dumb question: will OBD II tell me if the O2 sensors are wearing out?

Question

I don't know how smart the OBD II is on my 98 Surburban. The car has

100K mi on it and the O2 sensors may well be original. Before I think about changing them, will the OBD II give me any indication that they need to be replaced? Car runs fine and passes smog, but as we all know, O2 sensors degrade gradually. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

-- cb

Shep · Accepted Answer

Only a graphing scanner can tell you more than obd11 is built to analyze, some degradation is normal at that mileage but probably not enough to be concerned with without the cel on.

greasemonkey19 · Answer

the number one cause for o2 sensor failure is them being clogged ordirty whatever u want to call it it but if you are worried about themjust take em out and torch the tips off to burn off that carbon buildup. or if u dont want to take them out then run the car lean for about2 minutes and it should get the carbon off. u can do this by unplugginga large vacuum hose and just let it idle.

aarcuda69062 · Answer

In article , "greasemYou forgot to tell him how to deal with the resulting MAF sensor code set by creating that large vacuum leak.

Chuck D. Bones · Answer

Thanks, guys. What I think I heard you say is that the check engine light will come on if the O2s are dirty. I have torched O2 sensors to test them, but didn't know that a good torching would clean them.

I also have a Jag XJ-S, it has MAP instead of MAF, so the vacuum leak cleaning process won't work on that car right? A vacuum leak will probably make it run rich on idle.

-- cb

dumb question: will OBD II tell me if the O2 sensors are wearing out?

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