Had your O2 sensor replaced lately?

After doing a search on "O2 sensors" at alt.autos.toyota, it seems that many have had problems, particularly on Siennas. Two of the three on my 02 Sienna went out at 58K miles, well out of warranty. (Both on exhaust, heated sensor on converter o.k.) Adding insult to injury, a Toyota dealership wanted to replace the exhaust manifold as well, claiming the sensor was siezed and could not be removed. (My local service station removed the sensor, cleaned the threads and replaced the sensor.)

Wondering if those who had O2 sensors that failed would care to add their experience to this thread. Year, model, mileage, what sensors, where repairs were made, when, cost, additional repairs required.

Lena

Reply to
Lena
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Hmmmm....ask Ray O about this, but I believe Emission Controls are warranteed for 100,000 miles.

Sounds like you got raked...

Reply to
Hachiroku

Unfortunately, O2 Sensors are not covered beyond 24 months/24,000 miles under the emission defect warranty (at least not outside of California - not sure of the rules there). They would be covered under the normal bumper to bumper warranty though.

From the Toyota Web Site

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): Federal Emissions Coverage: Components under the federal emission defect warranty are covered for 36 months/36,000 miles and specified major emission control components are covered for 8 years/80,000 miles. Specified major emission control components under emission performance warranty are also covered for 8 years/80,000 miles. In addition, emission performance warranty is applicable for 24 months/24,000 miles in states and local jurisdictions that require a periodic EPA-approved inspection and maintenance program.

California Emission Control Coverage: In California and any other state that adopts California emission warranty provisions, performance warranty and defect warranty coverage is applicable for 36 months/50,000 miles, and specific control devices are covered for 7 years/70,000 miles.

Outside of California the O2 sensors are not "specified major emission control components." See

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- "specified major emission control component" means a catalytic converter, an electronic emissions control unit or an onboard emissions diagnostic device and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes a device or component designated by the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a specified major emission control component under section 207 (i) (2) of the United States Clean Air Act;"

Well given the fact that Toyota Dealers rank near the bottom in terms of Customer Satisfaction, I am guessing Lena is not alone in getting "raked."

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

Highly doubt it, even the manufacturers recommend the sensors are only good for 50K miles.

J
Reply to
Coyoteboy

What manufacturer says that? I have not had to replace an O2 sensor since

1983 (my '81 Audi required replacement at 50k miles and had a light to remind you). I don't usually keep vehicles beyond 150k miles, so maybe they fail after that, but at least for my recent vehicles, I've never had one that required replacement, nor has anyone else in my immediate family or very close friends (which include vehicles with over 180,000 miles). On the other hand, no one in my family currently owns a Toyota, so maybe we are just missing out on another Toyota feature. (vehicles currently owned include Fords, GMs, Hondas, Chryslers, Nissans, VWs, even a BMW, Mazdas; miles driven ranges from 6,000 to 180,000).

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

2 replaced on my 2002 Highlander(special editon).....I'm not a mechanic but the description I got was one on the intake one on the out?

Cost: $148.00 for one and $225.00 for the other....(Just parts)

I'd have to look at the reciepts but I believe one was at 75K, and the other at 95K.......Both were noticed at 75K but he cleaned one & said it would eventually go & it did. As of today I have 116K on this vehicle and hopefully nothing else goes wrong with it........160 miles round trip, 5 days a week for the last 3yrs is put on this vehicle.

I also have a 1986 Tercel with 101k on it and had to replace the

**whole** muffler system because of one rotted section....The mechanic claimed that this often happens with a factory installed muffler as it was a 2 part system?? Where the seperation was in the pipe would of been hard I suppose just rigging something.....On top of that he broke the O2 sensor trying to remove it from the pipe.......Afraid to tell ya how much that all cost.
Reply to
ByTor

Oooops, typo........Make that a 1996 Tercel...... ;0)

Reply to
ByTor

I have a "Japan-built" '03 camry. Pretty much every 7 months since the day I took delivery of this car "brand-new" from the dealer, the check engine light comes on. The diagnosis is a bad O2 sensor.

So, they replaced the first one at 9K. Seven months later, second one is replaced. When the light comes on the third time at 21 months, they decide they need to replace the entire ECM. Seven months later, you guessed it....

