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Car Forum / Ford / Ford Cars / November 2006oxygen sensor
i need to change the oxygen sensor in a 97 ford expedition, is it a diffucult job or should i let a garage do it > i need to change the oxygen sensor in a 97 ford expedition, is it a > diffucult job or should i let a garage do it 1. Which one? 2. What has prompted you to change an O2 sensor? i think they said bank1,and its because my check engine light came on >i think they said bank1,and its because my check engine light came on Are you sure you are not just shooting the messenger instead of attacking the problem?? The sensor is supposed to give error messages when things are out of kilter. What is the exact code that was stored? If the sensor is accusing something in the system of being out of range, the first thing you do is consider what may cause that and address that problem. O2 sensors these days are expensive enough to almost cove a diagnostic fee to be sure you are repairing/replacing the correct parts. Lugnut i dont know what the code was i brought the truck to a garage and they said it was the oxygen sensor.what else could it be >i dont know what the code was i brought the truck to a garage and they >said it was the oxygen sensor.what else could it be There are many things that can result in an out of range O2 sensor reading. A qualified techwith a good scanner can check other calues in the system that may indicate a problem other than the sensor. As I said, the sensor is just the messenger in most cases. Many less than qualified techs get a bad reading on a sensor and immediately replace the sensor just to find out the sensor was telling the truth. That is why the exact code and an understanding of what may cause that code to be set is important. You may need to ask the a few questions to learn why they condemned the sensor. The sensor may be the problem - I just want to point out that several other things can result in a bad sensor reading. Lugnut > There are many things that can result in an out of range O2 > sensor reading. A qualified techwith a good scanner can [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Lugnut I wonder how many good O2 sensors have been replaced because of a vacuum leak. >> There are many things that can result in an out of range O2 >> sensor reading. A qualified techwith a good scanner can [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >I wonder how many good O2 sensors have been replaced because of a >vacuum leak. Enough to retire both of us very nicely Lugnut No, no, no..... Here's how it is "supposed" to work.... We go to whatever auto parts store that offers free "code scans" (free code scans are, too often, a lot like having sex without a partner)... The young fellow running the scanner (he took his McDonalds uniform back at the beginning of the week - now he has a regular job, he doesn't need it, any more) reads the screen.... Thankfully, the name of a component scrolls across the screen - at least it's not one of those pesky codes that requires thought.... It said <mumble mumble> oxygen sensor <mumble mumble>.... That'll be $120, please. Of course that will rarely cure the problem and we can soon run out of money trying some of our"experts" other suggestions (he must be an expert.... only an expert can afford to do this for free)..... just like the guy on the radio show.... So, this guy finally drops all of his hard earned on "dime store diagnostics" and, now he needs to come to me..... But, I'm an a.shole and a thief because I need to get paid... the tool monger is after my tool payment, the kid needs shoes and the wife....for some strange reason she tells me she can't make supper if there's nothing in the fridge.... Anyway, this guy dropped his whole wad on "maybe it's...." and now he has no money to pay me.... 500 or a 1000 bucks worth of parts didn't fix it, so now I should be able to do it for the price of a case of beer since there's all these new parts in there.... I can come up with several conclusions but the one that sticks out the most (near like wedding prick).... free - ain't. DTCs can be either a symptom or a cause.... more often than not, a symptom..... If it was that easy, I'd be unemployed.... >>> There are many things that can result in an out of range O2 >>> sensor reading. A qualified techwith a good scanner can [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Lugnut > No, no, no..... <snip> > So, this guy finally drops all of his hard earned on "dime store > diagnostics" and, now he needs to come to me..... But, I'm an a.shole and a [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > I can come up with several conclusions but the one that sticks out the most > (near like wedding prick).... free - ain't. Yeah, between the dime store diagnosis and the professional rates, whatever time and money I invest in tools and knowledge maintaining my "fleet" is time and money well spent in my book. Nothing against the pros of course, just so happens I like working on them. Helps me deal with the service writers too when I do have to go to the dealer, in the past couple years I've been able to politely suggest the diagnosis up front. Now for an O2 sensor code I'd try and figure out why its running rich or lean first. >No, no, no..... > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >DTCs can be either a symptom or a cause.... more often than not, a >symptom..... If it was that easy, I'd be unemployed.... And you would be one of the qualified techs I mentioned to the OP a couple of post back. The cost of parts and the complexity of the systems is such now that much money could be saved by utilizing those services. Shooting the messenger is not the way to get the job done and the hassle factor could be greatly reduced. Lugnut >>>> There are many things that can result in an out of range O2 >>>> sensor reading. A qualified techwith a good scanner can [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >> >> Lugnut > No, no, no..... > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > so now I should be able to do it for the price of a case of beer since > there's all these new parts in there.... Not only that but on top of the original problem there is often at least one other problem created by junk parts or improper installation making diagnosis even more difficult. Bob >> No, no, no..... >> [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] >diagnosis even more difficult. > Bob Hear Hear!!!. Nothing like "experienced parts" when troubleshooting. replacing parts that cannot be proven defective is a good way to end up chasing your tail. Even replacing those you CAN prove defective is sometimes troublesome. I have a 1994 Trans Sport 3.8 which I bought with a toasted engine 4 years ago. I put a new rebuilt engine in, with a new Bosch O2 Sensor. On the first long trip (to Florida from Ontario) the engine misfired occaisionally and eventually turned on the check engine light and threw a code (can't remember the number) indicating it was running lean. I figured it was a bad O2 sensor, but was unable to prove it 100%, so I put in a new one (under warranty). That summer I attempted to tow my 17 foot trailer, and could not go 30km without having it act up. I checked EVERYTHING - neglecting te now twice replaced O2 sensor. I finally gave up and sold the trailer after not using it for 2 summers. Then last winter it started doing the stutter/cut out thing again - and putting the CEL on while driving to work. I put the OBD tester on, with it monitoring O2 sensor voltages and when it started acting up, I found the voltage stuck at 0.44 volts. That is neither rich, nor lean - and the code (when it finally showed)said engine lean.The sensor was going open circuit, and we were reading the ECU supplied bias. I put in a new AC Delco O2 sensor and have not had the problem in the last 11 months. This is not an isolated incident. There are an AWFULL lot of defective, dead in the box, parts being sold today - and if you install one while troubleshooting it WILL ruin your day!!!.  SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
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