A quick background on myself for those that don't know, and that will be most. I work as a service writer at an automotive shop, and i often end up helping the mechanics with some of the repairs when they need it. I've worked on vehicles for a good 4 years now and i know all the basics and most of the more advance stuff. That being said... here's where the problem is.

I've got a 97 Ford F-150 with a 4.2l motor. 4X4 manual transmission and have a cat back exhaust system on the vehicle from about where the two sides of the exhaust meet up. I've had a check engine light on for some time now, pull the codes and it's telling me bad oxygen sensors. Replaced the front two in about 20 minutes and had NO issues with them. I tried tonight to pull the back two, and 4 hours later and a pint of blood lower i'm about ready to burn the damn thing to the ground.

I bought an oxygen sensor socket after doing the first ones up front with just a normal wrench. Thought it would go just as quick as the fronts. But now i've stripped the oxygen sensor of all the metal around the socket part of the sensor, and earlier in the night when i tried heating it up, i think i got it hot enough i twisted the metal when i tried getting it off(was glowing orange). So now that one's not coming out, and i'm not going to even bother with the other side. I've got a few ideas on fixing, but i want some first hand experience with the rear O2's from people who have worked on them. I know in my old eclipse you could let the back wire hang and just get codes from it without damaging the vehicle. Is it the same with our vehicles or are the newer motors not as forgiving as the old ones?

Also, those MIL eliminators, will they work if the oxygen sensor is just hanging under the vehicle and not actually in the exhaust? I'm about to run it down to the local exhaust shop and have them just replace everything from the header back with straight pipe. Leave the O2's hanging if that will work and wire it up with an MIL eliminator. I've got a cheap ODBII scanner and can look codes up at work, home or in a book i carry in the truck. My state has no elisions testing nor am i worried because the truck is more of a towing//hauling vehicle from now on.

The reason i'm not just plugging it back in and calling it quits is i broke the wires when i was trying to twist it off earlier in the night. I've got the new O2 sensors sitting in the garage but i don't want that getting dirty. I tried a socket, wrench and then moved onto a vice grip after breaking 2 craftsmen wrenches.

My question being if i wasn't clear and i'm rambling cause i'm REALLY pissed right now. Do the MIL eliminators work if you just leave the O2 sensor hanging and can you run with no O2 sensor hooked up at all? If not... it's a long walk to work tomorrow.

 

see if you can get a small pipe wrench on there. if you can get those jaws on there to catch might have some luck. if thst doesnt work,take a file or a dir grinder and make it square enough to you maybye can get a wrench on it.

 

What codes do you get ? The numbers?

If you remove the heat sheild and wheel well on the 5four you can get at the passenger side O2 easier. Or remove both crossovers (frame) and both flang bolts - the whole exhaust will drop down..

 

get a can of PB Blaster (its like WD 40 only way better) soak the o2 sensor and wait a while and keep repeating the process till that sucker comes out. i tried wd40 when i was swappin my exhaust manifold out for some shorty headers and after the wd40 couldnt get anything out i tried some pb blaster and soaked it a couple of times and all the bolts came out without much hassle. and since you stripped out the head on the o2 sensor, get some channel locks and a pipe for a cheater bar and hopefully you dont loose too much more blood. if so go get an IV to rehydrate

 

I think i'll try that monkey wrench idea... duno why i didn't think of that before.

But, i soaked both sides in PB blaster for about 2 hours before i started, sprayed it warm, and then sprayed again before i started working on it. Even while heating it up i could smell it still burning off. I think i may try again thursday, and if i have no luck... i'm driving with no rear O2's. So far, i still get the same codes.