Oxygen Sensors - What NOT to do... - Page 2

On the MAF sensor, yeah, clean it everytime you change your oil. Clean it with electrical contact cleaner. If the oil/dirt is really caked on, you may have to take a q-tip and spray some of the cleaner in to the cap and gently rub the MAF elements. Be VERY careful as these elements are very sensitive and easily broken and a new MAF is not cheap.

Also, when cleaning and re-oiling the filter, here's the process I go by:

1. Wash the filter with either the K&N soap or with a mild detergent
   
2. Using a shopvac or another wet/dry vacuum cleaner, suck off all of the additional water left in the filter
   
3. Allow the filter to thoroughly dry (overnight in a warm dry place if possible)
   
4. Re oil the filter making sure not to over saturate the media
   
5. Let the filter set for another hour atleast, flipping it over every 15-20 minutes
   
6. Using the same wet/dry vac, run it over both sides of the filter to ensure that any excess oil is removed
   
7. Reinstall in the vehicle
   

These steps will minimize the effects of the oil on the MAF as you will have prevented over oiling the filter itself.

Good Luck!

Thanks a lot. Also, while were on the oil change subject, what kind of oil do you recommend? My older bro uses mobile one in his 01 Cobra, but that is really expensive, is it worth it? On my parents leased vehicles, they just use what ever the oil change places use, and i don't want to do that. Thanks again.
BTW did you just become a moderator?

I have always been partial to Mobil 1 and have run it in everything I own. I generally go 6-9k miles on my Bonneville (whenever the oil life monitor reads 25% or below) with Mobil 1. I had been running Mobil 1 in my Bravada, but I just switched over to Quaker State (which I used to use before the synthetic craze) because I have/had an oil leak. My leaking oil pan was not caused in any way by the synthetic oil, rather loose bolts that I now fear have caused the o-ring seal to leak even after tightening up the bolts (2 were about ready to fall out!). Why leak out expensive stuff? Once I find out if I have it under control, I'll switch back to Mobil 1 and go for 5-6k miles between changes. I used to have an oil analysis done on my Bonneville before I moved and Mobil 1 in that engine even after 9k miles had only gone through half it's useable life, according to the lab. I need to find another lab here to start doing it again. Running 9k between changes actually really saves $$$ over conventional at 3k changes.

*EDIT* - Yeah. Became a mod yesterday actually.

I generally use Quaker State or Castrol...I'm cheap but want something sort of reputable...

Thanks guys. I'll probably go for the mobil one then. Congrats on the moderator-ship.

Thanks.

You won't be disappointed with Mobil 1, plus, you can grab the 5qt container from any Walmart for $22 (Not Extended Life, just regular Mobil1 10w30 full syn.).

quote:

ORIGINAL: swartlkk

I got a P0131 - B1S1 low voltage and P0134 - B1S1 Insufficient Activity... The low voltage means the sensor was running abnormally lean, and dumping fuel in like there's no tomorrow to try to compensate.

What does "Insufficient Activity" mean ? I got a P0134 at AutoZone. They could only say it was the oxygen sensor. Could a wire be off ?

Insufficient activity means that the O2 sensor isn't switching from rich to lean fast enough in response to what the PCM is doing. The switch from rich to lean should happen very rapidly as the PCM adjusts the IPWs.

OK, so it needs replaced. Some questions then:

1) I see on the AutoZone website they offer an 'OXYGEN SENSOR SOCKET'. Does it require a special socket for removal ?

2) How many oxygen sensors are there, and I assume it/they are located AFTER the catalytic converter ?

3) Is it a one wire, two wire, or three wire ?

4)

quote:

ORIGINAL: swartlkk

Well, I have never EVER recommended that anyone buy anything but genuine AC Delco O2 Sensors when it comes to GM vehicles. Then I go cheap because I really didn't have the money to buy the AC Delco parts. $60 later (for 2 upstream sensors) and my Bravada was sittin pretty. I jumped 3 mpg and life was good.

That was until today. Driving to a fire training exercize and it starts to miss and stumble. Wide Open Throttle (WOT) is fine, but just cruising, it's missing quite a bit. Just before I pull into the fire hall parking lot, the CEL (check engine light) pops up. DAMN IT ALL!!! Anyway, I run the codes and get 2 B1S1 codes for the O2 sensor. Damn things were brand new Borg Warner not even 2 months ago (less than 400 miles on them) and one is bad already. Get this, only had a 30 day warranty... Now I would have spent double to get the AC Delco parts

Given that, I noticed next to the ARVIN brand of replacement oxygen sensors on the AutoZone website, that the "Warranty" is listed as a "LLT" (which they just told me over the phone is a LIFETIME WARRANTY, as long as you own the vehicle).

Given the price is the same or about $10 more (dependent on the number of wires), this sounds like a good deal, eh ?

'97 4.3LV6 4DR 4WD

For any OBD2 blazer, you will have 3 O2 sensors. 2 pre-cat, one off the drivers side of the exhaust y-pipe, and the other right before the 'y' in the y-pipe on the passenger side. The 3rd is located behind the cat and is only there for catalyst monitoring, meaning the pcm does not use it to calculate the proper IPWs.

AC Delco AFS105 (PN: 25312200) O2 sensors cost me $75 each from my local AC Delco store. Nice thing about having a local AC Delco store is that they keep the dealerships honest with their costs. GMPD.com has good prices, but kill you with their shipping and handling - very rarely do you get your parts in a timely manner as well. The AFS105 is used in all 3 positions on the '96-'00 (possibly newer S-series Blazers).

