Hey all, got a bad heater circuit in secondary o2 (thx for the code pull advice) on 98 with 169K so don't think I'm warranty worthy, checked at Advance, 80 bucks for the universal, 160 for the made-for. Anybody ever replace one o these, themselves? Is it a bitch or just a plug and a cupla bolts? I'm just sick of my mechanic's face. Or should i just buy a pipe now that I just passed inspection with the new fwiggin cat I had to get put in this summer?
If someone could give me a step or two of what it takes to change it, I'd really appreicate.

 

make your own...

http://mkiv.com/techarticles/oxygen_sensor_simulator/

or buy a simulator and never have to worry about replacing the O2 sensor again...

http://www.tornactive.com/pd_casper.cfm

 

Thankstons, Smitty, much obliged.
Doing my homework...

 

if u want to replace it its just like a spark plug. but its usually hard as hell to get off. unless u do it while the car is hot... but then u could get burned. so be careful...

 

Yeh, I looked at the sim option (thanx again, smitty), seems easy enuff (tuffer time finding my soldering iron...) but that seems like an option more geared for someone who removed the 2ndry o2 cuz they didn'y need it in the first place (i.e. someone with a pipe), and just wanted to get rid of the annoying orange light. I'm not by any means an expert, but I gotta assume whatever role that secondary o2 plays (monitering gasses, telling ecu, moderating lean/rich, whatever) it's there to do a job with the stock cat (I actually have an aftermarket cat, but it's just a stock replace -- that just makes it more vulnerable to trouble). I think I'd rather go with just a replace rather than saving 60 bucks and risk frying the ecu (my luck) or whatever else might go wrong without it there to do what it's supposed to do. And especially if there's no weld and it's just a spark plug-like twist, I wouldn't mind replacing it myself. Oh BTW, is there any overt reason that the universal one (Bosch) is like half as expensive as the made-for (Bosch)? Thanks a lot for for the advice, Wil -- if you wanna add any more details, I'm all ears.

 

well try the cold way first.... raise the car, unplug the sensor. spray some wd40 on the sensor. wait 10 min. get a boxed end wrench, dunno the exact size. prolly 15, 16, 17, or 18mm... do not use the open end u will strip it out and it will be 4x harder to remove. put the boxed end over the sensor and pull hard as hell counter clockwise. reinstall the other one then do ur soldering. there is a special tool made for o2 sensors it is a deep well socket with a slit down one side(so u can put the wire in it.) they sell them at autozone or whatever (10$) that almost always works. if u got any more q's hit me up.

 

Ur the f'n man, Wil. Good taste, too (black on black, here too -- so sweet when it's clean...). Big thanks for the extra details, I'll letcha know how-goes.

 

It's probably too late now but I'm pretty sure that is a recall on the acura cl. It was on my 97' 2.2. Check with your local acura dealer.

 

Yeah (thanks again, 97clguy), and I saw in another thread where a guy was covered with his '97. The dealers (in Jersey at least) aren't feeling my '98. I picked one up yesterday,A-zone like 80$, just waiting for the rain to stop 'fore dropping it in via wil's advice.
Thanks guys.

 

make sure u get a o2 sensor socket, it has a slot on one side for the wire and it costs like 10$.. oh yea it is a 7/8" socket. almost universal. i think bmw is the only ones who have a different size.

 

All went smooth as hell, ran it to the store for wd40, so it was a little warm, twisted off a lot easier than I expected. The universal 02 instructions were pretty good, tied in the connection so it sits right on the pan between those two grommet/clips, no probs, tuffest thing was jigglin that grey connector loose, took 'bout a minute; got rid of the light with the batt detach, cars runnin' great
Thanks all, again.