As a backgrounder, your oxygen sensor works like this: placed inside of your exhaust pipe, the oxygen sensor detects the ratio of air and gasoline your engine is fed. If the mixture is too rich or too lean than the oxygen sensor adjusts the amount of fuel entering your engine accordingly. The wrong mix of gasoline and oxygen can increase pollutants that exit your vehicle – thereby harming the environment — as well as potentially causing your catalytic converter to fail or even damage your engine. So, a properly working oxygen sensor is a must for any vehicle.
There are some clear signs that your oxygen sensor is no longer functioning. They can include:
–A rotten egg odor emitting from the exhaust.
–A reduction in fuel economy.
–Your catalytic converter fails unexpectedly.
–Exhaust emissions reach undesirable levels.
–Your engine surges or hesitates.
You can diagnose the problem yourself if you have access to the right tools including a digital voltmeter, an oxygen sensor socket, and a propane enrichment device. These specific tools, along with a proper Haynes or Chilton manual by your side, should be all that you need to determine if the oxygen sensor is no longer working. If it has failed, than consider ordering your replacement part online through a reliable wholesaler such as the Oxygen Sense shop to obtain a high quality OEM part at discounted prices. Once your part has arrived than all you will need is one or two automotive wrenches to accomplish the job. Again, reference your car’s manual for exact instructions.
With the abundance of sensors and technical gadgetry on today’s vehicles it can seem fairly intimidating to do the work yourself. Fortunately, an oxygen sensor is one of the easier parts to replace, so if you do the work yourself you will save time and money as well as gain an important sense of achievement. Go ahead you weekend mechanic, you can do it!