ohhh nooo...... please help!!

[stalker]

ok so ive had my car now for about a year and ive had a few problems... but now its worst than i imagined.. ok so about 3 weeks ago supposidly i got some bad gas and it cost me 800 at the dealer to replace the plugs and drain the gas... well it was fixed for about 3 days and it was doing the same thing so i took it back and they said that they didnt tighten up the air duckt and they fixed that and then it was good again so now about 2 weeks later its doing kinda the same thing... its running like it only has half of an engine. i pulled the codes and what i got was a random miss fire, miss fires in 123and 4 cylinders and a catiletic converter not warming up correctly... HELP....the codes are p300 p0421 p301 p302 p303 p304 if anyone can help i would gladly appreciate it because before i go back to the dealer for the third time and pay something stupid i would like to have an idea of whats wrong.... thanks

[Maserati Blue]

Did you by any chance hit a speed bump or something? I've seen those codes when someone hit the CATs and after 2-3 months they started giving the above error codes (it probably took a whole for the CATs to break down). But performance wasn't affected...

Otherwise, if you have a dirty (or defective) MAF sensor, which is clearly indicated by a badly performing engine and some times it when starting from the traffic lights your engine doesn't rev fast enough or shuts down (but performs ok at high speed).

[bluyork]

Sounds like you're running in limp mode; analysis of the codes should help to decipher. I was doing in a few months ago due to crimps in wiring from the transmission; was revving to 4K seemingly on 4 cylinders.

[GrndLkNatv]

Originally Posted by Maserati Blue

Did you by any chance hit a speed bump or something? I've seen those codes when someone hit the CATs and after 2-3 months they started giving the above error codes (it probably took a whole for the CATs to break down). But performance wasn't affected...

Otherwise, if you have a dirty (or defective) MAF sensor, which is clearly indicated by a badly performing engine and some times it when starting from the traffic lights your engine doesn't rev fast enough or shuts down (but performs ok at high speed).

Head down to checker auto and buy a spray can of MAF Sensor Cleaner, take out the sensor, clean it as the can describes it and then check it out. I do have another question for you, did the dealer put in any Gasoline additives when they put in the new good gas? If they did, what was it? Did the dealer clean out the injectors?

[stalker]

the dealer is knida retarded when i asked them if they cleaned the gas or replaced it she said (she being the service tech) im sure they did..... uhhh your not sure!!! any how so i dont know if they used a cleaner or not but doesnt matter if i call and ask they wont know.. that being said, they did tell me that they cleaned the maf sensor so, how hard is that to do on my own...

[GrndLkNatv]

Originally Posted by stalker

the dealer is knida retarded when i asked them if they cleaned the gas or replaced it she said (she being the service tech) im sure they did..... uhhh your not sure!!! any how so i dont know if they used a cleaner or not but doesnt matter if i call and ask they wont know.. that being said, they did tell me that they cleaned the maf sensor so, how hard is that to do on my own...

If you have 30 minutes and a can of cleaner, it's about as easy as falling off a log. You will need a straight blade screwdriver and very little patience.. It's very easy.

If that doesn't work then it's time to have a look at the fuel and it doesn't hurt to pull the plugs on the cylinders that are showing the misfire to see what they look like, fouled, etc

Here are some how to videos but not for the Maserati. The front of the intake manifold has the hose that goes down to the airbox, the MAF sensor is on the front of that house and you will see the wires leading to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiEdey2IHcc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8Kp8qyDIfU

[stalker]

what about the other code that was being throwen, the p0421 code.. catletic converter not heating up? ohhh and thatnks for the editorial on how to clean the maf sensor... im going to do that tonight as soon as i get home from work, ill let you know what the outcome is...

[GrndLkNatv]

Originally Posted by stalker

what about the other code that was being throwen, the p0421 code.. catletic converter not heating up? ohhh and thatnks for the editorial on how to clean the maf sensor... im going to do that tonight as soon as i get home from work, ill let you know what the outcome is...

If the engine is running on 4 cylinders the cat's won't get warmed up. You are flushing raw fuel down into the cats and there is no hot exhaust coming down that way. Once it's starts running okay, that problem will take care of itself.

[FormulaDynamics]

You could have a set of cats that have failed. The best way to determine this is to take the car to an exhaust shop and have them peek in through the O2 Sensor Bung port with a mirror or camera to see what they look like.

Often what happens is that they fail (for various reasons) and the honeycomb starts to melt / break apart and clog up the downstream cats with the debris particles. At that point it really chokes the exhaust flow and sometimes causes a change in the exhaust sound. This blockage causes the engine to overheat and misfire.

This would explain your codes and is not terribly uncommon for this car. With that said, there are a few other scenarios possible as well. I mention this one because we've seen it maybe 10 times.