Well, the last time I took it in, about 14 months ago, when the light again went on, the dealer service people claimed they had talked to some mystical Camry experts who lived in a clean well-lighted place and that this was a problem that was cropping up in a select few Toyota vehicles.

The dealer service folks claimed that these mystical demi-gods of the automotive world were working on a fix and would have one in less than five weeks in the form of a TSB and I would immediately be called in and my Toyota would be healed for all time.

I was never called and I check the TSB's regularly to see if any fix has come about. Negative.

The past couple of times I have ignored the check light, because I really think there is nothing wrong with the sensor and that the monkeys at the dealership are so ingrained with doing only what the computer tells them, to the exclusion of anything else, that they will just give me some mumbo-jumbo again.

The light came on, on schedule last week. I am thinking about taking it in this time however, just because I feel cantankerous. It's been under warranty continually, and since I have the problem well documented, I think they'll be replacing the sensors whenever I feel like it for free...

Reply to
timbirr

The info that came with my bosch wideband sensor had it. Also found this while searching which argues:

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Bottom of page, Useful life at temps below 300C ~ guidline >10K hours.

10K hours, assuming average of what - 50mph (probably hopeful unless you do lots of motorway miles) thats 500K miles but you almost never sit with EGTs around 300, highway miles will be up round 500.

Ive seen it on a few other sites but cant find them now, im not in the market for 02 sensors at the mo so my research has gone by the way!

J
Reply to
Coyoteboy

Also bear in mind that they get 'clogged' eventually, and respond but only slowly. Some more modern ECUs pick this up by checking the rate of fluctuations per second but not all. People often dont know they need an o2 sensor, the heater circuit is the one thing that most ECUs throw a code for and the heaters are fairly robust and can work fine even when the sensor is dog slow and wasting fuel.

Reply to
Coyoteboy

No, one on the engine side of the catalytic converter and one on the tailpipe side, none in the intake :)

They are usually very expensive from Toyota but aftermarket alternatives are often supplied with the wrong connectors and need snipping and soldering and be of lower quality. I'd risk an aftermarket but only because I am confident with the wiring and the saving is

50-70%.
Reply to
Coyoteboy

Try testing the sensor yourself to see if its faulty or just falsely reported.

Reply to
Coyoteboy

Thanks for the information. You did just calculate that O2 sensors are good for 500K miles (not 50K miles), right? And all US spec cars since 1996 have routines for checking the O2 sensors built into the emission controls. From your address, I assume you are in the UK, so maybe things are different there. Over here the OBDII requirements force the PCMs to check the response of the O2 sensors. On the cars I drive, I keep a fuel mileage log. I am confident any sort of O2 sensor problems would show up as a reduction in fuel economy,even if the OBDII System did not detect the failure (a very unlikely occurrence in my opinion).

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

He, He.....Thanks.....I coulda pulled out the reciept but am too lazy, thanks for clarifying..........He did mention upstream, downstream if that makes any sense??...... ;0)

Than again my mechanic claimed there are a total of 4 sensors on this particular vehicle??? I dunno, my thing is computers and have no sense for vehicles.....(LOL)

Reply to
ByTor

Yup, i was pointing out the "conflicting" info I found.

Yes we have OBDII too but i have seen dead sensors not logged/coded on a few cars of friends so i would not trust them. As you say...

is the best way to keep an eye on it.

J
Reply to
Coyoteboy

:) yup.

If its a V configuration theres often a pair of sensors for each bank of cylinders, as each bank will have a catalytic converter. Some use only two if they put all cyls into one cat.

J
Reply to
Coyoteboy

My friend's 2000 Avalon needed one replaced after the check engine light went on. Two weeks later the light was on again. It was a lease so he just drove it that way.

Reply to
Art

Anyone check the gas cap?

Reply to
Art

Yeah, that's what the service writer insisted it was when I brought it in at 9k, despite the fact that I told her it is always cranked down tight.

So, she went out and checked anyway...

Reply to
timbirr

Since you are getting a code I would assume it wasn't the cap but the cap should probably have been replaced just in case.

Reply to
Art

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