Fixing Car’s Oxygen Sensor Your Self
Fixing Car’s Oxygen Sensor Your Self
One of the main reasons that make the cars “check Engine” indicator to be on could be a malfunction of the oxygen sensor. This is a little device that is not familiar to most of the drivers however most of the time a slight problem in this is what causes the “check Engine” indicator to turn on. Previously what caused that indicator to turn on was a loose gas cup however the oxygen sensor is the most common failure now because the modern cars come with cap less gas tanks
However you don’t have to fret since the replacement of the oxygen sensor is not very difficult which you can to yourself at home thereby saving extra expenditure. Also by replacing the oxygen sensor you can save money by increasing the fuel efficiency as well.
The first thing to do when the check engine light comes on is to gather the knowledge about what is wrong. To do this you can plug in theCarMD and read the error code. For an example an error code of P0135 meant the oxygen sensor is malfunctioning in the Bank 1. Even though with this fault the car will run just fine however your fuel consumption can suffer up to 40%.
Looking at a brief history of the Oxygen Sensor it was first developed in 1980s as an essential part for the cars emission control system. The whole device of the sensor is in similar to the shape and size of a regular spark plug. The task of this sensor is to adjust the amount of fuel released into the engine to maximize the fuel efficiency.
The modern oxygen sensors are able to last up to 100,000 miles, however practically flats occur much sooner.
When the check engine indicator light turns on for the first time if you are still under the warranty period the best option is to head straight for the companies factory. However if you are past the warranty time you can save a considerable amount of cash by doing the replacement yourself.
There can be from 2 to 6 oxygen sensors in a modern engine. The sensors are held onto its place by screwing them up. However when you are trying to remove it yourself some problems may occur such as, the oxygen sensors being hard to reach, since they are exposed to constant heat they might be hard to unscrew as well.
Before trying to unscrew the sensor the car owner should first take a look around, there might be loosened wires that connect the oxygen sensor, or the wires might be burnet. If you cannot detect any fault like this it is probably due to a fault in the oxygen sensor.
However if the oxygen sensor is very hard to reach and hard to unscrew, it is worth the expense to get the car to your mechanic and get it fixed. Because not having to see that check engine light shining in your face is a relief.
