Question: An O2 Sensor went out..

[air1jpg]

My check engine light came on the other day. I connected my scanner and found that the O2 sensor went out, the code was P0141 (O2 sensor heater circut sensor 2 on bank 1). How hard is it on the car if I occasionally drove it these last 3 or 4 weeks before winter storage?

 

[Schrade]

It will keep fuel trim MAX'ed. Keep the hammer ON THE FLOOR, and carbon/unburned fuel fouling in the exhaust and EGR (intake, TB, plenum, associated 'plumbing'), will be kept to a minimum, as will fouling of the cats.

Drive normal, with fuel trim maxed, and those things WILL get some fouling, and you'll be storing it with the BLM trim out of spec...

How many miles? 120k+? Stop driving now...

 

[9340Ruby]

It is not a hard job if you want to change it. You can actually rent the sockets from Auto Zone and they will give you your money back after you return the set. I changed both of mine. A little patience is needed but it is not hard. I believe I paid $20.00 per O2 sensor. Hope this helps.

 

[air1jpg]

It will keep fuel trim MAX'ed. Keep the hammer ON THE FLOOR, and carbon/unburned fuel fouling in the exhaust and EGR (intake, TB, plenum, associated 'plumbing'), will be kept to a minimum, as will fouling of the cats.

Drive normal, with fuel trim maxed, and those things WILL get some fouling, and you'll be storing it with the BLM trim out of spec...

How many miles? 120k+? Stop driving now...

Thank you for the heads up.. My vette just turned 70k.. Could this situation have been caused by Lucas fuel treatment? I added a bottle of it to the gas tank last week, or is that just a coincidence.

 

[air1jpg]

It is not a hard job if you want to change it. You can actually rent the sockets from Auto Zone and they will give you your money back after you return the set. I changed both of mine. A little patience is needed but it is not hard. I believe I paid $20.00 per O2 sensor. Hope this helps.

Thank you, there are four sensors.. Did you change out the lower sensors mounted after the pre-cats or the upper sensors closer to the exhaust manafolds? Did you have to jack the car up? I don't think I have a good enough jack to get under the car. :ugh

 

[Schrade]

Not likely due to the Lucas, although a local tranny tech says Lucas tranny fluid is 'iffy'.

You can get enough room with the front end on ramps, and it will be snug. I used rear ramps in addition to fronts, and had plenty of room. Gettin' the rear up one wheel at a time was a pain. Use care to apply e-brake, and keep at least one wheel blocked, til you're up.

Here's your neighborhood:

This O2 connector (post cat, passenger) is a BEAR.

After confirming failed O2, I cut the connector. If it had tested good, it would have been a problem, because it HAS TO come off before the cat drops.

Post cat harness connector on the back of the bellhousing (painful):

And pre-cat connector (easy) on the starter/KS/CTS harness.

 

[air1jpg]

Schrade,

Thank you for the pics. From what I see, this is probably more than I can handle in my driveway.. Do you remember which sensor is sensor 2 on bank 1 ?

 

[Schrade]

Schrade,

Thank you for the pics. From what I see, this is probably more than I can handle in my driveway.. Do you remember which sensor is sensor 2 on bank 1 ?

You don't need any special tools. You do need patience, and you'll get to know your machine well. I had the ex manifold and starter off just to get familiar with stuff, and get it clean. You don't have to pull them.

I do not know which sensor is #1, and which is #2. That's OBDII final version, and '94 was the in-between OBDI and II... 3 sensors, and no distinction for the 2 on pass. side. Your local Chevy dealers will probably have FSM to borrow.

 

[T.M.808]

Took me about 10 minutes to change 4 of them on my c5. Took about 30 minutes to jack up the car..lol Has a 3 inch drop.lol Could possibly have your cats catch on fire from running pig rich

 

[gmjunkie]

Do you remember which sensor is sensor 2 on bank 1 ?

Bank 1 : Drivers Side!
Bank 2 : Passenger Side

Sensor 1 : Front
Sensor 2 : Rear

No Special Tools Required!

 

[92BlackVette]

I have replaced this sensor on a 92 before and the hardest part is reconnecting the harness together.

 

[JAKE]

My check engine light came on the other day. I connected my scanner and found that the O2 sensor went out, the code was P0141 (O2 sensor heater circut sensor 2 on bank 1). How hard is it on the car if I occasionally drove it these last 3 or 4 weeks before winter storage?

Sensors #2 on either bank aren't heated, are they?? Isn't it just the #1 sensors on Banks 1 and 2 that are heated?

Jake

West Point ROCKS! Nation's TOP COLLEGE per Forbes Magazine!

 

[Hib Halverson]

All four sensors on that engine are heated. In fact, other than the harnesses, all four sensors are the same.

That DTC does not mean the Oxygen sensor failed.

It means there's a fault in the heater circuit. It could be the sensor's heater has failed and the sensor must be replaced. It also could be that there is a problem in the sensor heater circuitry outside of the sensor and the sensor, itself, is ok.

Use the information in the factory service manual to differentiate between the two possible problems and solve the code.

 

[garycr14]

You don't need any special tools. You do need patience, and you'll get to know your machine well. I had the ex manifold and starter off just to get familiar with stuff, and get it clean. You don't have to pull them.

I replaced my front sensor on the right side. You need to drop the starter, no big deal. You should get the socket that is sold at any parts store for about $15, it will save you a ton of head ache. The most difficult part of the whole job is getting the car up, I use ramps, and also the attached wires need to be straight up, or they twist, and work against trying to thread the sensor into the exhaust pipe.