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need an advice on how to remove stripped front o2 sensor

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Dominasian

Proven Member
136
0
Jan 30, 2013
Aurora, Colorado
So yesterday i was performing mtx-l wideband installation and got everything working except i failed in an attempt to remove old o2 sensor. Before even doing anything i sprayed it with wd40 and got a 22mm wrench. After an hour of trying i just gave up because all the edges were stripped and i can barely hook the wrench to the o2 sensor. I am trying to put new one in the front o2 housing and that just didn't work out so well. I've seen a video where a person bough a special o2 sensor removing tool and specially for stripped ones, he taped the edges for better grip, i wonder if anybody tried that before ?

I also have some exhaust leaks at the catalytic and i was wondering if i will be better off putting new o2 housing along with fixing all the exhaust leaks at the muffler shop, anybody knows approximate price for going this route ?
 
Since it is stripped you're not left with many options... I would tack weld an old 22mm or 7/8 wrench to it, grind the welds off when it's broke loose
 
cut the o2 sensor wire (assuming the old one is just getting tossed), heat up the bolt and try pounding a 21mm long socket on (if that doesnt work, try a 27/32", which is only slightly smaller than 22mm). if those wont work, you're stuck with vicegrips or tackwelding a wrench on as stated before. then heat up the o2 housing around the bung with a cold rag around the sensor to keep the bolt from expanding with the bung
 
Pipe wrench bset way to go prior to that add some heat to it then some good ole Pb Blaster and let it set a while and start working it out slow with left and right move ment
 
Sounds like he was using an open ended wrench, not a proper socket or line wrench...

I third the welding of a wrench to it. Then get some string when you have the wrench and sensor welded together in your hand and dangle it around your rear view to remind you to use proper tools for the job next time :)

I tried a wrench like that one time long ago... after stripping one side, not the whole sensor, I now own the wrench and the socket to pull o2 sensors.

If you cant weld it your next best bet is heat and the biggest pipe wrench you can fit in there. Probably a 12" will do
 
Sounds like he was using an open ended wrench, not a proper socket or line wrench...

I third the welding of a wrench to it. Then get some string when you have the wrench and sensor welded together in your hand and dangle it around your rear view to remind you to use proper tools for the job next time :)

I tried a wrench like that one time long ago... after stripping one side, not the whole sensor, I now own the wrench and the socket to pull o2 sensors.

If you cant weld it your next best bet is heat and the biggest pipe wrench you can fit in there. Probably a 12" will do

I wonder how you used a socket wrench when you have wires go to the sensor, i also wonder how you used line wrench, open ended wrench is the only one that it is possible to do unless you cut the wire (if you dont remember you have an edge of the o2 housing that is not letting you put the "PROPER" tool in, other way is to use special o2 sensor removal tool that will allow you to keep the wiring.
 
Not sure how bad it is but I would try using an oxygen sensor socket and maybe hammering it onto the sensor. If it's beyond that then PB Blaster and vice grips. Clamp the vice grips as tight as you can get them, straight off the nut on the o2 sensor. Then use a wrench perpendicular on the vice grips and that should do it.
 
My next step will be heating up o2 housing and use oxygen removal tool, if that doesnt work then vice grips, and then ill just give up and give my car to a shop to install new ported housing that i have laying around and fix exhaust leaks at the same time :)

Offtopic question: how much power to the wheel my car can produce with:
t28 at 20 psi
3"catback
Evo injectors
190 walbro
1g BOV (if its not gonna leak at 20 psi)
street tune
assuming i have no boost leaks or oil leaks anywhere
 
I wonder how you used a socket wrench when you have wires go to the sensor, i also wonder how you used line wrench, open ended wrench is the only one that it is possible to do unless you cut the wire (if you dont remember you have an edge of the o2 housing that is not letting you put the "PROPER" tool in, other way is to use special o2 sensor removal tool that will allow you to keep the wiring.


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^ this will answer your question. The open gap on this allows the wire to be on the side and twist as you go.

I went to a local auto part store and bought something similar to what I posted here. A few twist and it came loose.
Now if used a wrench or something similar you will have a hard time at least in my experience prior to buying this special o2 tool.
I don't remember what the name of the tool is but if you go to like Sears or something similar they should have something for you to work on the o2 sensor if it is stripped. GL.
 
Congratz me on installing wide band, with a o2 sensor removal tool that i bought for 9$ i got this thing out and now drive with a new/better sensor. Although i still have some problems
First of all my Check engine light is on - have no idea why ?
Second, after calibrating the sensor it is still a bit off from what says in the DSMLink, why ?
I tried to mess a little with car idle, and tuned it to be perfect, but after taking it for a ride, it got messed up again, so i tuned it again, and it got messed up again, whats the problem ?
 
I wonder how you used a socket wrench when you have wires go to the sensor, i also wonder how you used line wrench, open ended wrench is the only one that it is possible to do unless you cut the wire (if you dont remember you have an edge of the o2 housing that is not letting you put the "PROPER" tool in, other way is to use special o2 sensor removal tool that will allow you to keep the wiring.

Are you joking? Do you know what an o2 socket or a line wrench is?

A line wrench is like a regular closed end wrench except it has a cut out to fit around say... a line.... it has about an 80% coverage on the the bolt surface instead of the 30% a box wrench has.

Like I said before, get the right tools for the job... and I see you already figured out the socket I was talking about.... (golf clap)....

So now on to your problems... you probably cut the sensor off and dont have it hooked up and wrapped in aluminum foil when you took it out. The ecu is throwing a code because you are missing a sensor by being lazy and not welding in the bung and keeping the front o2 where it should stay.... pretty much sums it up.

See if your wideband has a narrowband wire to connect to the ecu to send the signal to it..... its basically reading you took a sensor out and didn't put one back in
 
Have you pulled the code yet? That will tell all.

If all youve changed is the o2 sensor and then popped the code then thats most likely what it is. Double check wiring/connections from the wideband.

I dont have link, but doesnt that tell you cel's right on the program?
 
last time i had a stuck and stripped o2 sensor in a car i ended up breaking off the ceramic, grabbing a cheap socket and a bit of jb weld, packing the socket corners with jbweld, putting it on whats left of the sensor, letting it dry, then torquing it off with an impact. then just used a chisel to get the jbweld out of the socket.
 
A line wrench is like a regular closed end wrench except it has a cut out to fit around say... a line.... it has about an 80% coverage on the the bolt surface instead of the 30% a box wrench has.
Old thread, but I happened across it and might be facing the same issue in the near future.

I know this wrench as a flare nut wrench, used on any soft metal line with flared fittings. The wrench is about 330 degrees around instead of 360, so you can get over the supply line. (AC, brakes, some fuel lines, etc) Of course they don't sell flare nut wrenches in the size you want, so you need to make your own. With a cut off wheel slice a gap in the correct size box wrench. Now it fits over the wire and still has a box wrench like grip. If you don't have a welder, that can be the way out.

I probably have about about 8 custom made tools for special cases like this.
 
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