Oxygen/Exhaust Sensor???

Question

My S.E.S light turned on so I took my car (02 Eclipse) to a mechanic who said it was the O2 sensor (before the cat) causing the problem and said it needs to be replaced. My brother then took it to a friend who hooked it up to a computer and said it was the exhaust sensor...are these 2 things the same? Also what do they actually do? Is it ok to drive my car with this being bad?

Lastly the mechanic said it is fairly easy to switch out on your own, is this true? thx for the help.

Answer 1

Yeah the O2 sensor is in the exhaust pipe just back of the manifold. Looks somewhat like a spark plug. You'll need a special wrench to get it out. Most auto parts stores have them. The sensor measures the percentage of oxygen in the exhaust and sends a signal to the computer so it can keep the air to fuel ratio adjusted. When it gets out of whack and the computer can't use the readings then your car will usually run rich, meaning lousy gas mileage. Money ahead to replace it plus if you have emissions testing where you live it won't pass with a bad sensor.

Answer 2

They are the same thing just make sure you know which sensor it is as most cars have more than one. They are generally easy to replace, 22mm wrench or an O2 sensor socket 22mm. They unplug at one end with a wire and thread into the exhaust, kind of like a spark plug threads, into the exhaust system. But remember, you probably have two or four sensors so make sure you replace the correct one with a direct fit sensor, dont use a universal where you have to splice wires to make it fit. Yes you can drive it like this but your fuel economy will diminish so I would replace it when you can afford it.

Answer 3

oxygen sensor, o2 sensor , exhaust sensor is all the same thing just different tems people use. The correct name is Oxygen sensor

Answer 4

Yes, they are the same thing. EGO sensor (exhauat gas oxygen sensor) and oxygen sensor are sometimes used interchangably.