will putting a new o2 sensor on my VN boost performance?

[joeyd]

hi guys, i have a dual fuel VN which has for several months had engine warning lamp coming on and off sometimes when i drive it, in both gas and petrol it comes on, i checked the codes and its the oxygen sensor. Ive bought a new unit, but now ive realised its quite a difficult job because i have to remove a lot of my LPG hoses which sit above the exhaust manifold. I want to know if it is really worth me changing the oxygen sensor or not, will i do more damage than good, the car still runs fine at mo, maybe it could be slightly more fuel efficient but is it worth doing the change, but i have bought the unit now- 75 bucks...from bursons, not sure if they refund...

should i just put up with looking at that engine warning light, or put in a few hours work and possible damage and put in new o2 sensor?

thanks

[WogBoyz]

you should be able to reach the sensor from underneath the car man, and i would change it, it says its not working right so replace it

[justincredible]

i replaced the oxygen sensor on my Vp and it made no difference to performance. it just made it run the way it should...no better if ya get my drift. if ya car is running bad then it is worth changing it, then tuning it. As for the engine light... i think those things have a mind of their own. you might change the sensor and the light will still be there lol.

[joeyd]

can you do this from underneath? how?

[sik_dose]

I would change it if i were you mate, economy is better and car will run right.

[Cheap6]

It didn't occur to me that there would be gas hoses in the way of accessing the sensor from above. The access from underneath is only a little bit more difficult than from above (without extra things in the way) though.

While not actually impossible to do the job with the car resting on the wheels, it will be much easier if you can lift the front of the car off the ground and onto axle stands or ramps. The axle stands will go under the small box section between the chassis rail/longitudinal box section and the sill, just behind the front wheels. Chock the wheels that remain on the ground. If you don't have access to those, think about paying someone else to do it for you. It shouldn't take more than 1/2 hr (more like <15 mins) for them to do.

In place of the axle stands you might get sufficient access by running the two left wheels onto a roadside kerb and working lying in the gutter - depends on your neighbours and neighbourhood as to whether or not this will be tolerated.

If you have any doubts about what you are doing to support the car off the ground, don't do it!

You've paid for the sensor so you might as well fit it - although I suppose that you could simply return it for a refund. Don't expect the fault code light to extinguish when on LPG - although it might - but a dead/dying O2 sensor will alter fuel mixtures and affect fuel consumption and, yes, power on both fuels.

[joeyd]

thanks cheap6, done it today by going underneath and putting the front wheels on ramps as you said, and i think ive done a good job (just hope the actual connection point where the wires socket goes in isnt broken as it seemed pretty old itself and needing replacement, or maybe not....anyway time will tell.

thanks for being such a big help!

[Huntington]

Just a quick note when doing this, I did mine a couple of days ago, same deal just the light flashing so figured it a good time, I have only had the car a few weeks so it was something i hadnt noticed yet but i it turned out the o2 sensor i removed was like new, old owner must have just done it, but the plug was the stuffed part, it had been sitting against the exhaust manifold and melted completelty, so i had to get a new connector as i now had nothing for my o2 sensor to plug into, so as a point of warning when you get your new sensor in, get a cable tie and tie down the connector end so it cant move against the manifold.

[WogBoyz]

hows the car run now you have changed them man?

[Huntington]

Revs at idle dropped a few points, (i hadnt noticed it was idling high as I have a v8 tacho in a v6 (gotta fix that next)) and she feels a little smoother on idle too, not that she vibrated alot before hand. but its noticable. for the low cost and the ease to change it, it is worth it.

[BURNOUT BAZZA]

hmmm might have to look itno changing mine. im sure they havent been changed in the 350,000k's of its life. seen as my sisters owned this car before i got it.

[joeyd]

thanks huntington, great info about changing the plug to the o2 sensor, where did you get the plug part and is it easy to install, how much? please get back to me asap as im leaving for my road trip shortly!!!