Oxygen Sensors
In a bid to fix my Error 43 I went looking to replace my oxygen sensors. Remembering there were good resources listed at the rangerovers.net site I went there first. I could not get any hits on the parts or part numbers they recommended there most of the websites were down. I attempted to email one of the people there and I got a bounce so I went out on my own. I ended up on OXYGENSENSORS.COM. It is actually automedicsupply.com. After seeing prices greater than $150(US) for the part elsewhere I found it here for $79.90. Part number was 250-23880 it's an NTK and I chose the universal one. I bought two. The online order process was good.
Later I got this reply from John Brabyn of the RangeRovers.net site
Could I have gotten the parts cheaper? Probably. I am kicking myself for not ordering
the Oxygen Sensors when I first saw them listed for twenty something dollars a couple
of years ago. It is supposedly the same part as a Nissan part with a bit of modification.
There is still some modification but it seems to me that everyone got wise to the cheap
price and adjusted their stocks. If you find them cheaper don't gloat, but do send
me an email and let me know. I would like to still know if those parts can be found
cheaper and where.
A very good friend of mine shared a wise saying recently when we were
discussing the price of things. He is a doctor and works a crazy 60 plus hours a week.
He has plenty of money but is still frugal which is a pleasant change from many other
"rich people" and this reflects well on his upbringing. The saying is this,
"Whenever you can trade time for money, it is a good trade." We are getting on into
our 40s now and time is the only thing I can't get more of. If I had researched a
while longer and looked around a good bit better I may have found a cheaper part. But
as you see I didn't spend that much time on this and I still beat the "Dealer" price
by a margin I am pleased with.
I replaced the Left side (driver's side O2 sensor) sensor and cleared the error 44
code with little or no effort. It was a snap. Really it was. Then, as you should, I
replaced the right-side O2 sensor. After I was done the truck ran terribly. It
missed, backfired, and stumbled and generally ran poorly. Eventually a code 45 showed
up. What on earth could be the problem? Error 45 is the right side (passenger) sensor.
Well it turned out I did a bit of wiring wrong and swapped a pair of wires. The
truck was running extremely rich. The sensor was covered in carbon when I pulled
it confirming this theory. And there it was a swapped set of wires. I am guessing
that I swapped the pair in my haste to put heat shrink on the wire and dropped the
pairs several times. I have some tips. I posted them in the forum on OKRovers.com but
I will post them here also.
Lesson one: Part A: Don't settle for second rate stuff. If the slug type of crimps
are what you need, wait and get them. If you need good heat shrink get it before the
job and don't settle for "what they had".
Lesson one: Part B: Get more than you need of the repair items. Don't buy six crimps
if you need six. Buy a full additional set. What if you wire it wrong? You only have
enough to do the job once and seldom, in my experience, do you do it right the first time.
My dad always took four nails up the ladder for a two nail job. I asked him once
why he took 4 when you only used 2? He said, "What if you hit your thumb and drop
your nails?" Of course this is the same man that broke off the eraser end of the pencil
and threw it at me saying, "I don't make mistakes." So it's better to be safe than sorry.
Lesson two: Check your work. Once your done, check it again. I failed to do this.
It was cold, I was cold, and I was in a hurry and it was getting dark.
Lesson three: Don't get in a hurry.
Lesson four: Use high temperature anti-sieze when working on bolts that get really hot.
Lesson five: Do your work in a hospitable environment when able (i.e. indoors
with heat in the winter and a cool breeze in the summer.)
So as I close this episode I have learned a good many things about my truck.
Closed loop and open loop sensors. There is not really a lot to the oxygen sensors
when you think about what they actually do. You can reset all the error codes with
just disconnecting the battery.
On the Difficulty Scale this project was a 1. Maybe a 1.5 considering the crimping
and heat shrink.
Cheers, John
That never occured to me that all the Oxygen Sensors could be functionally the same. I wonder if anyone
wiser and more knowledgeable than I knows this?