mmsafd

I have been through the ringer with my CEL on my 2002 ES300. Light is still coming on. Apparently it needs cats. Those cost more than I have in the entire car. I will not be doing that. Car runs just fine. I have tape over the CEL light for now. If I wanted to take the bulb out or unplug it how would I go about that? Just pull the insterment cluster? Or is there a better angle of attack from under the dash somewhere? Any real disadvantage to doing that? Thanks.

Oro

You can space the rear 02 sensors back a bit and they will not trigger the light. The car will (or should) still pass emissions - ours did in WA. Check your laws as in some places it may not be legal. In many it is absolutely no issue.

Get the short Dorman 18mm spark-plug non-foulers. Drill the bases out to 1/2” (a little delicate - not a lot of space to work with). Install in front of the down-stream sensors. Borrow a proper 02 wrench from the local auto store if you do not have one.