O2 Sensor Location Toyota Avalon 1997

If the car has a bench seat and column shifter, you will have to remove the passenger seat and look for a slit or hole in the carpet along the center hump. The O2 sensor connector should be in there somewhere.

If the car has bucket seats and a floor shifter, remove the center console, pull back the carpet along the passenger's side of the hump and look for the O2 sensor connector.

I guess I was not clear enough.

If you have a 6 passenger Avalon with a front bench seat and the transmission shifter is on the steering column then you have to remove the passenger seat. My guess is that you will have to remove 4 bolts along the seat track and then you can just tilt the seat backwards to access the O2 sensor connecter.

If you have a 5 passenger Avalon with bucket seats in the front and the transmission shifter is on a console between the front bucket seats then you do not have to remove any seats to get at the O2 sensor connecter. Instead, you remove enough of the center console, starting at the center armrest storage compartment, to expose where the carpet ends on the passenger side of the center hump. If this is the setup your car has, you probably cannot feel the connector under the carpet because it is tucked under the console and not located where it could be stepped on.

Thanks!!! I have the bucket seat arrangement. I can feel something that might be the connector on the vertical part of the hump just down from the shifter, I'll start as you suggest, though. By the way, the o2 sensor that failed was the one under the hood on the compartment side. I am going to go ahead and change all of them, anyhow. I have

75K, I believe the maintenance schedule has this at 100K. What would be a "typical" life for these things?

I would not bother with "preventative" replacement of O2 sensors for several reasons. If one fails, the car will still run so you won't be left stranded anywhere; they usually have a pretty long life; and they're expensive to replace if they are still functioning. I've seen people put over 200,000 miles on the original O2 sensors without any problems so unless you get another check engine light, I'd leave it alone.

Our 97 Avalon has a little over 100,000 miles and we have not replaced any O2 sensors. It is not uncommon for the O2 sensor closest to the firewall to fail so I've probably jinxed myself.

I'll try to remember to look at the factory service manual tonight and see if there is a specified replacement interval. The Avalon is being driven by my sons so I rarely see it any more.

'85 Corolla has 259,000 and the original O2 sensor. Pretty good, if you remember the "State of the Art" for O2 sensors back in '85!

I wonder if it would be worthwhile to remove a working O2 sensor and put anti-sieze compound on the threads and reinstall the sensor. Toyota tried to get me to o.k. the replacement of the exhaust manifold ($500) because they claimed my faulty O2 sensor was "siezed" and couldn't be removed.

(I declined, and had my service station remove the sensor and clean out the threads from the manifold).

Lena

Did you get the correct reading such as Bank 1 Sensor 1? That'll be the two under the hood. The Bank 2 Sensor 2 is the one you're looking for...

I checked the Factory Service Manual for the 1997 Avalon (U.S.) and there is no recommended interval for )2 sensor replacement.

If you are mechanically inclined and have time to spare, it might be worthwhile to apply anti-seize compound on the O2 sensor's threads for the kind that screw into the exhaust or on the bolts for the kind that are bolted on. Or, when an O2 sensor fails, immediately apply a generous helping of penetrating fluid to the cold exhaust, give it a gentle tap, and try to remove the sensor. If it still won't budge, apply more penetrating fluid, tap some more, and let it sit overnight and try the next day. I would apply anti-seize on a replacement sensor if you have to remove or replace it for some reason, otherwise, I wouldn't bother.

I do believe in pre-emptive application of anti-seize on the allow wheels where it meets the rotor, drum, and/or hub because galvanic action can make it very difficult to remove.

I removed the rear o2 sensor with no problem after heating up the car for a few minutes.