[jiantao]

Yes... try to get it covered by Honda. It's almost certain that the oil burning from the VCM caused the cat to need replacement prematurely. I'd fight tooth and nail for this, especially since you're not far off from the emissions warranty.

In the event that they refuse, which they might very well do so... it's not an urgent repair. Monitor your fuel economy, if it's fine, then the cat isn't clogged to the point where it affects performance. You can take it on your road trip without the catalytic converter being cause for concern. The only problem might be passing emissions inspection, but that's it. But, if the condition of the catalytic converter isn't too bad, sometimes you can still pass inspection after resetting the codes... I've done this for many years on my Toyotas.

No need to sell the car over this. If the dealer replaced the piston rings and spark plugs, and you install a VCM Muzzler to prevent this from happening again, the car is just as good as any other. The problem won't come back. If you absolutely need to replace the cat because the car won't pass emissions or it's actually clogged, then replace it.

 

[jnissen]

Yes do the VCM inhibit ASAP. As for the cats... try the VCM inhibit and clear the codes. With all cylinders firing it may increase the heat in the upper cat and prolong your driving a bit.

Replacing cats is always an option but I highly doubt Honda will cover it. One other option is new O2 sensors. Replacing them is recommended while doing cats anyway so if it works your still ahead. Lastly a stop gap is to install O2 spacers. Not a real fix but it tricks the ECU into thinking the cats are performing better than they really are. That’s the least costly option but you may get caught in Ian inspection.

 

[2011.2017.odyssey]

they wont cover the cat.

You should of disabled vcm sooner.

the cost of a a new cat can buy a lot of gas!

 

[tech10]

I would say, look for a used one from a reliable mechanic is one option. I have replaced it with a used one 4 years ago and still worked. I remember that the price was not bad (less than $400 CAD).
of course, I put the VCM Muzzler right after. Mine is a little over 260,000 Km and still running strong.

 

[CroMath]

Ugh... reading this gives me a stomach ache - you dodged one bullet only to get hit by the next one. VCM absolutely messed up your cats. It's too bad you didn't muzzle the VCM right after the rings were replaced - you'd keep the basically new condition for far longer. But hindsight is 20/20 and it's so easy to be smart from where the other guy is sitting.

With that said, I think you should go ahead with options 1 and 4 in the original post. Yes you should approach Honda to cover the cost of the repair. You'd be silly not to - the worst they can do is say no. And you should muzzle the VCM and replace the cat. There's lots of good life left in that van. 144,000 km is 80,000 miles - that's not that much once you get it all sorted out.