These O2 sensors are 4 wire heated sensors so the AVRIN 'universal' sensors would not work. I would never recommend anyone get any of the 'universal' type O2 sensors. These sensors are highly sensitive to additional resistance in the wires. Even the connections made in the 'universal' sensors can cause premature problems. Plus, these sensors breath through the wires for their reference O2 content. If you were to cut off that flow of outside air, your sensor would fail.

Check with your local dealership for their price for the AFS105s. If you would like, I could purchase the AC Delco's from my local store and mail them to you directly (USPS priority + USPS padded envelope). I would have to see what those prices would be, but I wouldn't expect it to be more than $10 to send them.

My total cost for 2 AFS105s was $162.52 out the door. For the Bosch from Autozone, it would cost ~$115 (inc tax). I'd rather spend the extra $50 than have to worry about when they were going to give out on me again.

My parents are going through this with their '97 Caddy STS that has 4 O2 sensors 2 of which are a MAJOR pain. My dad had replaced them with Bosch sensors and 3 of the 4 went out just after the 3 month warranty ran out. They now have All AC Delco's in and the car is running MUCH better than it ever did with the Bosch according to my scans.

(I see this is also being discussed in another thread, but since the codes are different, I’ll keep it here)

quote:

ORIGINAL: swartlkk

For any OBD2 blazer, you will have 3 O2 sensors. 2 pre-cat, one off the drivers side of the exhaust y-pipe, and the other right before the 'y' in the y-pipe on the passenger side. The 3rd is located behind the cat and is only there for catalyst monitoring, meaning the pcm does not use it to calculate the proper IPWs.

OH.

So if I’m getting a P0134, how do I know which one it is ? Or should I get it read somewhere else ? The guy at AutoZone said it was not specific as to which one it was (this is when I thought there were only two), just that it mentioned the O2 sensor.

quote:

AC Delco AFS105 (PN: 25312200) O2 sensors cost me $75 each from my local AC Delco store. Nice thing about having a local AC Delco store is that they keep the dealerships honest with their costs.

One of my local parts stores always sold Delco parts, I’ll have to check with them. Plus I should be able to get 20% off.

quote:

These O2 sensors are 4 wire heated sensors so the AVRIN 'universal' sensors would not work. I would never recommend anyone get any of the 'universal' type O2 sensors. These sensors are highly sensitive to additional resistance in the wires. Even the connections made in the 'universal' sensors can cause premature problems. Plus, these sensors breath through the wires for their reference O2 content. If you were to cut off that flow of outside air, your sensor would fail.

Bummer. A Lifetime Warranty would have been nice.

P0134 - HO2S Circuit Insufficient Activity Bank 1 Sensor 1

Refer to the attached image to see where B1S1 is located.



Thumbnail Image

quote:

For any OBD2 blazer, you will have 3 O2 sensors. 2 pre-cat, one off the drivers side of the exhaust y-pipe, and the other right before the 'y' in the y-pipe on the passenger side. The 3rd is located behind the cat and is only there for catalyst monitoring, meaning the pcm does not use it to calculate the proper IPWs.

As an FYI, my '96 (OBD2) has 4 O2 sensors. One from either side of the engine, one pre-cat and one post-cat.

I think the change was part way through the '96 model year.

quote:

ORIGINAL: swartlkk

P0134 - HO2S Circuit Insufficient Activity Bank 1 Sensor 1

Refer to the attached image to see where B1S1 is located.

THANKS !

I saw the pic in the other thread, but I didn't know which sensor was indicated by that code.

quote:

ORIGINAL: DaveLance

quote:

For any OBD2 blazer, you will have 3 O2 sensors. 2 pre-cat, one off the drivers side of the exhaust y-pipe, and the other right before the 'y' in the y-pipe on the passenger side. The 3rd is located behind the cat and is only there for catalyst monitoring, meaning the pcm does not use it to calculate the proper IPWs.

As an FYI, my '96 (OBD2) has 4 O2 sensors. One from either side of the engine, one pre-cat and one post-cat.

Thanks for clearing that up. I have only been under '97 and newer Blazers so I haven't seen the '96.

UPDATE: OK, Now It's Gettin' Weird.

Previously, my 'Service Engine Soon' light had come on and it coded a P0134 (HO2S Circuit Insufficient Activity Bank 1 Sensor 1), and I was going to get a new sensor and swap it out when I got the chance.

Recently, I was experiencing some interment part-throttle hesitation and balking, so a couple days ago I put a bottle of my favorite fuel injector cleaner in the tank. Last night, on the way home, it balked and acted like it was going to stall, so I pumped the peddle a few times, and it lurched back to life, and it backfired out the exhaust.

It ran fine the rest of the way home, and since, but I noticed as I arrived home that the SES light had gone out (and no, the dash light did not burn out, which was my first thought. The SES light still comes on when you first turn the ignition on).

Can these reset themselves ?

If it is not a hard code, then it will reset after something like 5 drive cycles without the code. Hard codes may go away, but will still be recorded in the PCM. By go away, I mean that the CEL (SES) light may turn off, but the record would still be there.

Nah, the light was on a lot longer than 5 drive cycles. I'll have to stop at AutoZone and let them see if the code is still there.

Thanks.