i am thinkin about replacin all 3 of my o2 sensors....i have checked oxygensensors.com and i am thinkni bout picking up the Walker OEM sensors.....i believe they do come with the sensor and the harness too....

my question is how hard is it to all of them....is it just plug and play...and since it comes withthe wires too does that mean i wont be using any of the original wires that are connected to the current o2 sensors?

 

ythey are easy its just a connecter and they screw into the pipe. if they are rusted spary some wd40 on them whiel hot

 

No need to replace them, really, unless the voltage readings you are getting from them are out-of-range. You can see the voltage readings from an OBD-II scanner, so you would know if any of them need replacing.

 

Easy to do. If you get the OEM connector sensors, its just a matter of unscrew old sensor, disconnect, replace with new sensor and reconnect. Spray the old ones down with some PB Blaster or some other penetrant (WD-40 is not a penetrant) and let them soak for a 10 mins - they will come off fairly easily. Rent a O2 sensor socket set from Autozone.

 

I just replaced all of my o2 sensor the other day.

The rear heated one is simple and so is the middle one. The only one that is hard to reach is the front one on the ypipe. I had to take off the 6 bolts holding the ypipe to the headers to take off the front o2 sensor. Once the ypipe was off, it was real simple. Plug n play.

Good luck. pm me if you have any questions.
-Paul

 

TheMax - you must have not found the right angle to tackle the front o2 sensor - you definitely don't have to take off the y-pipe (not doubt that it would be a lot easier with the pipe off) to get to the o2 sensor... it is a wierd angle, but definitely possible to get both front o2 sensors replaced without removing the y-pipe.

 

easy easy easy. About as difficuly as changing oil..or putting gas in your car.

 

You don't have to take any bolts off the ypipe to get the front o2 sensor off. If you have the same o2 sensor socket I have you only need a universal socket. Get yourself some liquid wrench or pb blaster to make it easier. The walker OEM replacement has everything you need including zip ties and anti-seize. I got an ecu code for the o2 sensor thats the closest to front of the car and it took me about 15-30 mins to replace it.

 

Good luck w/ it. It is very easy if you have an aftermarket Y. It is only a bit harder if you have a stock Y. BTW, a special socket is not needed. A cresent wrench will work perfectly. A regular wrench will work perfectly as well. 19mm I believe for the fronts. 17mm I think for the rear.

 

how would u know if u need to change O2 sensors?

what are the symptoms and do u have to change them after certain mileage?

 

SES/CEL light

the only thing that changed was my weekly gas mileage which went up from 14 mpg to 24mpg. So, I'd say bad gas mileage is a symptom.

To my knowlege, no. There are ways to check if the o2 sensor is working properly I believe it's talked about in the haynes manual and/or FSM. You can download the FSM from 2 differnt sites they should be on recent threads on here (within the last 2 days).

 

hmm. i don't have the CEL on for O2 sensors, but i do have horrible gas mileage (20mpg or so mostly highway).

What is the FSM and the FSM site u talkin bout???

 

dood, that's the biggest hint I can give. Soak, then remove. I used open ended wrenches to remove, and O2 socket to install. Routing the wires were fun... kinda cramped in the engine bay, esp the front right bank.

Jae

 

An OBD-II diagnostic tool is required to judge the condition of the o2's. Looking at the values of the sensors will tell you if they are dead. Obviously if it doesn't read at all it is totally shot. If it is slow to change readings then it is probably bad. The A/F values should be nearly instantaneous. Without a reader I have no idea besides the CEL and that is only thrown once its really bad.

 

I posted in another thread on how to use your ECU's level 2 diagnostic to check the condition of your front left and right bank sensors. It's something like 12 corrections every 10 sec.
Jae

 

I talked with one of the automotive instructors where I work. O2 sensors have a maximum live of about 80k miles. The response time gets slower with age. Other condition can cause O2 to fail early, primarily leaded gas, cleaners that are not sensor safe, contaminated gas, sugar...

Shortly after, I changed mine at 110k. My gas milage went from 19 to about 22. Took a few tanks. I figure 25 tanks (weeks) to break even.

 

I had mine till I changed them recently. 145k on stock o2 sensors. I changed to Walker sensors from the group buy. I didn't see any changes. the response time is the same.
Jae

 

How the heck do you get these things out?!?! I'm trying to replace the rear O2 sensor (near the muffler) and it is frozen/fused to the exhaust pipe. I've soaked it twice with PB penetrator and let it sit for 24 hours each time. I've run the car and got it hot, I've banged on it with hammer and chisel and still I cannot get it to budge. I'm using the rental socket set from AutoZone (which is perfect), but I cannot get it to move. All I've done is manage to break one of the ears off the front hanger of the exhaust system (it now is only attached on one side) because I'm flexing the exhaust system so much trying to loosen this sensor. You guys make it sound easy but this thing will not come out? Any other tricks? After 150K miles this thing is now one with the exhaust pipe. I'm afraid if I crank on it any more I'll break one of the remaining hangers for exhaust sytem and then I'll really be screwed.

 

150K on a 97? Thats why. Use a torch on it. If you don't have one bring it to a local exhaust shop and they will probably be able to get out the old one without destroying the threads in the cat. It worked for me. But first I had to show them how to unplug the harness. They really are "exhaust shops."

 

Good to know. I've already got the harness out and unplugged. I may have to resort to carefully drilling it out. I just don't want to damage the threads in the pipe.

 

Torching will be much safer, easier and faster than drilling.