Replacing Oxygen Sensor

[Celicar]

How to know if O2 sensor spoilt? My OBD indicator come on at around 90 if I stab my accelerator from standstill to try and get up to speed asap, does it mean O2 sensor gone?

[Satria_neo]

  On 9/11/2009 at 10:02 AM, Kianbeng said:

Is there such thing as a universal catalyst convertor? hahaa....

 

Yes, there are of course. Plenty of aftermarket ones around.

[Satria_neo]

  On 7/26/2011 at 6:08 AM, Celicar said:

How to know if O2 sensor spoilt? My OBD indicator come on at around 90 if I stab my accelerator from standstill to try and get up to speed asap, does it mean O2 sensor gone?

 

Not sure. You have to use a OBD2 scanner to read the codes to know the problem.

[Satria_neo]

Actually O2 sensors are very much universal. There are basically just 2 types of O2 sensor, narrow band and wide band. Only difference are the wires. Some comes with a heater, some don't. So number of wires differ. Connectors also differ.

 

Thread size is usually the same for cars. So, using a universal one is just slightly more trouble to install compared to OEM one lor.

[Jphua]

hi guys,

 

juz to check wit u guys.

 

i have tis O2 sensor error code when my CEL lights up (like ard 1 mth ago).

reset the code but ride is very sluggish. den went to clean up the throttle body. until now CEL lights din lights up again but i notice tat my FC suffers & my oil pressure reading also haywire (readings up down up down like not stable).

 

any bros/sis here can enlighten me whether small prob or big prob coming?

 

btw, wad's the difference between O2 sensor & MAF sensor?

 

many thanks in advance

[KaKiLang]

  On 8/23/2011 at 4:45 PM, Jphua said:

hi guys,

 

juz to check wit u guys.

 

i have tis O2 sensor error code when my CEL lights up (like ard 1 mth ago).

reset the code but ride is very sluggish. den went to clean up the throttle body. until now CEL lights din lights up again but i notice tat my FC suffers & my oil pressure reading also haywire (readings up down up down like not stable).

 

any bros/sis here can enlighten me whether small prob or big prob coming?

 

btw, wad's the difference between O2 sensor & MAF sensor?

 

many thanks in advance

 

02 sensor is a return valve of the exhaust back to the engine, malfunction will happen as what you having. Get fix or replaced.

Edited August 23, 2011 by KaKiLang

[WFME]

Not to complicate things, MAF sensor takes value of the input air to engine, O2 sensor (the one you are refering to) takes in output air values.

 

Both values are used and compared by the ECU to decide how much fuel to pump into your combustion chamber. A faulty O2 and/or MAF/MAP sensor typically means your car "can still move" but as it is not operating at optimal mapping by your ECU, in minor cases, you may just get higher fuel consumption, in bad cases, sluggish, choking and/or misfire and pinging.

 

In some cases, such as hard driving and using a lower octane fuel, the CEL will come on but it should clear after a few cycles without detecting a fault. For this kind of situations, there is not too much need for concern.

 

It is best to get the sensor replaced but as it does cost a bit, most workshop (who want to help you save money) will confirm the fault using a CEL scanner, try to clean the throttle valve body and the sensor before they do a replacement.

 

Of cos, for people who wants to save time and trouble, might as well do everything.

[Jphua]

thanks bros for your replies.

 

so MAF sensor is taking input air flow whereas O2 sensor is taking output values. icic...

no wonder i notice my FC quite jialat.

 

so for now, i have to replace the O2 sensor. is it right to say this O2 sensor is kinda of wear & tear items? i hope it does not cost alot.

 

is there any preventive ways to prevent O2 sensor from faulty again? driving habit or anything.

 

many thanks in advance bros.

[WFME]

Actually, most parts of the car is subjected to wear and tear (especially rubber parts which only have a MTBF or Mean Time Between Failure of 5 yeras). There are, however steps you can take to prevent or reduce the frequency of parts.

 

As far as the O2 goes, people who gets frequent failures (ie, once every 3-4 years) tend to be "Ah Lao"drivers. I'm not putting anyone down here, in fact "Ah Lao" drivers tend to be safe drivers, but as they do not rev their car hard and often enough, carbon tend to build up at sensor resulting in more frequent failures. Also, keeping your engine well maintained (serviced) means better efficiency which means lower emission and thus sensor last longer.

 

For most cars, the MTBF of the sensor is between 2-8 years. Why such a large difference? It all depends if you are a Ah Beng or Ah Lao loh... haa haa...

 

But seriously, most drivers will change their O2 sensors about once in the 10 years of their car's life-span.

 

For MAP/MAF sensors, use ORIGINAL OR OEM equivalent air filters. How well a filter cleans in input air depends on a micron value. The lower the better. Brands llike K&N filters very small particles (low micron) and still keeps a high air-flow rate while some "Alibaba" open ports and filters lets more dirt into the air system and hence shorten the life of your sensor.

 

As I mentioned, it's best to first clean and service the sensor, clear the fault code, test drive for a period and replace only if the fault comes on again. Naturally, if you don't have the time and don't want the inconvenience, just get it replaced according to the CEL indication.

