Temporary Fix For Bad O2 Sensor (Guide)

In this article, I will be discussing how to temporarily fix for bad O2 sensor also known as Oxygen Sensor. When your car suffers from a faulty O2 sensor, it causes your car to show the “Check Engine” light warning seen on your car dash. Many car owners still don’t know about this Oxygen Sensor. But after going through this article, it will not be new to you any longer.

Keep reading to get the step-by-step guide to temporarily fix your bad O3 Sensor.

How to temporarily fix a bad O2 sensor

Your first step is to find out which of the oxygen sensor is faulty. If you find the defective sensor, pull it out and use the card cleaner to temporary fix it for a while.

If you have the On-Board Diagnostic II or OBD2 code vehicle scanner. Get it and hook it on your car’s engine control unit. It will diagnose your car on its own and display the fault codes found in your ECU. With the displayed error, you can figure out the bad sensor to get it fixed or replaced.

READ: Buick Check Engine Light – Causes, Symptoms, Fix

If you don’t have any vehicle scanner tool. Then get your car to an auto parts shop and have them diagnose your car. Some shops offer free diagnoses.

Steps to Fix Your Car Faulty O2 Sensor

Step 1. Securely setup jack stands under the car

Get a jack to lift your car. It’s important to be extremely careful when working under a vehicle and make sure the jack is strong enough to hold the car up for the minutes or hours you’re to work.

With your car’s owner’s manual, find out how to fix your jack and lift your car. When jacking your car up, you should place the car tire close to the place you will lie on. This is for protection purposes should the jack fail. SAFETY FIRST!

Now, locate the faulty oxygen sensor on the passenger side.

Step 2. Locate the O2 sensor that is bad and remove it.

You can find the sensor near the catalytic converter. While some car models have theirs on the exhaust manifolds area. Unscrew the bolts and remove the bad sensor. The screws are attached to the exhaust pipe of the catalytic converter.

Step 3. Discount the sensor wiring plug

Now, press on one side of the wiring plug and plug it apart. Pay attention when disconnecting the wiring to make sure you know where you get any out.

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Step 4. Remove the sensor of the vehicle

Get a carb cleaner and brush it off. Scrub it enough to make it neat and put it into a plastic container. Now insert the put the sensor’s tube into the container, leaving the wiring out of the solution. This is to avoid an electric shock or spark. You can leave the sensor here overnight and get it out in the morning. By then, every debris must have been removed.

Step 5. Use Carb and Choke Cleaner

Spray a carburetor cleaner inside the holes of the sensor to further clean out any grime left. Now get a toothbrush and brush out the sensor. And get a neat rag and clean the body of the sensor before you will insert it again.

Step 7 Reinstall and Plug the Sensor Electrical Plug

After cleaning it, insert the sensor into its place again. You can get a socket wrench to fix it there. Now go ahead to connect the sensor’s wirings just as you followed to get them out. That’s the step to temporarily fix a bad O2 sensor.

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Conclusion

So far, the steps above are the means you can temporarily fix an oxygen sensor that is malfunctioning in your car. Also note that when the sensor is bad, it causes your car to malfunction which includes your car engine underperformance, emission test failure, and many others.

Do well to ensure that you contact a professional car mechanic to examine your car after these steps to avoid further complications.

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