Which oxygen sensor do i need

This is actually the case with most check engine codes. Occasionally, a sensor can fail outright, often by being poisoned by leaded gasoline not very common nowadays , or atmospheric chemicals.

Sensors have four fragile wires leading up to them, two for the signal to the computer, and two for a small heating element that helps them get up to their operating temperature more rapidly on a cold startup.

Wires that are broken, melted against the hot exhaust pipes, or corroded, will give erratic or missing readings. Any of these can cause one or more cylinders to misfire. The danger is that the extra fuel injected to compensate eventually winds up being burned in the catalytic converter. This is rapidly damaging. The computer can become confused about the readings. I hope the article above provides you with basic information about the O2 Sensors.

Have you changed an O2 sensor? What did you do about it? What do you think is the most important part of the process? Please feel free to comment below and join the conversation! Auto Saving Center. Mileage Log Subscription.

Total Saving. Shipping Calculated at next step. How many O2 sensors does my vehicle have? Bad Gas Mileage Are you filling up your gasoline tank more often than usual? Previous Next. Interestingly, divers also use a very similar apparatus to measure the pressure of oxygen in their breathing gas. Most newer vehicles have two sensors, one on the exhaust pipe, close to the engine and another close to the muffler and catalytic converter. The O2 sensors in your car monitor the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system to confirm that the vehicle is running efficiently and that the catalytic converter is functioning properly.

The reading is turned into an electrical signal which is dispatched to the engine control computer. The computer adjusts the vehicle fuel metering and timing to maintain an optimum mixture. This refers to when a car is either idling or just cruising at a certain speed and performance is not the primary goal e. The sensors in older vehicles had a much shorter lifespan than modern cars. If your car was built before , your sensors may last about 90, kms.

It is located within the emissions control system. When functioning, the O2 sensor sends data to the management computer located within the engine. In your car, a functioning O2 sensor ensures that your engine is running at top performance.

Additionally, this sensor keeps your emissions in check and alerts you to when emissions are too excessive. For states that have vehicle inspection programs to regulate emissions, the use of the CEL and O2 light will alert officials to any excessive emissions. As a result, if one or more of your oxygen sensors is faulty during an emissions inspection for your car, you will most likely not pass the inspection. The actual number of oxygen sensors for a car depends on the year, make, model and engine.

However, most of the later model vehicles have four oxygen sensors. Note the following specific vehicles that have four oxygen sensors:. When a gasoline-powered engine burns gasoline there is oxygen present. Oxygen in an engine is the result of a number of factors including the air temperature, altitude, engine temperature, load on the engine, and barometric pressure.