cleaning o2 sensors

[jastutte]

hey again,

i vaguely remember reading on this forum that their is a way to clean the o2 sensors on the D1s. is this true? and if so, how? my truck is a 96 discovery.

thanks,

jeremiah

 

[tempestv8]

I don't believe there is a way of cleaning the O2 sensors. Just get them replaced, and stick to the genuine part. I've tried aftermarket ones and they aren't any good, throwing fault ECU codes.

If you are planning on replacing the O2 sensors yourself, handle the new parts carefully because O2 sensors that are dropped become faulty.

 

[wolf]

The trouble is - the genuine O2 sensors are seriously over-priced; personally, I would check out NTK - they seem to work very well.

 

[Disco Mike]

Back to your question, no, they can not be cleaned and are not replace because they are dirty, but because they loose their effective range of adjustment to felt the ECU set a proper air/fuel ratio.
How many miles on your truck?

 

[jastutte]

the truck has around 152,000 miles. i don't know when the sensors were last replace since i bought it at 148,000 miles. right now running the ac full time and driving in town i'm getting 12-13 mpg. this is pretty much the same as what i was getting with no ac going. i was just curious about the o2 sensors because the exhaust smells pretty rich, relatively speaking. smells like the exhaust of my fuel injected 75 volkswagon bus that has no cat or o2 sensor. while i hate smilies, my daughter wanted me to throw that one in.

 

[joey]

more than likely your injectors are on the way to being renewed i.e. either a rebuild or replacement....

 

[Disco Mike]

the truck has around 152,000 miles. i don't know when the sensors were last replace since i bought it at 148,000 miles. right now running the ac full time and driving in town i'm getting 12-13 mpg. this is pretty much the same as what i was getting with no ac going. i was just curious about the o2 sensors because the exhaust smells pretty rich, relatively speaking. smells like the exhaust of my fuel injected 75 volkswagon bus that has no cat or o2 sensor. while i hate smilies, my daughter wanted me to throw that one in.

The 02's should be changed by 100,000 miles, most people don't cause they don't realize the benefit in doing so.
What octane gas is she burning, when was it last tuned, what color are her plug wires and does she have a check engine light on?????

 

[jastutte]

i run 93 octane 90% of time and occasionally 91 octane. did a tune up several months ago. seafoamed her in the tank, intake, and oil. new magnacore 8mm wires which helped mpg by 2. no check engine light. she runs great. rpms move a little at idle, like up and down, maybe, 25 or 50. also, since she is a 96 i did clean the maf with crc.

 

[Disco Mike]

Clean your t/body and IAC to help the idle, check for vacuum leaks, especially the 2 pcv hoses.
If still off, go for some 02's, you will be pleased with the difference.

 

[jastutte]

for the throttle body i just buy some throttle body cleaner and follow the directions on the can, right? what is the best way to clean the iac or is there link you can point me to?


thanks, mike and everyone else who responded to my questions,

jeremiah