 

VinX

[Jphua]

  On 8/24/2011 at 12:26 PM, WFME said:

Actually, most parts of the car is subjected to wear and tear (especially rubber parts which only have a MTBF or Mean Time Between Failure of 5 yeras). There are, however steps you can take to prevent or reduce the frequency of parts.

 

As far as the O2 goes, people who gets frequent failures (ie, once every 3-4 years) tend to be "Ah Lao"drivers. I'm not putting anyone down here, in fact "Ah Lao" drivers tend to be safe drivers, but as they do not rev their car hard and often enough, carbon tend to build up at sensor resulting in more frequent failures. Also, keeping your engine well maintained (serviced) means better efficiency which means lower emission and thus sensor last longer.

 

For most cars, the MTBF of the sensor is between 2-8 years. Why such a large difference? It all depends if you are a Ah Beng or Ah Lao loh... haa haa...

 

But seriously, most drivers will change their O2 sensors about once in the 10 years of their car's life-span.

 

For MAP/MAF sensors, use ORIGINAL OR OEM equivalent air filters. How well a filter cleans in input air depends on a micron value. The lower the better. Brands llike K&N filters very small particles (low micron) and still keeps a high air-flow rate while some "Alibaba" open ports and filters lets more dirt into the air system and hence shorten the life of your sensor.

 

As I mentioned, it's best to first clean and service the sensor, clear the fault code, test drive for a period and replace only if the fault comes on again. Naturally, if you don't have the time and don't want the inconvenience, just get it replaced according to the CEL indication.

 

VinX

 

hiz bro VinX,

thank u vry much for a detail write up.

hahaha... thinks i'm belongs to the Ah Lao driver, max speed is 120 nia

i guess i will get the O2 sensor change juz for the ease of mind.

i think it expalin why my pressure gauage readings become haywire since O2 sensor taking in weird readings.

thank u very much bro

[WFME]

  On 8/24/2011 at 12:34 PM, Jphua said:

hiz bro VinX,

thank u vry much for a detail write up.

hahaha... thinks i'm belongs to the Ah Lao driver, max speed is 120 nia

i guess i will get the O2 sensor change juz for the ease of mind.

i think it expalin why my pressure gauage readings become haywire since O2 sensor taking in weird readings.

thank u very much bro

 

Logic is pretty simple, assuming that it is not the meter or other parts that are faulty, the ECU actually uses the value of the O2 sensor and the MAP/MAF to calculate and control how much air to "suck". So if the reading is erratic, so will the output (meter).

 

That is also why for most digital meters such as the SCAN GUAGE II, they take the MAP/MAF intake air reading and NOT the meter reading as the meter reading can be controlled and is not a real value if you have a piggy-back system.

 

Cheers,

VinX

[Kianbeng]

  On 7/27/2011 at 3:47 AM, Satria_neo said:

Yes, there are of course. Plenty of aftermarket ones around.

 

where to get them? universal O2 sensors I know. But I never came across universal Cats

[WFME]

  On 8/25/2011 at 4:15 AM, Kianbeng said:

where to get them? universal O2 sensors I know. But I never came across universal Cats

 

Actually, most O2 sensors in the world is OEM by a few companies such as Bosch (it's like Samsung OEM most of the LCD screens in the world). The trickly part is finding out which one to order. Even if you managed to find out (good luck if you are using google cos most info is based on US or UK specs), the other fellow really deliver instead of swallowing your money, you may still run into issues if the part is faulty.

 

Cats wise, they actually share the same parts inside the converter ("waste dilution for exhaust gasses for tree huggers") but they are more often exclusive to not only the make but also model of the car.

[Kianbeng]

actually I remember bosch has a part finder function that allows you to find out which O2 sensor will fit. I also believe there's a few types only, ie 2 wire or 4 wires. The length of the cable also matters and this is why some models have different part number. Universal sensors probably have a longer cable I guess. Even my downstream O2 sensor, I used my upstream one but I just tied up the extra length.

 

But is there universal cats sold outside? If so, possibly what could be done is for the exhaust shops to open up the old cats, throw away all those broken bits and then fit in the new cat. But I've never seen this before.

[Seehion]

Just for someone who is interested:

 

I just got my O2 sensor replaced (Suzuki Liana 1.3cc manual) which cost me $330 at Jurong port road. I think it should be cheaper than Champion Motor - Consultation $75 + O2 sensor $265 + May be labour charge, sorry never repair by Champion company except the free services.

 

Before going to the Jurong port road work shop, I have checked with some other service and repair shops (in SG and Johore) not many shop will have the specific computer to verify the correct and specific fault. Some recommend to reset and clear the error code, CEL light still light up after reset. Some computer don't have explanation of the error code and no specific part to be replaced.

 

As WFME senior has written I agreed 110%. My CEL light appeared after 4 years and I can still drive with no problem for another year since I cannot find a right shop to repair ( except Champion). I realised my engine is smoother and FC is better, so get it change to enjoy better combustion of your engine.

 

I have checked with other motor spare part shop.

 

The price of the Oxygen sensor around $210 for the engine and $185 for the exhaust (since my car have two). You may buy it and replaced by mechanic that you know.

 

Hope it help!

[attitude777]

I was quote $550 for Oxygen sensor replacement once by a shop. 

 

And that black shop has so many good reviews?

 

Knife very sharp?

Edited December 30, 2016 by attitude777