPC. Quests have always been the "weird uncle in the attic" in the Nissan product line, and I haven't deconstructed enough old ones to be able to have those kinds of answers for you.

So I think the downstream sensors have different connectors looking at images. On one the ribs on each side are inline, on the other they are offset. Would the downstream rear be the same as the downstream right, only a different way to designate or describe it? That is what I think. It's confusing on RockAuto.

schuylkill wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:05 pm

So I think the downstream sensors have different connectors looking at images. On one the ribs on each side are inline, on the other they are offset. Would the downstream rear be the same as the downstream right, only a different way to designate or describe it? That is what I think. It's confusing on RockAuto.

That can at least be confirmed by looking under the car. I can't even check the WD for you like I could on a newer model, because the old style WD's only show color and pinout for connectors, not the shell type. I never paid much attention to the shells on the 3.5's, but with j-pipe arrangement they're pretty close together. Maybe close enough to swap inadvertently, which would explain Nissan using different shells for the two banks even though the pinouts are identical.

Denso upstream sensors are $75 at Rockauto, Bosch are $77. Amazon had same p/n Bosch for $58 so I got them there. Hope that works out.

Just looked seller is Bosch Automotive Store on Amazon. That sounds good.

I wanted to post the company I used to get my Y pipe and right side precat for about $250 total with discount. The fitment was excellent and so far no problems. For what it's worth.
https://www.yitamotor.com/collections/c ... -compliant