O2 sensors

[Jrodm12]

Hey I just bought some new O2 sensors for my 89 sho. Problem is I am new to the sho and have no idea where to put them or how? any help or a web site er something would be apreciated. I bought 2 Borg Warner O2 sensors fyi. Thanks in advance.

~Jared
~Yakima, Wa

 

[olympic]

Welcome to SHOforum!

You need a way to get under the car and a metric wrench(21 or 22mm, can't remember) or a special O2 sensor socket wrench. Follow the exhaust pipes up towards the manifolds and you'll find the O2 sensors. They're screwed into the pipes and stick out at 90 degrees, can't miss them. Then you just unhook the wires connected to them and turn them out with the wrench. The rear one is a bit of a pain because it's cramped up in there.

The new ones install the same way, just make sure there is some anti-sieze compound on the threads. Most new sensors already have that applied.

Do yourself a favor and buy a Chiltons repair manual or the Ford factory service manual(ebay). It'll come in handy for any future repairs that you attempt on your SHO.

 

[sdpatt]

If you are still able, return those Borg-Warner parts and get a pair of the Bosch 13942 for $44.99 each from AutoZone. I have personally had a set of the Borg-Warner O2 sensors both fail within 20,000 miles. Unacceptable. While at the 'Zone, borrow or buy an oxygen sensor socket to make the installation simpler.

To access the sensors, raise and jackstand the car's front end. The front bank sensor can be seen while peering under the front valence and looking up the exhaust pipe toward the exhaust manifold. The sensor is the only component screwed into the exhaust pipe and has wires attached to it.

Press the release tab on the electrical connector and separate the connector. Using the O2 sensor socket, remove the sensor from the exhaust pipe. Remove the plastic cap on the new Bosch sensor's threads and install with no more than about 20 lb-ft of torque. Attach the new connector and repeat the process for the rear bank sensor.

To reach the rear bank sensor, you will need to slide your body under the jackstanded car (never get under a car that is supported only by a jack) so that you can look up and see, wearing your safety glasses, the sensor upstream from the catalytic converter. The rear sensor on the MTX is much easier to access than that on the ATX. Remove and replace like the forward bank sensor.

Just for information, the electrical connector on the rear bank sensor of the ATX is more easily accessed by lying atop the engine (use towels) and reaching an arm down between the engine and the firewall. You can press the tab and separate the connector with one hand. Attaching the new connector is performed best from the same position. Removing the old ATX rear bank sensor requires an O2 sensor socket, a universal joint and at least 9" of extensions. The new sensor can be more easily threaded from the position on top of the engine and torqued from below. No matter what method you use, the ATX's rear bank sensor is not fun to replace.

 

[Jrodm12]

nope already put the o2 sensors on the car is running good now still gunna replace T-stat and ECT just to make sure nothing else is goign on. But on another note i had to buy one of those damn o2 sockets. yea i think it is a pos for 15 bucks, it didn't even fit on the orig ford o2 sensors that were in there after a whille of trying to make it work i trew it down the road and grabed a wrench and did it that way there was plety of room for me to do this. Just something to think about before you go spend 15 bucks on what i think is a usless tool.... O btw I did return it and got my money and bought some new Rhino Ramps for the SHO.

 

[Shoaz]

Hehe.

Yeah, I've always just used a crescent wrench to swap out the O2 sensors. It is much easier on an MTX than an ATX, though.

Glad to hear you got that done okay.

 

[Was that a Taurus?]

rear o2 sensor a better way?

First I'd like to thank the SHOforum for this site, the helpful members previous posts, I'd also like to thank my daughter for her support, my Producer and Director...oh wait, wrong forum.
If you bought a hi-miles car, don't assume the previous owner did SQUAT in repairs unless he shows you receipts for repairs.
Previous owner told me he did 60k himself and kept the old plug wires on, which is fine... Decided to check plug wells for oil (after purchase DOH!) yup, they were reading FULL on the dipstick, uhh plug wires.
OK, so better check the plugs, used a gazillion small cut rags on the end of a bent clothes hanger to get most of the oil out, pulled the first plug, (it wasn't even remotely tight!) and it was TRASH! DALGONIT! I was a bigger idiot for trusting him than he was for doing such crappy work.
Decided to replace plugs now, then do 60k VERY VERY soon.
OK, here's the details, if you're going to replace anything in the rear of the motor... plugs, or o2 sensor in my case, it's not difficult to remove the hood and replace it with help from a friend. (stop by your local body shop and ask for pointers)
Pulled the hood off, (5 min) and actually SAW the rear plug wells, cool! Replaced front plugs, all were crap! replaced rear plugs, guess what...Original Motorcraft plugs! The dufus just replaced the front plugs! sheesh.
Anyways, with the hood off they were TOO easy to get to, almost as easy as the front. Decided to replace the rear o2 sensor while I was there, (was getting o2 sensor check engine light) Put a blanket on top of the (cold) motor, and layed...lade...laid...anyways, I spread my big a$$ over the motor so I could look around back there, and lo and behold there it was, that sensor that gets so many people cussin and throwin tools!
I'm gonna try from up here, won't hurt nuttin. (I closed my eyes and used the FORCE, (star wars type) I felt around back there, and tried my 22mm open end wrench and it fit right on there...moved that silver heat shield back out of the way, gave a good heave-** pull on the wrench, and it worked! Got enough revolution I could rotate the open end wrench and unscrew, repeat, till it came out. (Pulled the connector loose from top too...EZ, just look at the new sensor, it'll give you an idea how it disconnects.)
Put the new sensor in place, (again using the FORCE) screwed it in by hand till snug, repeated the wrench crank technique to tighten, snapped the connector on, and we're done. It's really that easy.
To replace the sensor took all of ohh 15 minutes.

