LT1 Based Engine Tech 1993-1997 LT1/LT4 Engine Related

How to tell if O2 censors are bad

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Old 04-10-2007, 11:58 AM
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How to tell if O2 censors are bad

Well I will be performing the tedious task of changing the plugs on Friday and I'm wondering if I should go ahead and change the O2 censors as well?

I was hopin there was a way to check and see if they are in fact "bad"...my plugs have a huge gap in them and are pretty carboned up...

The car has 112,000 miles on it with a rebuilt supposively done 15k miles ago.

My gas mileage is right around 200. Sometimes 150 with nothing but city driving (driving to school...about 2 miles and coming home, so lots of starts)...and I just got about 260 on a tank on a highway trip.

How much do O2 censors usually go for and are there any good brands to get?

Thanks!
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Old 04-10-2007, 12:06 PM
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Do not get Bosch. I have a link for the cheaper ones that I found online, but just make sure you get the right ones with the flat connector.

You would need a scanner to read the O2's. Take it to any shop and hook it up to a Tech 2.
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Old 04-10-2007, 12:22 PM
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theres a guy in the for sale section selling brand new ac delcos for 50 shipped. its a great deal. i just bought a set yesterday off him
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Old 04-10-2007, 01:13 PM
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With that amount of mileage, I'm sure a fresh set of 02s could be of benefit. I would only use the Delcos, that is what seems to be working the best for people.
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Old 04-10-2007, 02:57 PM
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A few years ago I read a car mag article about O2 sensor life. The writers claimed that 60k is about the time they begin to deteriorate beyond what an enthusiast would want for a performance vehicle. Of course I interpret 60k was a rough estimate since there are many variables that could adversely affect their useful life.
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Old 04-10-2007, 03:02 PM
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You can also unplug them and the car will run in open loop. But with the amount of miles you have on them I would just replace them.
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Old 04-10-2007, 09:04 PM
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Ac Delco are $50 shipped. I would never use any other brand. They are all over the place on different sites including Ebay.
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Old 04-10-2007, 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Hot94Z28
You can also unplug them and the car will run in open loop. But with the amount of miles you have on them I would just replace them.
Unplugging the O2 sensors on a modified car pretty much guarantees the car's going to run sub-optimum. Here's a good read on open loop/closed loop on Injuneer's website: http://members.aol.com/InjuneerZZ/Sc....htm#step%2017
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