Those codes are for the front sensors. NOT the rear ones.

 

Did you put the spacers on the downstream sensors?

 

Yeah, I put the spacers on the rear two, the ones that go into the cats. One on the passenger side and the other on the driver side. The single one up front on the passenger side I left alone.

 

Try this. Just completely remove the downstream sensors and put plugs in the bungs. Run the upstreams like normal and see what happens. The downstream sensors have no impact at all on engine performance, and should do nothing more than throw a code for catalyst efficiency and downstream sensor heaters. I think you may have jacked something up as far as mixing up sensors and what not

 

When you say downstream are you taking about the rear o2 sensors? The ones that go into the cats?

 

Yes.

 

Like I said. Those codes are for your front sensors. Either the wiring is messed up or you need new sensors. Messing with the rear sensors is going to do nothing to get rid of those codes. You need to fix the front two sensors and that misfire code will probably go away too. Either that or you have a short in harness somewhere and it's effecting the sensors and/or ignition. Look up the codes. I think it's stuck rich or lean for front sensors, or circuit intermitent. Quit messing with the rear sensors. Those are considered sensor 2 when you're looking at codes.

 

Thats why I told him to take them out. I'm thinking he connected the rear ones to the front plugs or something. it will eliminate confusion.

 

Don't the stock sensors have different plugs for the fronts and rears? Aren't they different colors too?

 

They are different colors but a lot of the plugs on our car don't color match with the female ends. If I remember correctly one of the plugs will go into both females but the other one will only plug into one. cant remember which though.

 

I only have one front sensor and two rear.

 

No, you have 4 sensors stock. Two before the cats (front) and two after/in the cats (rear) . The ones that you are having issues with are the front one/s. I didn't look up the codes but they will tell you exactly which one it is or if it's both. Bank 1 sensor 1 is the front passenger side one. Bank 2 sensor 1 is the front driver's side one (the one you can't see).

 

well that's a problem. You should have 2 upstreams. One in the passenger midpipe and one in the drivers side manifold

 

That's the way the car is stock, 1 upstream on passenger side and 2 downstream. 1 on each side. Unless there's an upstream on the drivers side that I don't see, but it isn't in the exhaust.

 

Thats what towelie is saying, there are 2 upstream and the one that is throwing all the codes is the one that is on the drivers side exhaust manifold. You can see it from the top when you pop the hood but not from underneath.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

Ok you're right I did find the 4th o2 sensor in the exhaust manifold. That's the one throwing the code. Is there anything that can be done? Should they have spacers too?

 

No Spacers, you will mess things up if those don't read correctly. Those are the sensors that your PCM uses to control fuel trims. If you **** with those you run the possibility of running lean, and bad things happen when you run lean. The only thing that you can do is to check the wiring before buying a new sensor. Or if the wires are long enough to switch sides with the other front sensor you can swap them from side to side and see if the code follows it. That will let you know if the one sensor is bad. These things go out though so it is not too much of a reach to have one go bad. I think I have only one out of the four original sensors in my car.

 

Replace it. Get the NTK ones off of rock auto, they're like 25 bucks. No spacers

 

I'm on my fourth set of front sensors, the rear ones were deleted long ago

 

So is this normal when you put on an x-pipe and eliminate cats? Or does that front sensor need to be replaced?

 

No it's not normal. Id say one of your sensors is bad

 

Thanks for your help guys. I'm going to go get a new o2 sensor and try it out. So strange that this happened when I got my x-pipe installed and spaced the rear sensors. It was so confusing and it's seems like a coincidence bc I didn't touch the 2 front sensors. Now if I delete the 2 rear sensors, will I get a CEL? Or just leave them spaced like I have them?

 

Did you get your car tuned for the O/R pipe? If so you can take the rear ones out. if not you will throw a CEL for the rears but it really doesn't effect anything. Or you can leave them in and see what happens. It might not throw a code with the anti foulers on there, but it might. But like I said, rear sensor codes don't do anything but turn on that annoying light.

 

I've never got it tuned. After putting the spacers I actually never got a code for them, the CEL was for the front one. So I guess I will leave the spacers in.

 

Score. It was a bad o2 sensor. Car runs great now with no codes pending or CEL. It was such a bitch to get to and get off. It's so bizzarre tho how this happened when I got my x pipe put on and this wasn't even the sensor that had to be removed from the stock exhaust and put on the new one. What concerns me is how do I know that the codes that were thrown wasn't an actual problem and not the sensor? Like the misfire code, how would I know it's the sensor as opposed to something else causing the misfire? And since the sensor did cause the misfire I hope it didn't **** up the cylinder

 

You will be OK. You won't ever damage your engine with a misfire per say. You don't know it was the sensor that caused the misfire but it is a reasonable deduction since it controls fuel trims. But just wait and see if the misfire code comes back. Put it this way, the misfire did not cause the sensor to go bad, but the sensor probably caused the misfire.

 

Awesome. Thanks for yours and everyone else's help.