PIA O2 Sensor

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Jun 19, 2005 | 09:49 AM

DT 466Man

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From: Adams TN

PIA O2 Sensor

Well we were on the way to a HUGE carshow yesterday(Me and my Dad and Brother). In my Dad's 00' 150

Well we noticed the BATT light was on so we went to the nearest Advance Auto and started looking. Well the Fuse for the ALT. circuit was blown so we replaced it and the Gauge peged and then the fuse blew. So The Volt reg. was bad. We put a new Alt on it and drove home.

Well then the Engine light came on but it didn't run any different. We got home and learned it was Left Bank Lean and Right Bank Lean. Both Upstream.

So we got 2 Bosch O2 sensors.

The Pass. side was easy.

But i can't get a wrench on the Driver side where i can get any leverage.

Any tips. It won't budge. And i can't get a longer wrench in there.

This is the first O2 sensor i've ever done. And i don't like them.

Well in 130,000 miles all we've done was the Maintnence and The alt. and O2 sensors. Doesn't leak or burn any thing. So i guess it's a good little truck. Just cramped under the Hood.

Any tips?

Thanks

DT

Jun 19, 2005 | 03:33 PM

DT 466Man

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From: Adams TN

Never mind i got it.

It has a lot more power now.

Would an O2 sensor really cause all that trouble with sluggishness?

Jun 19, 2005 | 06:55 PM

Marcus6679

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From: Bridgewater, NJ

The O2 sensors communicate with the computer and tell it how much fuel to add/reduce, according to the air/fuel ratio. A faulty sensor that is producing 0 millivolts will confuse the computer into thinking there's no oxygen in the exhaust, so it cuts way back on the fuel that is being delivered, causing a loss of power, hesitation, etc. A sensor that is producing the maximum output (I think it's around 900mv), will grossly overfuel the engine, thinking there's too much oxygen, causing lots of smoke, higher operating temperatures, reduced economy, etc. One of the few ways I've found to remove a stuck O2 sensor is to heat the bung on the exhaust pipe with an acetylene torch, of course with a small flame and very careful of surrounding components.

Jun 19, 2005 | 08:32 PM

travlnman

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From: North Carolina

Or, just run the engine for about 1-1/2 min.

Jun 19, 2005 | 10:08 PM

DT 466Man

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From: Adams TN

ok thanks.

I got it off. I have to get a really deep socket for next time. Turns out the ear of the wrench was hitting the exhaust flange not letting it turn.

But the truck runs 100 times better now.

DT

Jun 20, 2005 | 04:27 PM

travlnman

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From: North Carolina

They make a special socket for O2 sensors that you can get at Autozone or any similar place. It looks like a big spark plug socket, with a slot cut in the side for the wires to go through, so you don't risk damaging a wire by bunching them up inside the socket. Maybe about $12 max.

Jun 27, 2005 | 02:43 PM

Fedds3.0

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Actually, there are highly sopisticated diagnostics that surround the function of the O2 sensors and having 2 in each bank makes diagnosing problems a much easier task than just simply looking for a voltage change when you adjust the injector duty cycle.

At any rate, once the code is set (and it usually has to be set 3 ignition cycles in a row for non-urgent things like this before the SEL comes on, even though it's running in a degraded mode), the engine computer goes to a default fuel map based on the TPS, RPM, and load. It's a safety issue to ensure motor longevity, and hence your power suffers b/c the computer is not running on the ragged edge of pre-ignition any more...she defaults to a base map on the rich side until the code is cleared.

I know a little about it as I design embedded systems for automotive applications (semi active suspension systems though...fuel systems is just a hobby