Anybody have any tips on removing the O2 sensors?
I have a 96 F-150 with a 302. As far as I know the sensors have never been removed and I have 230K+ miles.

I have not gotten violent with them yet, but they are stuck pretty tight.

Thanks,

Roger

 

I just replaced the front two on the same truck. I warmed the truck up pretty good, used a box end wrench on the drivers side and a O2 socket with several extensions and an impact universal joint on the drivers. I soaked the sensors with PB Blaster before and after I warmed the truck up as well (just make sure you clean all of it off before installing the new sensors). When cold I could not budge the sensors, but when warm they came right out just watch your hands on the manifolds as they get pretty hot

 

I had one break before while trying to remove it with a Box end
It worked out pretty well I was able to get a sockett on it then and use the inpact....

If it's toast anyway. breaking it may be the better way out

 

Thanks for the tips guys.
I'll try again this weekend and post my results.

Roger

 

OK, I got them changed...doing it while the engine is hot is the trick.

Just a little tap with a mallet on the wrench and they broke loose.

Disconnecting the plug in on the passenger side proved to be harder than actually taking the sensor out though. The connector is fastened to the firewall behind the engine. Required lots of tongue wagging.

Thanks again for the tips.

Roger

 

Sort of related...

I changed the O2 sensor on my '93 Bonneville (3800 Series I V6), and saw an immediate and impressive improvement in MPG, going from around 18MPG combined to around 21 MPG combined and 29 MPG Hwy. WIll changing the O2 sensor on my '95 F150 with the 302 V8 have similar impact on fuel economy? Right now, I get around 14 MPG combined. Also, on the 302, where is the O2 sensor located? And finally, will an aftermarket like Bosch work as well as the OEM?

Thanks,
John

 

I have read that changing O2 sensors can help your mileage by as much as 40%....

After changing mine, I have not gotten 40%, maybe 5-10%, but it's better than before.

On the 302 driver's side, it's low on the exhaust manifold and easy to get to. On the passenger side, it's directly behind the wheel at the rear of the engine and is mostly vertical. I could get a 7/8" box end on it but could only turn it about 5 degrees at a time.

That wasn't the problem. The real problem was getting the connector apart and reconnected again. It's mounted to the firewall and there's not much room. Good Luck!

Roger

 

Interesting - I spotted one of my sensors the other day (just bought my 92 F-150 a couple of weeks ago, never touched one before - been living in Australia and they, like all pickups barring Japanese ones, are rare, more people drive 'utes' - like el Camino type things) and it looked pretty oily and dirty, thanks to a leaky sump gasket et al

Is there more than one sensor, and can you test if they're within spec or whatever before replacing? Are they expensive? I suspect they are...

In my opinion/experience, with aftermarket parts, if they're a decent brand like Bosch they may well perform better than OEM parts, provided they are the exactly right ones...

 

You can test them with a multimeter looking at things like the voltage output and rich to lean switching time. If it is a heated o2 sensor you can ohm out the heater circuit, but all this may be above the skills and knowledge of the average person who doesn't fix cars for a living. The bottom line though is that it is a good idea to change them every 60k miles or so even if they test good because as they age the start to react slower and are not as accurate, so replacing them at a regular interval helps restore the gas milage your truck had when it was new.

You can get aftermarket o2 sensors fairly cheap, around $50 i think depending on the application. In comparison most new vehicles use air/fuel ratio sensors which sell for $300 or more!

-Jon

 

The OEM sensors are Bosch, repackaged in a Ford box. Buy the Bosch box and save the money