oxygen sensors and off-road H pipe

hollywoodstang · Sep 10, 2009

Hey guys

I have off road H pipe and my oxygen sensor is bad. I pulled the code and it turned out to be o2 sensor and ACT sensor.

How long does o2 sensors last with off road H pipe?

And does the bad o2 sensors and ACT sensor make the car acts like it's mis-firing?

Thanks

desertcox05 · Sep 10, 2009

o2's don't know you have an o/r pipe on the car. they are before the cats therefore running with or without cats makes no difference to the o2 sensors.

hollywoodstang · Sep 10, 2009

Okay. BUT my question was

"does bad o2 sensors make your car acts like it's misfiring?"

when the car is cold it sounds like major misfire or bucking. Only codes i got is 181 and 113.

O2 and AIT sensor...

My A/F ratio gauge is completely dead. that means bad o2.

HISSIN50 · Sep 10, 2009

Look for exhaust leaks on that O/R to downtube connection. Swap the O2 to the other side and see if the code follows the sensor.

A bad O2 signal can cause lots of issues.

Take a look at your IAT and make sure it's not covered in filth and that the connection is clean.

revhead347 · Sep 10, 2009

I had a bad O2 nearly incapacitate my car.

Kurt

hollywoodstang · Sep 10, 2009

Yeah mine is running like crap...My idle goes up and down and died and missing. I am switching out the o2 today and replacing the ACT sensor today to see what happens, Tomorrow is track day so i gotta get this thing running good again.

do you guys know how long these o2 sensors last with off road pipe? it seems like it only lasts 20,000 miles at the most...

thanks

HISSIN50 · Sep 10, 2009

Again, the O/R pipe has no meaningful affect on the O2 lifespan.

hollywoodstang · Sep 11, 2009

okay. I switched out the O2 sensors and ACT sensor and reset the ECU by leaving the - terminal. the CEL light is gone.

BUT the car still misses on the way. weird...This all started when i switched to 1 step colder spark plug because i am using the nitrous.

I gapped the plugs at .35 as everyone recommended. I am using full MSD ignition including digital6 and dizzy as well...

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH THIS?! I am getting little frustrated..

HELP ME! lol. I got no code and CEL light is no more. I checked for all the vacuum leak and there are none. I am stumped

HISSIN50 · Sep 11, 2009

Run a cylinder balance test. A plug might have broken during the install, a wire might not be seated properly, etc.

hollywoodstang · Sep 11, 2009

This is my 2nd set of plugs within a month. I thought it was the spark plug so i switched it out to different set. I am using MSD wires and they are good also. My cylinders are fine.

I am going to switch out the plug wires again. these 94-95 MSD wires are so short...I am thinking about using fox MSD wires. that should be okay right?

I am starting to think it's the MAF sensor. it does not throw any code but who knows...I cleaned the MAF as well with MAF cleaner. I am using ford thunder bird 5.0 MAF sensor since they share the same engine. i thought mine was bad so i switched it out.

what other thought do you have?

thanks

mjsbullitt · Sep 11, 2009

i have a/f ratio gauge in my car, i bought the car a few weeks ago, and the gauge is always bouncing back and forth between lean/rich. it never rests on one side, it just kind of bounces off each side, i figured it was broken but could it possibly be a bad o2 sensor?

HISSIN50 · Sep 11, 2009

hollywoodstang said:
My cylinders are fine.

A cylinder balance test has nothing to do with the condition of your cylinders. It's a diagnostic that can help find the source of the miss.

Mjsbullitt, that's normal for a narrowband gauge.

hollywoodstang · Sep 11, 2009

mjsbullitt said:
i have a/f ratio gauge in my car, i bought the car a few weeks ago, and the gauge is always bouncing back and forth between lean/rich. it never rests on one side, it just kind of bounces off each side, i figured it was broken but could it possibly be a bad o2 sensor?

If it's bouncing it's good. If it's not bouncing...you should be worried.

Anyhow. i will do the cylinder test.

Thanks but other ideas might be great also

imaboa · Sep 11, 2009

Do you have any way of tuning the car? Like twEECer or Quarterhorse?

They make good tools for diagnosing problems liek what you have.

I was able to diagnose a faulty o2 by making the car run in open loop fueling all the time. His car would run lean at WOT, partially b/c the ECU wasnt going into Open Loop, and partially because the O2 sensor was bad.

Just a thought.

toyman · Sep 12, 2009

hollywoodstang said:
okay.I am using full MSD ignition including digital6 and dizzy as well...

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH THIS?! I am getting little frustrated..

Many have had issues with the MSD dizzy. Just a suggestion.

hollywoodstang · Sep 14, 2009

well. i know people say that but i never had "knock on wood" any problems for over 2 years almost.

1st. Car drive's fine now. it's weird...it seems like it take a while for car to "fix" itself or learn that the problem is gone...

2nd. i have had my mechanic do the cylinder balance thing and cam back fine.

3rd. i am having a valve cover leak. please recommend good gasket. i am using trickflow aluminum valve covers.

4th. i am using thunderbird maf sensor off 5.0 is this okay?

Thanks

revhead347 · Sep 14, 2009

Felpro makes those really nice metal gaskets with the rubber ring. They are about $26 each, and I have found them to be the best gasket. However, they don't work with many of the aftermarket heads, like my Canfields. If you want to get a good gasket, get a rubber Felpro. There is a trick to getting them though. When you go to the parts store (Autozone or Advance sells Felpro), you have to ask them to look it up under a mid 80s application (85 Ford Crown Vic 302 works fine). Felpro doesn't make a rubber gasket for cast valve covers, only stamped ones. The only difference is that the gasket is going to have those little nobbies on it that fit into the detents of a stamped valve cover. I recommend cutting the nobbies off with a pear of dykes, but truth be told, you can twist them off with your fingers. I think the gasket number is VS13264R, but I'm not positive.

Kurt

oxygen sensors and off-road H pipe

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