If there is nothing electrically wrong with an O2 sensor, can you pull it and clean it with some type of solvent or are they meant to just be replaced only?

 

There is no point in cleaning an O2 sensor.

Steve

 

These sensors are too mean to get at, particularly upstream, to risk having to do it over. Your time is worth more than the new part. Just my opinion.

 

Some people reported improved mpg when before cat o2 sensors were replaced. Unfortunately, it didn't do squat on mine, replaced both with bosch aftermarket as part of tune-up which included plugs, cleaned/re-oiled k&n drop-in air filter, and new fuel filter and I'm still doing 12mpg on mixed city/highway driving. Unless you're doing a single digit mpg and have taken care of everything else, I would just wait for them to go bad before replacement. One of them (the passenger side iirc) is a real PITA to replace, so for that reason, cleaning either by using solvent/spray or by torching it (these are the two methods I've read about before I decided to just replaced them) may not be the way to go, unless you like torturing yourself or otherwise have plenty of time to kill.

 

As others have stated, I would not recommend cleaning yor O2 sensors ,as are a pain in the **** to remove in the first place.

Another thing...I would never, ever recommend replacing your factory O2 sensors with anything else but factory O2 sensors..I have issues with several vehicles over the years after installing aftermarket (Bosch) O2 sensors.

Just my two cents