97 Taurus Cat Converter

[Primus123]

My 97' 3.0L V6 Taurus won't pass inspection without a new catalytic converter. Of course I was looking for a cheap way out and several different shops told me the only way was to replace the converters completely; a repair on them is not possible.

The service engine light has been on for a while but the car doesn't have any noticeable hiccups while driving. I'm not certain of the exact error codes, maybe 0403 or 0407.

I received an offer to replace the converters and one O2 censor for $750. Hopefully the other 3 censors are okay. I went with this option.

They stressed that there is a chance the other 3 O2 censors could set the light off again. But I was guarenteed my inspection sticker.

So my question is did I get a fair price? Would you have done something differently? Could I have replaced just the O2 censors and kept the cat converter since there were no holes or flaws in it?

As you may or may not be able to tell, I am a novice with car repairs.

[drdisque]

you could try replacing the O2 sensors first, but a continually bad cat could foul the downstream sensor again.

You got a fairly good price for the services that were performed if they were performed correctly.

[KimMG]

What did the catalyst in the old converter look like? Was it all broken up, melted, clogged?

[Primus123]

Originally Posted by KimMG

What did the catalyst in the old converter look like? Was it all broken up, melted, clogged?

I'm not certain since I didn't take it off myself. (since I don't have the proper jack stands to get under there)

I'll ask the guy when I pick it up today to show me the old converters so I can inspect them