Car, Car, C-A-R,
Stick Your Head in a Jelly Jar

Regionalism. We used "mustard jar" in my neighborhood in the 60s.

We were all about alliteration in New York in the 60s.

We were so poor in Maine in the 70s that we only had the first line. Didn't even know there could be a second one.

Only said it when it was time to get out of the street to let a car go by.

Well, duh.

j/k :D

A whole line? Luxury! We only had the scream and the thump to alert us to get out of the way. That, and a mouthful of hot gravel.

BigV @ 2:11

We were so poor we couldn't even pay attention.

i was so poor i had to fart to have a (s)cent in my pocket!

Once the Car Chip arrives, it must be setup. After downloading the software, the Car Chip must be told what parameters to monitor.

The first is vehicle speed - a default. Next is Engine Speed. O2 Sensor voltage. And then Short term fuel trim. The first three parameters should be set to a 5 second interval.

Attach to the car (when still cold). Take a maybe 5 minute drive. Best to take a road where long steady conditions occur. So that multiple 5 second data from the O2 Sensor can be compared to engine speed and short term fuel trim.

First notice what an O2 Sensor voltage is when the vehicle is cold. Ideal voltages will probably be between 0.6 and 0.7 volts once the sensor is hot. Voltage will increase to something like 1 volt when the engine is dumping lots of fuel into the engine. When more fuel is being burned and more fuel is exhausted unburned (wasted energy and a lower gas mileage).

Fuel trim says how long each injector is on; how much fuel is being dumped into the engine.

That is what the O2 sensor does - adjust the amount of fuel to no longer do gross waste; what a carburetor did. Carburetors would dump massive amounts of fuel hoping the engine would burn as much as possible. Leaving a catalytic converter to burn what remains.

If too much fuel is detected in an exhaust, the computer assumes a defective catalytic converter. Not necessarily. The error code only says where to start looking. Some mechanics will not think through a problem. Automatically replace what they first suspect (ie blame the catalytic converter). Do not assume what is wrong before replacing anything.

I'm sorry tw (I really am, not being sarcastic,) but you misunderstood. I didn't get the Car Chip product after all, only a regular OBDII sensor. My goal was to be able to turn off my own check engine light, both now and in the future. I don't think the item I got (this one) can read those values for you.

Is that a hand held OBD2 display? Not the Car Chip Pro that reads and stores data from a car? And is then read via a computer's USB port? That is the only CarChip Pro I knew of. Did not know a handle display existed.

Yes, mine is not a CarChip Pro product at all. It's a different brand of OBD2 sensor, of which Amazon had at least a dozen. It doesn't connect to the computer, and I don't think it can be used while the car is running.

But at this point I'm really sure it's the catalytic converters. (I know you're not sure, but you take an inordinate amount of evidence to be sure, and I am sure enough to meet my threshold. :)) The really good news is that I successfully ordered compatible parts online myself, and plthijinx is completely. awesome. and is going to install them for me, with the help of a friend and a welding torch.

The awesomeness of plthijinx comes through x 2!

Thats awesome Clod! Way to step up plthijinx. :thumbsup: