O2 Sensor?

[brex888]

Hello,

I have a 2003 Jeep liberty with around 45k miles. Yesterday while I was driving a check engine light came on.

I went to pepboys to have it checked out and the mechanic said that there was a problem with the o2 sensor. They wanted 700 dollars to replace all of them and said they can't just find the broken one.

700 dollars to replace o2 sensors seems like a lot of money. Is it that hard to figure out which o2 sensor is bad and just replace it?

How hard is it to replace an o2 sensor? I'm definetly no mechanic and the most i've ever done to my car is change the oil. Is it something that's easy to replace?

Also, this is quite a silly question but how do you get the error codes for a check engine light?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Cableguy]

See the following thread for pulling the codes, there should be a list somewhere in that thread of what all the codes represent and how to pull them yourself. http://www.jeepkj.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=325

This is another list of codes and what they mean: http://www.autotap.com/generic_trouble_codes.asp

i'm pretty sure that depending on which code comes on, it will tell you which 02 senor went bad. I'm not absolutely sure, but try and pull the code again and see what you get.

Let us know what you find out!

 

[MoladoGuy]

Try and pull the codes to know the exact problem. If it deals with the 02 Sensor then it will tell you exactly which one(s) that are having problems. I am going out on this one to say that they are crazy to think that "all" 4 O2 sensors are bad (is that how many the KJ's have?).

If you find the code you can determine the problem location. Then go to the store and buy a O2 sensor tool (any auto store), call up your dealership/auto shop, and have them order you the exact O2 sensor that you found was the problem based off the code.

There is a O2 sensor located right under the drivers area. Make sure the electrical cable for the O2 sensor is not brushing against the drive train. I had that happen on mine and it was throwing crazy codes. A quick zip tie of the cables and it was better. I have not had an issue with the wiring since (thankfully).

Good luck!

 

[indieaz]

They are lying out their butts. Don't beleive a word of it. The ECU will always identify which O2 sensor is reading out of bounds. If the ECU was not able to identify which O2s sensors are which then there would be absolutely no point of having O2s to begin with since the ECU would now know which bank was rich/lean!!!

Bring your vehicle to Autozone and have them pull the codes -OR- use link provided by previous poster to pull them up yourself via one of the in-car methods. You can then replace it yourself. Remember that "Bank 0" is driver side and "Bank 1" is passenger side - that confuses a lot of people. \/

 

[Trodo]

The o2 sensors, they're like $35 each, right?

 

[Dave]

Brex888.......they're definately trying to rip you off at Pepboys.

You really need to be careful.

I had a similar thing (trying to rip me off) when I was checking tire prices. I happened to stop at Monroe Muffler Brake to check a tire price and they told me I would also need to replace the TPM's (the tire pressure monitors that are in the rims) at $125 and I said ok and thought that was odd......I mean why would you need to replace all 4. ...one maby if it was not working. I didn't buy anything there and I won't. Pep Boys is suspect also.

Trodo is right. They don't cost anywhere near $700. and you only need to replace the bad one.

Anyway, you need to be so careful. For anything you can't do yourself, find a good local mechanic.

Dave

 

[2003KJ]

The o2 sensors, they're like $35 each, right?

That depends on the vehicle, and which sensor it is. Some are more important than others on a vehicle.

Definitely go to a better place and have the code pulled again. As mentioned, the ECU will ALWAYS tell you which sensor is showing an error, and give you a good idea of what the error is (generally with o2 sensors, they will come on if the voltage is too high or too low for too long of a period of time).

 

[tjkj2002]

The ECM will only tell you if the left or right bank before the cats or if it's after the cats(there is 2 o2 sensors after the cats and the ECM will not tell you which one went bad,should replace the back 2 together anyway).Depending on where you get them o2 sensors run about $50-$150 apiece,the back 2 sensors are more expensive then the ones on the manifolds.Heated or non-heated also effects the price(2-wires=non-heated,3-wires=heated).

 

[brex888]

Ok, I just got back from work and got the error code from my liberty.

It's a P0153 Error.

I looked it up and it's P0153 - HO2S Slow Response Bank 2 Sensor 1.
What does bank 2 sensor 1 mean?

Also, how hard is it to change the o2 sensor? I've never really worked on my car except for changing the oil!

thanks again for all the help!

 

[tjkj2002]

Bank 2 sensor 1 is the passenger side O2 sensor on the exhaust manifold.Changing them is not hard,you need a O2 sensor socket(7/8" deepwell socket with a slit on one side for the wires) or a wrench depending on how much room you have.Being the manifold sensor it probally will be pretty tight to get to it and they are sometimes "in there pretty good" so some pentitrating oil will be needed and put anti-seize on the threads on the new sensor when installing it,they are a pain in the butt but not all that difficult.If you can change your oil you can change a O2 sensor.

 

[adamkrz]

tjkj2002 is correct on the location of the bad o2 sensor,The socket cost about 12 dollars and the sensor is about 35 dollars,I replaced one of mine 6 months ago without any problems,I also purchased a code reader for about $50--well worth the investment since I have 5 vehicles in my household - all with engine lights coming on one time or another.

 

[brex888]

Thanks guys...

When i replace the sensor, does the check engine light go away automatically or is there a special way to clear it?

 

[2003KJ]

Thanks guys...

When i replace the sensor, does the check engine light go away automatically or is there a special way to clear it?

The light should go back off after so many "no fault" starts (which is a random number determined by your Jeep's computer), but the code will still be stored on the computer's memory, and could cause you to fail your next state inspection depending on how strict your state is. To properly remove it, you will need an OBD-II scanner capable of reading and clearing codes. They are beginning to become rather cheap as OBDII has been around for going on 11 years now. You should be able to find one for around $50-100. I wish I could tell you how much mine was, but it was given to me as a gift.

It would be a good investment on your part to get one. Plus, you can help all your friends out when their CEL's come on, and you're able to look up the code and see whats wrong... \/

 

[indieaz]

The OBD2 scanners at autozone/pepboys/checker and the like are generally overprice. Check out harbor freight!

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94169

Not a top of hte line - but for what most people on this board would need it for it's definitely the way to go @ $39.99.