I have a 2004 ford taurus that has 123000 miles. The engine light recently came on and it has started to vibrate when its stopped at lights or running idle. I went to pepboys and had the engine light checked. Its gave codes p0420 and p2196. What do those codes mean and is it fixable without breaking the bank.

Hello, Your Codes indicate that on Bank 1 your first O2 sensor is stuck on a Rich setting. The seond Code is showing your Catalytic converter on the same Bank 1 is not working very good.

Your Catalytic may recover once you fix the problem with the O2 sensor. This would mean replacing the Sensor. Once you change the part, have the onboard computer cleared with a scanner or disconnect the NEG terminal of the Battery for 10 minutes and then reconnect.

Have the autoparts man show you the special socket which may be needed to remove and install the Sensor and the location of the sensor. Prices for Catalytic converters have come down since they were first invented. Unlike a muffler, the Catalytics can be reused from a Salvage vehicle if you can find one. A site called Car-Parts.com can enable you to request used Salvage parts from many Salvage yards including the price, condition, and all the contact info you need.

I hope my solution is very helpful to you.