Hey everyone. Just wanted to know what the long term effects of driving with a busted O2 sensor are? I am guessing that the ecu compensates for the busted sensor but not sure how. My guess is that the performance of the car is not maximized but the question is more whether I am doing any long term damage to any part of the car.

I recently had my O2 sensor die (due to my OBX headers) and the dealership wants like 300 to fix, but changing the header (I assume putting it back to stock). Anyway, I am trying to weigh my options so in the meantime I am driving with a busted o2 sensor for an undetermined amount of time. Not driving it hard but want to make sure no longterm damage is taking place.

Thanks

 

I thought the car would die almost every time you come to a stop with a bad O2 sensor.

 

An oxygen sensor "reads" the amount of oxygen in your exhaust and sends a signal to your fuel injectors to compensate for how much fuel the engine needs to maintain the proper air/fuel ratio. So a bad oxygen sensor:

- Wastes fuel
-Causes engine performance problems like surging and hesitating
-Serves as a catalyst to premature failure of the catalytic converter


Josh
Excelerate LLC

 

Thanks Josh, thats what I was guessing. With fuel being so expensive I shouldn't sit on this too long.

Now I just have to figure whether to go back to stock (that would suck!), stick a new O2 sensor and hope it lasts (the original was good for 20k after the OBX were installed), buy used CT headers (I like this idea best but its the most expensive, short-term alternative), or have the bung moved on the OBX headers. aaahhhhh...decisions, decisions, decisions!

 

nah. I've had a bad O2 for about two weeks now and the car has not stalled. to tell the truth I haven't felt any effects from this...but I haven't been driving it hard either since its winter.

 

Mine went bad about 2 months ago.

I wasted a lot of gas but the power surges @ WOT made it feel like another, more powerful car.

Man, I miss my broken sensor.

 

too bad I can't take her to the track and see how she runs!

 

It all depends on the state of the engine. If the fuel trim values were at or near 0% before the failure and nothing has changed, it would be fine. But that is a big assumption to make.

 

Yep. This is what happened to mine. O2 sensor on order.

Dropped my gas mileage into the mid-teens.

 

300 bucks to replace an O2 sensor? Are you kidding me?

Get an OEM one from Tim at Ray Laks for 71 bucks, and replace it yourself. It took me no more than like 20 minutes to do it.

 

Pure, 300 was to also replace the header, which I don't want to do at this time.

 

Thanks Steve, but if it wasn't?

 

The ECU assumes 0% fuel trim without a good O2 sensor signal and the car would run either rich or lean. Either one can cause decreased performance and mileage and result in the already mentioned problems.

 

Thanks Steve and everyone else! I guess its not the end of the world, but something I should take care of sooner rather than later.

 

Aye, definitely don't go back to stock.

 

Hah, I remeber my car when i had a bad O2 sensor, my car was so strong, it felt like chirping in 2 gears. but like eveyone else said, mileage was like a A viper. I wish they had a switch to disengage the O2 sensor for racing. lol.

 

They do...........