o2 sensor

[mcdonald58]

what can a bad o2 sensor do to an engine. i think mine has been going bad and my check engine light has been on and off now it has stayed on for a couple of days. what damage can this cause? do i need to get it fixed asap or can i wait a month or so.

 

[ob269]

It just messes w the fuel ratio.. but that can probably cause some adverse side effects..

 

[mcdonald58]

so could a bad o2 sensor cause bad mpg?

 

[greenmachine2000]

yes i had a bad one before, it does throw fuel off a little not severly. there easy to fix if you know what your doing.

 

[maranger]

to replace it, disconnect the sensor then start the truck n let it idle for five min, then unscrew the sensor (be carefull it will b hot), then put the new one in and let the engine cool then plug in the wires

 

[mcdonald58]

alright thanks im not sure which o2 sensor it is though. hopefully i will learn how to fix them in my auto tech class in the fall.

 

[maranger]

u can usually borrow a code reader from ur local parts dealer, (ADVANCED AUTO PARTS, AUTO ZONE, O'RILEYS etc..

 

[rwenzing]

what can a bad o2 sensor do to an engine. i think mine has been going bad and my check engine light has been on and off now it has stayed on for a couple of days. what damage can this cause? do i need to get it fixed asap or can i wait a month or so.

A CEL can come on for any of hundreds of different reasons. It would be a good idea to get the actual trouble code before condemning a particular sensor or any other component.

 

[mcdonald58]

i did and got p1131 which i found to be lack of Upstream Heated Oxygen Sensor Switch - Sensor Indicates Lean - Bank No. 1. thats how i found out it was an o2 sensor.

 

[rwenzing]

OK, that piece of information would have been helpful in the first post.

A P1131 might mean that the oxygen sensor is bad. On the other hand, it may simply be that the sensor is reporting a real lean condition that is caused by something else.

Oxygen sensor codes like this are not always easy to diagnose. Ford lists 22 possible causes, only 1 of which is a bad O2 sensor.

 

[maranger]

mcdonald how many miles u gat?

 

[mcdonald58]

i havent clocked it in a while but i got 12 mpg last time i did.

 

[maranger]

how many miles are on the truck?

 

[mcdonald58]

44,300 it wasnt taken care of though. i found the original spark plugs on it. i think basically the only maintenance done was oil changes.

 

[Diabolical Ranger]

44k is nothing, mine had 160k before plugs and wires were changed out

 

[mcdonald58]

true but when i took mine off they look terrible. they showed their age greatly.

 

[mcdonald58]

are there multiple o2 sensor on my truck or just one?

 

[rwenzing]

are there multiple o2 sensor on my truck or just one?

Rangers have 1, 2, 3 or 4.

Your 97 2.3 has 2 oxygen sensors. P1131 is for the sensor that is upstream of all cats.

 

[mcdonald58]

alright thanks man so where is the sensor located. sorry for not knowing much but im not that mechanically inclined but i will be learning this fall.

 

[rwenzing]

Look near the outlet of the exhaust manifold or nearby in the exhaust pipe connected to the exhaust manifold. There will be a 4-wire sensor screwed into one or the other.