I purchased my truck new back in June of 06, with 7 miles on the odometer. I got this bright idea that I wanted to change the exhaust around 20,000 miles. I purchased long tube headers, cats, y pipe, and cat back exhaust from pacesetter. During the install I found out that I had to extend the oxygen sensors. Soon after I turned the truck over the check engine light came on. I checked the codes through my Superchips Cortex programmer, in which it stated P0420 and P0430. The programmer advised that it was a an upstream catalytic converter efficiency on both banks. At first I said whatever, and dealt with the light being on, and the truck never gave me a problem, until I hit around 58,000 miles. Then it started to give me multiple codes. One of the codes was a P0300(multi cylinder miss fire) along with some other codes that caused the engine light to blink, the truck never stalled on me but shook like crazy. I just found out about Casper's Electronics and order new extensions and purchased 4 brand new 02 sensors that are NGK(package states NTK like the ones stamp on the original sensors). I drove the truck for two days and the check engine light came back on displaying P0420 and P0430. My question is whats my problem? Is Pacesetter a decent company? The collectors are 3", into 3" cats, into 3" y-pipe, with a 3" in and dual 2.5" out muffler. Any feedback would be great.

 

P0420 & P0430 with a misfire code is very often caused by an exhaust leak. Pacesetter headers are good headers, not top of the line, but very good for the price. A LOT of us run them with no issues.

My guess is it's more related to the installation rather than the parts.

Get underneath and look for a leak, anything loose, or broken. Especially broken or loose header bolts onto the block.

Did you or the place you had the installation done torque the bolts properly AND THEN re-torque after the headers came up to temperature? BIG & IMPORTANT STEP...

 

Put non-foulers on the back O2's. I had them same until i put on the non-foulers.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen...ving-cats.html

Only difference i did in that link was I stuffed them with as much 0000 steel wool as I could

 

I dunno 'Weed, he's got his cats. I run my Long Tubes with the cats and home made extensions on the wires and ain't popped an exhaust code in the five years they been on. I'd agree with you 100% if he didn't have cats and didn't pop a misfire code as well.

 

Alright, from what Hammer stated, the header bolts are probably my issue, because they wont stay tight. They keep loosening back up. What should I do? I already have the foulers on the rear 02 sensors like the pictures. I purchased them from Moe"s Performance way back when, and the light stayed on, so hopefully its the leakage of the headers. What do I need to do if a header bolt is broken? Thanks for the help.

 

weedahoe, where did you place the steel wool, and i do have my cats. From the picture it didn't look like that truck had cats. I have ran the trucks with and with out the foulers, and same two codes, P0420 and P0430.

 

If a header bolt is broken use an extractor and take it out. To keep the bolts from loosening off try some red thread lock on them

 

Hammer, I know but i just thought since he was getting the same as me then thats what it could be.

Gator06 - take the first non-fouler and stuff it was as much 0000 steel wool as possible and then screw the second and drilled out non-fouler into it.

But if your head bolts are not holding then time to either use some lok-tite that will hold in the heat or get some stage 8 bolts.

 

If they won't stay tight, it's a sure sign they weren't installed correctly the first time. As stated, the torque to spec, heat engine & headers up to full operating temp and re-torquing to spec while hot is a biggie.

I don't like to use them, because the softest metal involved is the aluminum threads, but you may need to buy a set of locking header bolts. Moe's has them.

Also, if you are wrestling with the bolts that much, the gasket is probably shot - another leak culprit...

 

Dodgeboy, thanks for the advice on having to use an extractor if bolt is broken. Hopefully not because all my stuff is welded in place.

Weedahoe, I got the procedure down and will give it a try, thanks for explaining.

Hammer, I will order a new set of factory metal gaskets along with the stage 8 locking bolts from Moe's Performance. Just to double check the torque spec is 17lbs correct? When I installed it I only torqued it once not while it was cooling.

Thanks for the advice from everyone. I will let you guys know how it goes.