i had the check engine light come on on my 2005 ram and it gave me a 0420 error code i know this is connected to a faulity cat level can this be a faulity o2 sensor will it do any damage to my engine if i continue to drive it?

 

P0420 - Catalyst Efficieny (Bank 1)

if it was me, i wouldn't drive it too long like that...just keep an eye on the MIL cause if it starts to flash ya need to pull over and shut the truck down away cause it's gonna start causin damage

 

It'll be fine...it's a rear o2 on the driverside. You won't get engine damage because it has nothing to do with your A/F ratio...it just monitors cat efficency. Do you have stock exhaust manifolds and cats?

Cats are made to last a long time....wayy longer then your 3 year old truck. The actual problem could be a few things, the cat (bang on it and listen for a rattle), o2 (could just be clogged with carbon), o2 wiring harness (check it for damaged/burned/exposed wires)...or the cat could just be a symptom of a bigger prob. If you have a cracked head/bad gasket on the driverside it would damage the cat....raw fuel will burn up the cat so you could be running rich on bank 1.

 

my truck has only stock cat and exhaust , i'm afraid i dont know much about cars i pulled the battery and the engine light reset , i'm not sure how i could check to see if the heads cracked or how to check the 02 sensor . thanks alot for all the help i really appreicate any advice you could give!

 

More info at http://www.obd-codes.com/p0420