What do you do when your customer’s Malibu smells bad and the check engine light is on? Start with the basics; diagnostic codes don’t always lead right to the faulty part. This is what our SureTrack Community member and technician experienced when his customer came in with their 1998 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1. Follow this Real Fix to see the simple solution to these issues.

Diagnosis

The first thing the technician did was assess the issues by performing a road test to check for any drivability concerns  and found there was indeed a strong fuel smell present. He connected a scanner, and it read code P0420 – Catalyst System Efficiency below Threshold (Bank 1). With the engine on, he also did a visual inspection of the engine and found fuel was actually leaking from the fuel injector seals between the injectors and the fuel rail.

The leaking fuel injectors were affecting the pressure and volume, causing the engine to go into a lean misfire and increasing the hydrocarbon levels in the exhaust stream. Because of this, the catalytic converter was unable to compensate for high hydrocarbon levels, which is what caused the PO420 code to set.

Fix

This showed the technician that it is truly valuable to go back to the basics. Finding the fuel injector seals were the issue, he replaced them and cleared the codes. He did a road test and was happy to note the fuel-less smelling air and the absence of the check engine light. The Sure Track community member was able to create a Real Fix and send another customer happily on their way.

Real Fixes from Mitchell 1’s SureTrack® expert information resource are documented issues from actual shop repair orders and community discussions. Read the Real Fix in the Mitchell 1 ShopConnection Blog.