96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

I have a 96 F150 XL with the inline 6 that was my Dad's. The check engine light is on and my brother said it had been for a long time and my Dad just ignored it. I took it in and he reset the codes. They came back on in a few minutes and it says all three O2 sensors are out. Apparently this exhaust has a Y pipe where three cylinders go to one pipe and the other three go into the other. These join about 18 inches from the exhaust port. There is a sensor on each leg of the Y and another after the cat.
What I want to know is can I replace them one at a time or do I have to do all three at the same time? I don't want to ruin one by having a bad one mess it up. They are kinda pricey as the two above the cat are $45 each and the one below is about $55. These prices are from Autozone and are for the Bosch brand.
Any help is appreciated.
Bob

96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

i cant say for sure but i think if you replace the one after the cat would be the best to start with it will make the most difference in your drivablility i dont think it will cause a failure from the other two. if i am wrong by all means someone correct me.

96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

I was doing some searching and found this thread:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/dcforum/DCForumID39/2279.html

In it was the following post from magnumcccc:

I finally got a VERY experienced Ford dealership mechanic to talk to me about this issue. He said we're on the right track with the EGR. The reason it starts happening as the truck ages is because of "coking" on the valve seats (carbon buildup). This, coupled with the introduction of exhaust gas from the EGR, changes the air/fuel ratios just enough to cause the stumble. "You didn't hear it from me" he said, "but if I were you, I'd disconnect the tube between the exhaust manifold and the EGR, put a wadded up ball of tinfoil in there and reconnect the line. The foil will block the flow but allow the valve to function, so the computer will still think everything is working properly, and you won't get a 'check engine' light." He also said that because the 4.9 runs so lean, it doesn't really need EGR anyway. This is also why the 4.9 shouldn't ping after the "operation". Some V8's might get some ping--if they do, then restricting the flow as Nitro94 and Gembeau suggested above should allow just enough EGR to get rid of it. Of course, if you really want to eliminate the cause, you'd have to have the valves ground to get rid of the coking. But that's a whole lotta work when good old Reynolds Wrap will do the trick. By the way, it worked for me!

Anybody here have any experience with this?
Thanks, Bob

96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

Bob , Some of those Bosch brand O2 Sensors require you to rewire the connecter , The ones for Ford engines may be different , But Id steer clear of any ones that require you to rewire the O2 Sensor connections . There are specific pinpoint tests to be followed depending on the Code(s)that are stored . Just because the code says there is a problem with the O2 Sensor that doesnt nessecarily mean thats the problem , fuel pressure problems & vaccum leaks will cause O2 Sensor codes . OBD II is very specific & the code will ID what O2 sensor is the problem & give you a series of tests to run in order to isolate the problem . Its better to find the cause that waste money on parts you dont really need .

96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

yes other things can cause the O2 sensors to show bad reading. however 96 fords dont have OBDII that didn't come out till 97 in gm products.

96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

64Ford: My 96 did the same thing shortly after I bought it. Used it had 64,000 miles on it. The $3000 sunpro scanner I used wouldn't ID which sensor to replace. The one down low by the convertor is the o2 sensor. The ones up on the manifold are o2 monitors. Anyway I changed the one down by the cat and reset the computer. The light came on shortly after. My kinda luck. I then changed the two on the manifold and haven't had any problem since. Ford sensors were a little more money but a few people recommended them so that is what I bought. Fordpartsonline.com is tuff to beat for parts prices.
Good luck.
Chris

96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

>yes other things can cause the O2 sensors to show bad
>reading. however 96 fords dont have OBDII that didn't
>come out till 97 in gm products.


1996 was the first year for OBDII on both Ford and GM and Dodge vehicles. Our style F-Series were included in OBDII.

'93 F-150 loaded and modified!

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/toydestroyer1

96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

All vehicle manufacturers had to be OBD II compliant by 1996 , Some Gm vehicle were OBD II in 1995 . Heres a handy reference page for info on OBD II . http://www.obdii.com/background.html#Have

96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

i stand corrected thank you for setting me straight sorry for the miss information.:-X22

96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

No appology needed , OBD II is cool once you gain the nessecary info & tools to service that system . Its what vehicles have become , its no longer only just gathering some basic info & making an informed descision , Mechanics today have to be part mechanic & diagnosticians . OBD I was the precursor , it gave you the hint of things to come . With an OBD II system you need at least an OBD II scan tool to do any in depth repairs like the one first mentioned otherwise you end up replacing parts that you never really know are failed or not . With this system mentioned you have H2OS System Montitors that are basically the system that checks to see if the O2 Sensors are functioning correctly . It all looks & sounds complicated , But once you do a few repairs , & get a feel for whats going on you come to realize that its more of a help than a hinderance . Plus , The same things that went wrong with vehicles 20 yrs ago still goes wrong today . So the first thing any mechanic / diy person should do is always look at the basic engine functions first .

96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

yes paul after i went through my automotive electronics books i read up on (refreshed) i knew obdII was on gms had forgotten about ford all manufactureres using it. i wish i had it in my truck when i was chasing my miss. i just feel dumb about spouting my mouth not with out properly checking my info thanks for being cool about it

96 F150 O2 Sensors
 

is there anyway to just get rid of the o2 sensor?

is there anyway to just get rid of the o2 sensor?