Oxygen Sensor Solutions

By: Matthew C. Keegan

Virtually every car produced since the early 1980s contains a
sensor that regulates oxygen flow to your engine. The oxygen
sensor works by sending information to your vehicle's engine
management system to help your car fun efficiently as well as to
reduce noxious emissions. When an oxygen sensor fails your
vehicle will run less effectively and devour more fuel. Thus,
when oxygen sensor failure has been determined the sensor must
then be replaced, a costly proposition if you rely on a garage
to do the work for you. However, replacing an oxygen sensor is a
task that you can do yourself, thereby saving you precious time
and money. Let's take a closer look at just what an oxygen
sensor does and the steps you can take to do the work yourself.

As a backgrounder, your oxygen sensor works like this: placed
inside of your exhaust pipe, the oxygen sensor detects the ratio
of air and gasoline your engine is fed. If the mixture is too
rich or too lean than the oxygen sensor adjusts the amount of
fuel entering your engine accordingly. The wrong mix of gasoline
and oxygen can increase pollutants that exit your vehicle --
thereby harming the environment -- as well as potentially
causing your catalytic converter to fail or even damage your
engine. So, a properly working oxygen sensor is a must for any
vehicle.

There are some clear signs that your oxygen sensor is no longer
functioning. They can include:

--A rotten egg odor emitting from the exhaust.

--A reduction in fuel economy.

--Your catalytic converter fails unexpectedly.

--Exhaust emissions reach undesirable levels.

--Your engine surges or hesitates.

You can diagnose the problem yourself if you have access to the
right tools including a digital voltmeter, an oxygen sensor
socket, and a propane enrichment device. These specific tools,
along with a proper Haynes or Chilton manual by your side,
should be all that you need to determine if the oxygen sensor is
no longer working. If it has failed, than consider ordering your
replacement part online through a reliable wholesaler such as
the Oxygen Sense shop to obtain a high quality OEM part at
discounted prices. Once your part has arrived than all you will
need is one or two automotive wrenches to accomplish the job.
Again, reference your car's manual for exact instructions.

With the abundance of sensors and technical gadgetry on today's
vehicles it can seem fairly intimidating to do the work
yourself. Fortunately, an oxygen sensor is one of the easier
parts to replace, so if you do the work yourself you will save
time and money as well as gain an important sense of
achievement. Go ahead you weekend mechanic, you can do it!

About the author:
Copyright 2005 -- Matt Keegan is a automotive fan and a writer
for Oxygen Sense site,
a leading retailer of BMW oxygen
sensors. Please click here
for information on how to replace an oxygen sensor.