havok209

My check engine light is on. The dudes at autozone checked it and it says that Bank 1 Sensor 1 is having a slow response. Is there any way to clean them or do I have to just buy a new one??? Thnx

Brady98GT

i heard cleaning them in bleach or something tlike that but im not sure

stangman94

I used carb/choke cleaner

cliffyk

Cleaning with carb/choke cleaner may work, however O2 sensors don't generally stop working because they are dirty. You can test one using this procedure, and sometimes using the propane torch test will also burn out the crud on a fouled sensor--however if it doen't test out properly you'll need a new one.[/align]

GodAmGT00

How many miles on the O2's?? If it's more than say, 75,000 miles, then just ditch the old ones and get new ones.. Cleaning them only prolongs the inevitable...


JT

sfi

I was told kerosen would clean them. Word to the wise. I bought replacements(bosch) and had problems with codes with them and ran my car lean. Talked to some friends and warned me to only use oem replacements from ford should be used. I've had zero problems. Only issue is they where $109 dollars a piece comapared to the bosch $59.

8banger

Unless you have an oscilliscope or labscope...know what a known wave form from an o2 looks like and the time division needed(changes from rich to lean)....just buy new ones....theres no way to actually clean them..kinda why their recommended at certain mileage intervals.

undecided.steve

Same problem here on a Chevy.
People I spoke with said they had problems with Bosch.
I thought it was just brand snobbery (ie:Bosch sucks, buy xxxyyyzzz instead) because Bosch is great company.
That was until I went through 3 sensors before getting a refund and buying the OEM one from the Chevy dealer.
The OEM worked from the start and my problems were gone.

FWIW don't try and clean it, just buy a new one.

cliffyk

A PZ (platinum/zirconium)O2 sensor produces no output waveform, it simply produces an voltage related top the oxygen content of the exhaust gasses--the waveform (usually 0.5 to 5 Hz) seen on a scope on an operating engine is a result of the EFI computer's closed-loop dithering the fuel mix around the stoichiometric point* to achieve and average mixture of 14.7:1.[/align][/align]The propane torch test is a very accurate method for testing PZ sensors, you are actually measuring the O2 content of the blue inner flame--I have verified (good or bad) at least 40 PZ sensors using this method over that last 20 years, those that passed this test were OK (assuming the heater was also good). [/align][/align]However, to be perfectly honest most of these tests were done back when replacements cost 2 to 3 times what they do now (relative to the CPI)--they are cheap enough now, and the diagnostic tools are much better, that if the tests point to a bad sensor I just slap one in...[/align][/align]----------------------------------[/align]* - More correctly, the ECU's dithering of the mix to produce an average A/F ratio of whatever it wants for the given closed loop conditions, as lean as 16:1 to 17:1 at light loads for best economy, and as rich as 13:1 to 12:1 at higher loads but still in closed loop.[/align]

undecided.steve

You've just reminded me of how much I hated Chemistry in college [8D]
FWIW I'm an EE.

Excellent description though
You might want to add that the sensors get *lazy* and that causes problems as well.