Comments on: Everything you need to know about Oxygen Sensor!

By: Sasha

Sasha — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:07:27 +0000

Hello everyone!

Great article by the way! I have a 1997 328is and my check engine light is on with the code P0420 (P0420 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)). I’m not sure yet if my catalytic converter going out or if its just the mysterious O2 sensors. hopefully,

Did anybody have the same problem before? How did you fix it?
Does anybody know which side is bank 1 and which side is bank 2? or let me rephrase that, where are Bank 1 oxygen sensors located? any help would be great

Thanks in Advance

sasha

By: SCOTT

SCOTT — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:52:58 +0000

I HAVE A 94 BMW 325 CI AND I FALLED MY EMISSIONS INSPECTION.TEST LIMITS ARE HC .80 , CO 15.00 , NOX 2.00, MY SCORES WERE HC 2.89 , CO 24.01 , NOX 5.10 I NEED SOMEONE TO TELL ME HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR AND IM VERY UPSET BECAUSE THE GUY GIVE ME RECORDS OF LIFE OF CAR AND IT SAYS THE MOTOR WAS REBUILT AT 149,000 MILES AND IT HAS 214,00 RITE NOW.

By: Tom Williams

Tom Williams — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:25:55 +0000

BMW E39 520i Feb. 1999.

Vehicle misfiring, loss of power and stalls. I had the fuel system checked (tank cleaned, filter replaced, injectors cleaned and regulator replaced). While is an improvement overall, the same problem still occurs. At slow speeds or idle or slow speeds after fast driving, it starts to lose power to the extent that it does not accelerate even if you floor the pedal. Still misfiring in several cylinders and showing rich fuel in cylinders.

By: Tony Sticks

Tony Sticks — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:54:57 +0000

@Cam: The gray wire is the one that you need to tap into. It’s the one that provides the signal.

By: Cam

Cam — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:04:06 +0000

Excuse me, i am installing an air-fuel ratio guage on my e36. I need to know what wire to tap into on my oxygen sensor. there are 3 wires. White, Black, and grey. I need to know which wire is the sending wire. Thank you!!!

By: Tony Sticks

Tony Sticks — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:18:21 +0000

@Robert W.: Hi, First my name is Tony, not Randy :p . Now for your problem, when the “Check Engine” is on. Do you get any error code? If not, I suggest you take the car to another mechanic to run a diagnosis for it and see what the error code(s) are. How did he know that the problem is in the O2 sensor? It’s possible that he’s right (since I don’t have much knowledge about your car), but I suggest you run the diagnosis and see the error code returned yourself before finding solutions for the car.

By: Robert W.

Robert W. — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:57:37 +0000

Hi Randy! I have been reading your articles and Answers on this site and they are quite helpful! Its a great thing you’re doing and I can attest to that! I have a little problem- I have a 1998 BMW 740iL with about 95k miles. I have put a lot of work into it. I change the oil regularly and just had some work done with the coolant, etc. I just recently brought the car to a foreign vehicle mechanic who indicated that my ‘check engine’ light was on because of the thermostat housing around the 02 sensor. He is indicating that with the model that I have the sensor cannot be changed singly. The whole entire housing around the thermostat would have to be replaced as it is damaged. He is unable to provide a reason why this would happen and it appears strange to me. I feel as if he just came up with that because he couldn’t figure out the ‘real’ problem. This is because the ‘check engine’ light was on last two weeks and then it disappeared..and then came back on this week. I’m confused as to whether thats really my problem or not. I live in TX and will be relocating to MI very soon. I will be driving the car out there and its about over 1k miles away. Does the 02 sensor and/or thermostat housing that this mechanic is indicating affect the operation of the vehicle? I know it affects performance but is it a ‘need’ to be replaced for the overal operation of the car? Do you recommend that I change it before the trip or it usually doesn’t cause the car to fail? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

By: BMW E36 M42 DISA Valve | BMW E36 Blog

BMW E36 M42 DISA Valve | BMW E36 Blog — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:37:17 +0000

[...] E36 318is idle and until now, I was unable to totally fix the problem. I’ve cleaned the ICV, changed oxygen sensor, checked for vacuum leaks but this didn’t solve my problem. I still have a problem in one of [...]

By: tony hdez

tony hdez — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:52:43 +0000

hi, i have a 95 isuzu pick-up, it just turn to 90k milles. the o2 sensor lights up,should I change it? thanyou. Reynosa,mexico.

By: Tony Sticks

Tony Sticks — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:03:07 +0000

Hi Jaime, I did a quick search for you and found this: http://www.bba-reman.com/content.aspx?content=bmw_sensor_faults_and_problems I hope this helps.