Check engine light

[Qacer]

My check engine light came on, and I got the following code from the ODBII reader:

P0401 EGR Flow Insufficient
P0133 O2 Sensor Ckt Slow Bank 1 Sensor 1

My friend said that I can probably replaced the oxygen sensor myself. My question is: where do I find the oxygen sensor and where can I find the instructions to replacing it?

Thanks!

 

[Zenmervolt]

Haynes Manual will show you what to do. With an 11 year old car though, that sucker is probably stuck in there pretty good and will take some "convincing" to come out.

ZV

 

[bruceb]

See link .. I think it is the engine side closest to the Radiator.
Also be sure Antiseize is on the new O2 sensor before installing
it. Most of them come with it on the threads. And yes it will be
tight after all those miles and you will need a large Box Wrench
or a special O2 socket that has the slot in side for the wires to
go so you can use the wrench.

http://www.corolland.com/repairs.html

 

[BW86]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Haynes Manual will show you what to do. With an 11 year old car though, that sucker is probably stuck in there pretty good and will take some "convincing" to come out.

ZV

yep, its most likely stuck in the header. The last time I removed an oxygen sensor, I had to get out the trusty propane torch.

 

[Qacer]

Aha. So it's probably better for me to just take this sucker to a mechanic? If so, for how long can I drive it? I'm thinking it'll be about 2-3 days before I can go to the mechanic.

 

[alpineranger]

Try it yourself first, on your car it should be really accessible (4 cyl fwd toyotas normally are). I'd say it'll be as easy (if not easier) than changing a spark plug. Take a picture of the front of your engine bay and we can point it out. If you fail, you can always take it someone else later. It will cost you though (probably about 2x just on the parts cost alone). I got mine off (10 yr old car) with not much trouble after I got a decently long (1.5 ft) breaker bar and a proper o2 sensor socket. Both are available on loan at autozone. If that fails, I'd try penetrating oil before the torch, but it'd almost put money on you not having to.

edit: explanation - you live in florida, not new york, so you won't have as much rust as most.

 

[Qacer]

Originally posted by: alpineranger
Try it yourself first, on your car it should be really accessible (4 cyl fwd toyotas normally are). I'd say it'll be as easy (if not easier) than changing a spark plug. Take a picture of the front of your engine bay and we can point it out. If you fail, you can always take it someone else later. It will cost you though (probably about 2x just on the parts cost alone). I got mine off (10 yr old car) with not much trouble after I got a decently long (1.5 ft) breaker bar and a proper o2 sensor socket. Both are available on loan at autozone. If that fails, I'd try penetrating oil before the torch, but it'd almost put money on you not having to.

edit: explanation - you live in florida, not new york, so you won't have as much rust as most.

I got the picture uploaded here: http://bayimg.com/LaJPgaAbj

Hopefully, I can still drive this car for another week.

 

[Bignate603]

As long it's not stuck in you can change it yourself. Go to Rockauto.com and plug in what you need. If the CEL just came on you're good for a while. Eventually it will roast your cat.

For the EGR it's simple to remove (usually) and you can try blasting in a bunch of carb cleaner. You can use a toothbrush to carefully scrub it out.

 

[FeuerFrei]

If your Corolla is not California spec, then there is a single O2 sensor plugged just under the exhaust header.
Cali. spec models have an O2 sensor plugged into the header itself and another along the pipe underneath.

 

[Qacer]

My Corolla is not CA spec. However, I was able to look at the RM500U service manual briefly and noticed that there are two sensors:

Bank 1 Sensor 1 is located in the front
Bank 1 Sensor 2 is located behind (heated)

Here is a picture of the parts location: http://bayimg.com/OajaDAABK . From the looks of it, does it look like I need to jack my car up?

I'm assuming with an 85% confidence that I'm going to be needing a new front oxygen sensor (2 wires). But I'm not quite sure which one to get. This is the parts category from RockAuto.com: 1997 TOYOTA COROLLA 1.8L 1762cc L4 MFI (B) [7AFE] : Emission : Oxygen Sensor

I'm not sure what the difference between Universal Type and OE Type. I also see an Adelco part for $32, but I'm not too familiar with this brand. I'm not also sure if this requires an additional adapter to install into my car.

Thanks!

 

[FeuerFrei]

The OE part would be manufactured by the company Toyota originally partnered with when building the Corolla. I'm pretty sure Denso is the OEM for your sensor. I know it was for the '93 Corolla.

I wouldn't buy the Universal fit sensor. A Universal Type would no doubt require the adapter for each specific application.

There should be plenty of clearance behind the radiator to reach down and unbolt the sensor from above, though the O2 sensor is closer to the underside so you could jack it and work from below.

 

[alpineranger]

Don't get universal fit unless you are comfortable with electrical wiring, you will have to cut off the old connector and attach it to the new sensor, and if you mix up the two wires that would be bad. I'm amazed that these (odb2) cars require non heated (less than 3 wires) o2 sensors, which are cheaper but wear out much sooner. Your picture doesn't show the space between the exhaust manifold and radiator, which is where the o2 sensor is, but looking from your diagram you should be able to remove it easily from the top.

 

[Qacer]

I opened the hood and actually saw that I may have just enough room to take out the O2 sensor. The problem is that my friend sent me some Mitchell Repair text regarding the errors that I got. The text suggested that I should take care of the EGR error first before the O2 sensor. Is it possible that the EGR error is what's causing the O2 sensor slow response? .... and I already bought one at RockAuto.

 

[alpineranger]

no it would not. o2 sensor reading always rich or always lean could be caused by other systems, but not slow response. They say that unheated o2 sensors should be replaced every 50-60k. I think that might be somewhat conservative, but if you've gone significantly longer than that it's entirely reasonable that the sensor will be worn out, or contaminated, giving the slow response.

 

[Qacer]

I just got the O2 sensor fix. My check engine light is still on, so I will need to fix the EGR problem. How long will I be able to drive my car before getting this fix? It's going to cost me around $200 for parts (estimated). I'm waiting for my next paycheck before shelling out for the fix.