Car question

[plthijinx]

<------- FAIL!

hate to admit it but i couldn't fix it. the cat's were the wrong part to start off with so we thought, ok well, lets just change the sensors. way in the fk easier said than done. one sensor was right in front and easy to get to but i'll be damned if i could bust it loose. i even put a torch on it twice and still couldn't get it loose. i gave in. said hell with it. i don't want to make it any worse than it already is. so we rode go karts instead.

ETA: pics
first pic, albeit a little fuzzy you can see the spark plug looking front sensor

second pic: torch

[glatt]

bummer

[tw]

Originally Posted by plthijinx

first pic, albeit a little fuzzy you can see the spark plug looking front sensor

Normally the first sensor (completely different from another oxygen sensors) is located where the exhaust manifold connects to the engine block. Is that sensor, instead, relocated to be one in your picture?

[Clodfobble]

But the go karts were awesome! And no trip wasted, I was gonna be here to pick up my stepkids today anyway, and I can return the unusable parts. It was worth a try.

[HungLikeJesus]

I think those have a left-hand thread.




(Trouble maker)

[classicman]

The one thing you need is a left handed monkey wrench.
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(accomplice)
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[plthijinx]

no, that was the first one. this engine, er exhaust system has the manifold and cat's as one piece so to change the cats you in turn have to remove the manifold. there was that front one there, another down stream and i couldn't find the fourth. (1 on each cat then the downstream one + the anonymous one)

i tried going both clockwise and counter. those suckers are on there. 9 years of cooking on hot ass exhaust. i was afraid i was gonna cause more damage than good so i quit

[tw]

Originally Posted by plthijinx

no, that was the first one. this engine, er exhaust system has the manifold and cat's as one piece so to change the cats you in turn have to remove the manifold.

But is that pictured oxygen sensor the one normally located (on most cars) only six inches from the engine block? Meaning of the word 'first' is not clear.

Are there two (the picture only shows one) sensors - each one for three cylinders? Of course another two sensors are after catalytic converters. Those would be reporting a failure. A report that implies those 'after' sensors are 100% OK.

A torch should be sufficient to remove most 'decade rusted' parts. Especially any oxygen sensor mounted on that stainless steel exhaust pipe. But if overheating due to excessive gasoline, then removing a part (ie oxygen sensor) would be difficult.

Implied: catalytic converters damaged and now seized by an engine always dumping excessive gasoline into the converters - as discussed earlier. Diminished (not yet failed) converters may be a symptom of a long existing problem that also caused lower gas mileage.

Federal law says an exhaust manifold must not fail for first 100,000 miles. Which is why most pipes are good for less than 200,000 miles. That pipe and cat converters typically do not fail. Says why those parts are so expensive. Parts that don't fail often have highest profit margins. We used to charge a 100% markup.

So, if an oxygen sensor is the first (my original question), then doing anything to replace it (soak it repeatedly in WD-40 for 24 hours before using the torch to heat it while using a socket wrench to remove it) is a best shotgun solution.

BTW, never saw a reverse threaded oxygen sensor. If reverse threaded, then a shop manual was blunt about that unusual threading.

Spending another $25 for the Car Chip Pro would have said much more. But if any part is to be replaced, a most suspect part is probably that 'first' oxygen sensor. Not any sensors after the cat converters. Replacing only that sensor is by far the least expensive of all 'shotgun' options.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by plthijinx

i was afraid i was gonna cause more damage than good so i quit

And that, folks, is a really good mechanic/engineer.

[plthijinx]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

And that, folks, is a really good mechanic/engineer.

lol, hardly. i hate not being able to do/complete a job. this one won. it beat me. what can i say? still irritates me though.

[ZenGum]

That's exactly what I mean. I also hate starting a job and not finishing it, I'm sure we all do. But I hate it more when I over-reach my abilities and break something and turn a maintenance need into an emergency fix. Recognising when you are at the limits of your abilities and the tools at your disposal is a prime skill. Well done.

[tw]

Originally Posted by plthijinx

i hate not being able to do/complete a job. this one won.

Not necessarily. It may have set a trap. What were consequences of, for example, a partially removed pipe? You would have to replace an entire exhaust manifold and catalytic converter that cannot be removed.

You may have outsmarted a car that had laid a trap.

However, just as fun is getting into that mess. And then discovering how to solve it. Either you outsmarted a car. Or you just missed out on having fun. Either way, you did not lose. Only and maybe did not win.

A simplest ‘shotgun’ solution is replacing an oxygen sensor. Soaking in WD-40 for at least 24 hours may be helpful.

[classicman]

I thought WD-40 was flammable - apparently not?
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[xoxoxoBruce]

It doesn't matter, after you spray and let soak, the flammable component is pretty much gone.

[Pico and ME]

He was pretty sure of the outcome.

I wouldn't have tried that right next my car