jrust Posted February 9, 2005 Posted February 9, 2005 I took my 01 RX300 in to the Lexus dealer becasue the VSC, Trac and Engine fault lights were on. They said both oxygen sensors had failed and they would repair it to the tune of $820. I see the price of sensors typically range from about $100 - $150 on the internet. Are there recommendations for what brand to buy? Are both sensors the same and does anyone have instructions for their location and replacement procedures?
ColinBarber Posted February 9, 2005 Posted February 9, 2005 There are 3 sensors on the RX, the one after the cat is a heated oxygen sensor however the other two are Air/Fuel ratio sensors which work differently and you need to replace with the OEM Denso part - don't think you can get those of under $200 each
jrust Posted February 10, 2005 Author Posted February 10, 2005 do you use regular or premium gas? ← The manual states regular gas of 98 octane, 91 octane if you want higher performance. I don't have any knocking or hesitation on the engine. I bought the RX recenty with 88K on it and it now has a little over 90K.
SKperformance Posted February 10, 2005 Posted February 10, 2005 You mean 89 not 98 octance right? So do you use 87 89 91 or 93 octane?
LexKid630 Posted February 10, 2005 Posted February 10, 2005 the cheep gas is 87 the middle is around 89 the premium is 92/93 ...isn't it?
SKperformance Posted February 10, 2005 Posted February 10, 2005 sunoco uses 93 or 94 most premium is only 91
jrust Posted February 12, 2005 Author Posted February 12, 2005 My problem is resolved. I found a message from Micky00 from Januray 2, 2005 where he states "A common cause of the check engine and vsc lights coming on is the small black hose behind the air filter box coming off. Usually after a quick lube place checks the air filter. You didn't by chance check the air filter when you were changing the battery or access that area for any reason? If thats not it I would reset the computer by disconnecting the battery or pulling the efi fuse and see if the lights come on again. If so, I would get autozone, dealer, or other source to read the code causing the problem. May be a bad sensor." I did in fact check the air filter and the connector was off. I also filled with premium gas and and reset the computer by pulling the fuses. Thanks for the help.
dgorrie Posted February 12, 2005 Posted February 12, 2005 There is always good information here, and I try to contribute where I can. For future reference, I just acquired an air/fuel ratio sensor new at http://newlexusparts.com, for about $188. Shipping was noted as free, and if you send it outside Texas, there is no sales tax. The part, by the way, is a Denso (short for Nippondenso, I believe). My understanding is that Denso is OEM. Is it better than Bosch, which is typically cheaper -- I couldn't say. I can't believe that it would take more than 45 minutes to change BOTH air/fuel sensors - probably less. If you needed these parts, you could probably get them mail order and have any reputable shop swap all 3 parts (1 O2 sensor and 2 air/fuel) for about 1.5 hours of REAL time (versus book time)
ColinBarber Posted February 13, 2005 Posted February 13, 2005 The part, by the way, is a Denso (short for Nippondenso, I believe). My understanding is that Denso is OEM. Is it better than Bosch, which is typically cheaper -- I couldn't say. ← Not sure if Bosch even produce the same type of air/fuel sensors. FYI Denso isn't short for anything. Nippondenso was the old company name which was changed to Denso 9 years ago.
mikey00 Posted February 13, 2005 Posted February 13, 2005 My problem is resolved. I found a message from Micky00 from Januray 2, 2005 where he states "A common cause of the check engine and vsc lights coming on is the small black hose behind the air filter box coming off. Usually after a quick lube place checks the air filter. You didn't by chance check the air filter when you were changing the battery or access that area for any reason? If thats not it I would reset the computer by disconnecting the battery or pulling the efi fuse and see if the lights come on again. If so, I would get autozone, dealer, or other source to read the code causing the problem. May be a bad sensor." I did in fact check the air filter and the connector was off. I also filled with premium gas and and reset the computer by pulling the fuses. Thanks for the help. ← That doesn't say much for your dealer service dept. I wonder if after they changed the sensors and charged you $800. they would have reconnected the hose for free. Mike
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now