failed oxygen sensor

Paul (MN)

the malfunction warning light came on in my 00D Primera yesterday. The garage checked it and said the that the exhaust oxygen sensor failed. There is no problem with emissions etc.

I've been quoted the part at €155+VAT+ half hour labour.

Is there a cheaper option? Can these things fail because they are dirty? Just in case this is a common way to get some money out of people... replace the part instead of cleaning (or whatever).

The car is 5 years old.

Would a spurious non Nissan part work?

Thanks

lomb

nah o2 sensors are pretty much a replaceable item at 100k miles, as are mafs. as far as the non oem goes i dont know maybe look at bosch website to see the applications of their o2 sensors as they are the biggest manufacturer
155 is about right to be honest and the 30 minute charge is probably about right, still doest make the 250 euro bill any easier to swallow.

Paul (MN)

the car only has 55k miles.

Another motor factor just told me he heard of somebody cleaning one once and it worked. Might give it a go if I can find out where it is located....

Rodney Trotter

Chances are your car has logged the fault in it's ECU. This will have to be reset, even with a replaced part.

You should be able to get one for less than €100, I know the one for VW Tdi can be got for around €90.

Cleaning one will not be much good, it's probably fooked.

Look at the exhaust manifold and you should see it screwed into place, it's function is to measure the O2 in the exhaust, feedback the measurement to allow the ECU adjust the air/fuel mixture into the car.

Paul (MN)

the car is with Nissan at the moment. They reset the dash light in an attempt to let me drive it with the failed part...but it came back on again.

I'm not happy with this as it will mask any other failures that activate that light.

So the exhaust manifold... is where the exhaust meets the big engine thing, right?

I rang a few factors and one said he had a "universal" one for about €80 but Nissan refuse to use it and were highly suspicous of it (I guess they would, but he sounded decent).

Might just pay up then.

Rodney Trotter

If you're not mechanically minded, then bite the bullet and get the job done. Motiring costs money and you have to pay what it takes.


You could always try bargaining the dealer? Try a few of them and ask for a price for the O2 sensor, fitted. Remember VAT on parts you fit yourself is 21%, 13.5% on those used in the dealer.

Rodney Trotter

A manifold is a device which combines a number of inputs into one output, i.e. the exhaust output from each of the four cylinders into one common exhaust pipe. The O2 sensor will be located after the four outputs are combined. Be careful if you're going at it, it is hot around there.

Interceptor

I'd fit one from a scrappy's but I'm not fussy and know which end of the exhaust it goes on. I'd expect to pay £20 for one from a low mileage car. Lots of garages are getting tooled up with Snap-On scanners and will reset the light for £20 too. If this all sounds like a lot of work, pay The Man and remember thats how main dealers pay for the coffee in the waiting area.

'c

lomb

http://www.boschusa.com/AutoParts/OxygenSensors/
http://www.boschusa.com/AutoParts/OxygenSensors/HeatedSensors/

and from their faq
What is a universal heated oxygen sensor?
A. Bosch has created an aftermarket universal heated oxygen sensor program. These sensors meet OEM operating requirements and have a patented connector system easing installation. This connector system has been proven to be watertight, protect against contamination, and withstand the effects of extreme temperatures and engine vibration. Currently Bosch offers 12 different 4 wire sensors and 2 different 3 wire sensors to provide the closest match to OEM sensor performance

AMurphy

In my experience, the "universal" had no connector, so you had to cut the one off the old one and solder it wire for wire to the new one.

Teh O2 sensor can fail anywhere between 45 and 120Kmls, depending on conditions, contamination, Pb and Silicone being the major problems and temp of the ex. gasses.

Anyway, to Paul (MN) where in the world are you located, MN seems like a state abbreviation?.
Can you locate and remove the offending sensor and locate the ND or NGK part number on it, then find it's replacement.
And or could you get the part number out of the dealer, or get your hands on the part, examine it and get the manufacturers part number off it.

Here a few other sites that may be of use.
http://www.bosch4less.com/
http://www.parts.com/

They are easy to change, if you find it. It's ike a spark plug screwed into the exhaust system somewheres before the CAT (may have one after the Cat also, but ignore that for now).

btw, did they say exactly what was wrong with the item, if it is a heater failure, it will continue to function normally once heated up by the Ex flame. If the sensor element, then it needs to be replaced.

Also, if you had a good OBD reader you could get a code and/or monitor the O2 sensors live.

Paul (MN)

AMurphy,

MN means "MotorNet" alas it is no more. not Mass. but I do like Boston.

It's all too much hassle... I'll drop it back to the dealer for the real part next week. At least I get a years warranty on it.

I might be selling the car anyway so it'll look better if it's sorted properly.

Thanks.

unkel

AMurphy wrote:

to Paul (MN) where in the world are you located, MN seems like a state abbreviation?

Weren't the both of you regulars on motornet?

<sorry for off topic>

AMurphy

unkel wrote:

Weren't the both of you regulars on motornet?

<sorry for off topic>

Sure, but people move. Take our good friend from NV, (sheet I've forgotten his name), now worried about getting tickets for driving a ride-on mower on the road in WX or WA I cannot remember.

€155 + VAT+ lab is a bit steep in my books, so I'd be sourcing the net for such an item.