99 Honda Civic EX 110,000

Driving on hwy engine lurched and came to a stop. Distributor replaced. Four days later, check engine light on. Catalytic Converter replaced (one oxygen sensor was melted).

Now about 5 weeks later, driving on hwy, engine lurched and came toa stop. Distributor dead - mechanic claims it was defective. Now 3 days later....you guessed it...check engine light on...Catalytic Converter.

Mechanic claims catalytic converter is bad - need OEM one. Claims there is no relationship between distributor issue and catalytic converter issue - coicidence that the same sequence of events happened twice.

I just don't buy it and am fearful of the car just stalling again after a few weeks....Any suggestions as to what the underlying problem here might be - something I could ask mechanic to check?

This has been a very reliable vehicle - but now I'm afraid of what will happen next.

 

I'm not sure what your mechanic is thinking. My understanding is that severe engine misfiring (e.g., caused by a faulty distributor) can kill a catalytic converter pretty quickly. This is why the ECU causes the CEL to blink ON and OFF when the engine experiences multiple misfires. Get a new mechanic.