If this is the case, you'll want to contact us before spending any money to resolve the problem as we'll likely be able to help you save money with the repair parts.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

[GrndLkNatv]

Great catch Jeff! Hadn't put that one on the list yet but you are exactly right! Could be time for Larini!

Originally Posted by FormulaDynamics

You could have a set of cats that have failed. The best way to determine this is to take the car to an exhaust shop and have them peek in through the O2 Sensor Bung port with a mirror or camera to see what they look like.

Often what happens is that they fail (for various reasons) and the honeycomb starts to melt / break apart and clog up the downstream cats with the debris particles. At that point it really chokes the exhaust flow and sometimes causes a change in the exhaust sound. This blockage causes the engine to overheat and misfire.

This would explain your codes and is not terribly uncommon for this car. With that said, there are a few other scenarios possible as well. I mention this one because we've seen it maybe 10 times.

If this is the case, you'll want to contact us before spending any money to resolve the problem as we'll likely be able to help you save money with the repair parts.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

[stalker]

the car is making a different sound than what it normally does. but that being said how much would it cost to replace the cats,,,, being the cheapest way to be done...? and do you think thats whats causing my whole problem (the cats) or do you think thats a secondary problem

[BeeYouZeeZee]

Originally Posted by FormulaDynamics

You could have a set of cats that have failed. The best way to determine this is to take the car to an exhaust shop and have them peek in through the O2 Sensor Bung port with a mirror or camera to see what they look like.

Often what happens is that they fail (for various reasons) and the honeycomb starts to melt / break apart and clog up the downstream cats with the debris particles. At that point it really chokes the exhaust flow and sometimes causes a change in the exhaust sound. This blockage causes the engine to overheat and misfire.

This would explain your codes and is not terribly uncommon for this car. With that said, there are a few other scenarios possible as well. I mention this one because we've seen it maybe 10 times.

If this is the case, you'll want to contact us before spending any money to resolve the problem as we'll likely be able to help you save money with the repair parts.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

Pre cats have broken up and are clogging up the exhaust probably at the crimps before the primary cats. The give away is the cats not heating up code. Not really descriptive but that code is thrown when the upstream O2 sensors detect the pre cats aren't doing thier job. Debris in the pre cats can get sucked back up into the engine during the part of the cycle when debris is flying and both valves are slightly open at the same time. I know if the car is under warranty they'll replace them and some have said that cats are covered for an extended period. I'm fairly sure that's it.

EDIT: And it's probably only 1 pre cat on the 1,2,3,4 bank

[YSRJunkie]

You guys are probably right with the cat, but a quick check of the MAF fit to the intake hose may show something too. If they performed some work, left the MAF misaligned and sent you down the road, that could have cause the cat failure too. That MAF is difficult to keep secured sometimes on those cars and I've seen worn out motor mounts move the motor enough to disconnect the MAF intermittently and really screw with people. I believe the cats also have a federally mandated 8yr 80k mile warranty. Good Luck.

[stalker]

ok so its freezing here and i didnt get home until it was dark so first thing tomorrow morning im going to clean it and see what that does... now when i clean it will i need to clear the codes or see what it does right away...

[leadfoot_mf]

please keep us posted to what the out come is.

[MaseratiBoy]

I got the exact same problem when MY cats broke up and clogged the exhaust.

Call Jeff, he will take care of you.

[DesertDawg]

So, lemme get this straight... if your MAF gets loose or dirty, it can screw up your Cats to THIS extent? This doesn't seem right.

Or is/are what Jeff & MaseratiBlue are talking about happen to be two totally unrelated things?

[BeeYouZeeZee]

Originally Posted by DesertDawg

So, lemme get this straight... if your MAF gets loose or dirty, it can screw up your Cats to THIS extent? This doesn't seem right.

Or is/are what Jeff & MaseratiBlue are talking about happen to be two totally unrelated things?

No.. The cats just break up. The fact that the OBD II reading is misfire on 1, 2, 3, 4 shows that it's on one side. A dirty/gunked-up MAF would not pick on just one side. Gunked IS a word right????

[FormulaDynamics]

Two different issues. Either could be the cause of the poor running conditions. Based on your comments, it's likely the cats at this point. Stock replacements are very, very expensive. We have some more cost effective options which could be the cause. In any case, with so many possibilities, I suggest just giving us a call and we'll help you figure out what parts (if any) that you'll need and how to save a few bucks on the process.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

[DesertDawg]

Originally Posted by BeeYouZeeZee

Gunked IS a word right????

if it wasn't before, it is now... VERB: To gunk... past tense = gunked. ADJECTIVE: Descriptive term indicating the effects of the verb. lol

[GrndLkNatv]

So my suggestion is to clean the MAF, clear the codes, see what it does. If the Cat is still clogged the misfire will still happen and Jeff can take care of it very quickly for you. I would highly recommend you get Jeff's custom fit cats or decat pipes, they are the way to go!