If you try it this way, before you remove your hood, mark around the hood hinge bolts (the ones that go in the hood, not the fender support) with a marker to make replacing quicker. When you remove the hood, it's best done with at least 2 people, super easy with 3, one holding the side of the hood while you remove the bolts, the other side you can hold while you remove bolts or have a 3rd person hold it. Let them know that it's a balancing act, don't let it fall into the windshield, don't let it tilt forward. It's not difficult, but if you've never removed a hood before, ask for help so you don't scratch your paint job.
Replacing the hood is pretty much the opposite, align your bolts with the marks you made before you removed it, snug bolts up, not loose, not totally tight, reinstall hydraulic lift cylinders and hood light, slowly lower the hood, (don't let it latch, you're checking hood to fender and bumper cover gaps at this point) If gaps are good, raise hood, tighten bolts, SLOWLY lower hood, double check gaps, if all is good, close the hood. Make sure it releases to open, if it does you're done!

 

[Was that a Taurus?]

ATX rear o2 sensor a better way?

First I'd like to thank the SHOforum for this site, the helpful members previous posts, I'd also like to thank my daughter for her support, my Producer and Director...oh wait, wrong forum.

If you bought a hi-miles car, don't assume the previous owner did SQUAT in repairs unless he shows you receipts for repairs.

Previous owner told me he did 60k himself and kept the old plug wires on, which is fine... Decided to check plug wells for oil (after purchase DOH!) yup, they were reading FULL on the dipstick, uhh plug wires.

OK, so better check the plugs, used a gazillion small cut rags on the end of a bent clothes hanger to get most of the oil out, pulled the first plug, (it wasn't even remotely tight!) and it was TRASH! DALGONIT! I was a bigger idiot for trusting him than he was for doing such crappy work.

Decided to replace plugs now, then do 60k VERY VERY soon.

OK, here's the details, if you're going to replace anything in the rear of the motor... plugs, or o2 sensor on an ATX car in my case, it's not difficult to remove the hood and replace it with help from a friend. (stop by your local body shop and ask for pointers)

Pulled the hood off, (5 min) and actually SAW the rear plug wells, cool! Replaced front plugs, all were crap! replaced rear plugs, guess what...Original Motorcraft plugs! The dufus just replaced the front plugs! sheesh.

Anyways, with the hood off they were TOO easy to get to, almost as easy as the front. Decided to replace the rear o2 sensor while I was there, (was getting o2 sensor check engine light) Put a blanket on top of the (cold) motor, and layed...lade...laid...anyways, I spread my big a$$ over the motor so I could look around back there, and lo and behold there it was, that sensor that gets so many people cussin and throwin tools!

I'm gonna try from up here, won't hurt nuttin. (I closed my eyes and used the FORCE, (star wars type) I felt around back there, and tried my 22mm open end wrench and it fit right on there...moved that silver heat shield back out of the way, gave a good heave-** pull on the wrench, and it worked! Got enough revolution I could rotate the open end wrench and unscrew, repeat, till it came out. (Pulled the connector loose from top too...EZ, just look at the new sensor, it'll give you an idea how it disconnects.)

Put the new sensor in place, (again using the FORCE) screwed it in by hand till snug, repeated the wrench crank technique to tighten, snapped the connector on, and we're done. It's really that easy.
To replace the sensor took all of ohh 15 minutes.

If you try it this way, before you remove your hood, mark around the hood hinge bolts (the ones that go in the hood, not the fender support) with a marker to make replacing quicker. Remove hydraulic lifts, and hood light (connector behind the black plastic cover). When you remove the hood, it's best done with at least 2 people, super easy with 3, one holding the side of the hood while you remove the bolts, the other side you can hold while you remove bolts or have a 3rd person hold it. Let them know that it's a balancing act, don't let it fall into the windshield, don't let it tilt forward. It's not difficult, but if you've never removed a hood before, ask for help so you don't scratch your paint job. (Remove the upper hood hinge bolt first, then the lower bolt).
Replacing the hood is pretty much the opposite, align your bolts with the marks you made before you removed it, snug bolts up, not loose, not totally tight, reinstall hydraulic lift cylinders and hood light, slowly lower the hood, (don't let it latch, you're checking hood to fender and bumper cover gaps at this point) If gaps are good, raise hood, tighten bolts, SLOWLY lower hood, double check gaps, if all is good, close the hood. Make sure it releases to open, if it does you're done!

Hood remove and replace, 15 minutes
Plug change, 1 hr (@#$% oild in wells!)
o2 sensor 15 minutes

When I do the overhead (upper 60k) that hood is gonna be off the car leaned up against the wall (with rags under the corners of the hood between it and the floor)

Anyone tries it, let us know how it works out, (BTW long skinny arms replacing o2 sensor is a BIG plus).

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU! and with all things, look and think before you jump in with tools. A SHO is a terrible thing to waste.