O2 Oxygen Sensors

[lenore]

Hey I did a search and came up empty, Has anyone used the Denso Universal 4 wire O2 sensor in their RX300? And the next question is how reputable are those on Ebay?

[lenore]

Hey members, I am posting again to bring this back up on the board, Any input would be appreciated. Thanks :)

[wwest]

Hey members, I am posting again to bring this back up on the board, Any input would be appreciated. Thanks :)

Why bother..??

Rare failure, OEM isn't that costly anyway.

[lenore]

Hey west, I have 125k on my sensors, should I look at replacing them? And by the way the Denso sensors were going for around $25 apiece. Quite cheap.

[monarch]

The front oxygen sensor (one ahead of the cat converter) is the one that is constantly sending a signal to the Engine Control Module to adjust the fuel-air ratio for maximum fuel economy and lowest emissions. As the oxygen sensor ages, it gradually gets lazy resulting in slightly higher fuel consumption and slightly higher emissions. When it gets really lazy the check engine light will come on and by then your fuel economy could be off as much as 2 MPG.

The rear sensor has no effect on fuel economy and lasts approx. twice as long so shouldn't need replacing until around 250,000 miles.

The Toyota Highlander 3.0L V6 probably uses the same front oxygen sensor as the RX300 V6

http://www.1sttoyotaparts.com/partscat.html

OXYGEN SENSOR, Highlander, 3.0L, Front 01-03 MSRP: $204.9 Sale price: $147.58

So if your local Roseville Lexus dealer (Matt Molini ? ) was willing to sell you the RX300 sensor for around $150-160 that would be a good deal considering that dealer cost is probably around $120.

[Grumpa72]

Hey I did a search and came up empty, Has anyone used the Denso Universal 4 wire O2 sensor in their RX300? And the next question is how reputable are those on Ebay?

Buy an O2 sensor on eBay? NEVER! Try

http://www.automedicsupply.com/index.php?&...1024&height=768

I believe the original website is www.oxygensensors.com and it directs to the above URL.

Gary

[lenore]

Thankyou for your input, My next question is do I just let them fail, or is there a way to see how they are performing at this time. I have no codes and no check engine lights.

[RX in NC]

Tom,

I would let them fail. I've had to replace the air/fuel ratio sensor once and the bank 1 sensor once (both covered under warranty by Lexus). Why risk cracking the exhaust manifold until you have to? As you might suspect, sometimes these sensors are not easy to remove and you can crack the manifold if you're not careful and sometimes even when you ARE careful....

[lenore]

Thanks RX, I suppose you can apply a little penetrating oil to remove them as long as you clean the surfaces real well before putting the new ones in. BY the way I finished the tile around the pool. Next repairing the bottom pool base aggregate before the new liner.

[monarch]

Thankyou for your input, My next question is do I just let them fail, or is there a way to see how they are performing at this time. I have no codes and no check engine lights.

Monitoring HC and CO emissions and fuel economy is a good way to gauge oxygen sensor performance. If your engine still generates CO & HC emissions in the single digits ( 0 - 9 ppm) and you havn't noticed any loss of fuel economy then your sensor is still likely working pretty good.

If you plan on keeping the car along time and don't want to face future expenses like catalytic converter replacement then you need to do everything possible to minimize the amount of fuel the engine consumes and the amount of emissions it generates. The catalytic converter and EGR valve on one of my Toyotas is still going strong after 469,000 miles because I replaced the oxygen sensor before it wore out enough to trigger a check engine light.

To replace the sensor you soak the mounting nuts overnight in penetrating oil and then use a six point socket or box wrench to loosen them. I slowly loosen a bit, spray penetrating oil, then tighten a bit, spray again and then loosen, etc. so as to not strip the threads. But on a 2001 California Lexus like yours, the mounting nuts and threads are probably not hardly corroded yet.

[Grumpa72]

Thankyou for your input, My next question is do I just let them fail, or is there a way to see how they are performing at this time. I have no codes and no check engine lights.

Let them fail. You will get a warning light (don't remember the light or what the message says) but on most cars it is a "check engine" light. Once you hook up an OBD II scanner, it will tell you which sensor has failed.

Gary

[monarch]

If you buy from oxygensensors.com you

1. pay a little more than the $147.58 price a discount Toyota or Lexus dealer will charge for a front Denso sensor.

2. You pay another $100+ for a new rear sensor because oxygensensors.com says you need to replace both the front and rear sensors. But the rear sensor lasts twice as long as the front one and has no effect of fuel economy or emissions, therefore it does not need to be replaced until the car has mega odometer miles

(up around 250,000+ miles)

3. You may not end up with a perfect fit Denso sensor that is exactly the same in every way, as the factory original sensor (exact same length pigtail wires, etc).

4. You may be lured into buying an inferior "universal" oxygen sensor or aftermarket brand like Walker

(Walker recommends replacement of their sensors every 30,000 miles which doesn't say much for the quality !)

Sparkplugs.com has these same shortcomings too.

[Grumpa72]

If you buy from oxygensensors.com you

1. pay a little more than the $147.58 price a discount Toyota or Lexus dealer will charge for a front Denso sensor.

2. You pay another $100+ for a new rear sensor because oxygensensors.com says you need to replace both the front and rear sensors. But the rear sensor lasts twice as long as the front one and has no effect of fuel economy or emissions, therefore it does not need to be replaced until the car has mega odometer miles

(up around 250,000+ miles)

3. You may not end up with a perfect fit Denso sensor that is exactly the same in every way, as the factory original sensor (exact same length pigtail wires, etc).

4. You may be lured into buying an inferior "universal" oxygen sensor or aftermarket brand like Walker

(Walker recommends replacement of their sensors every 30,000 miles which doesn't say much for the quality !)

Sparkplugs.com has these same shortcomings too.

Do you know this from personal experience? I have used Denso on other cars and they fit, act, and work like OEM.

Gary

[monarch]

Do you know this from personal experience? I have used Denso on other cars and they fit, act, and work like OEM.Gary

Yep, from personal experience. Example: in the early 1990's the factory original spark plugs that were installed on some Toyotas came from the factory set at a gap of .041" - which is optimum for performance and fuel economy - even though the factory spec listed in the owners manual is .043". Now if you buy genuine Toyota replacement spark plugs for these same Toyota engines from a Toyota dealer, they will also come set to .041", But if you purchase them from an auto parts store they'll be set at .043" or ,044" resulting in less responsive engine performance.

[lenore]

Well folks I received the O2 sensor from Ebay in 3 days from Florida. Good transaction so far. I compared it visually to the one on the front bank exhaust. Looks like a dead ringer size and shape wise. The one I ordered is a four wire universal made by Denso. Good quality heat shield shrink was supplied as well as crimps, however I would solder being a technician for 38 years, I dont like crimps in elements of heat etc.

Sorry guys that is all I can give you right now, but the product looks first class just like the one in the manifold. got it for $25 delivered to my house. what a deal....

[spaghetti]

any update on how the universal sensors worked?

[Karl K]

Hello,

I have a code P1135 (Air/Fuel Ratio Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction Bank 1Sensor 1)

My problem is that I can't find a direct Part Number replacement.

I checked with oxygensensors.com

The Toyota Number on my sensor is: 89467-18011

Is this number possibly superseded?

Thanks for any help

Karl

[mschluns]

Well folks I received the O2 sensor from Ebay in 3 days from Florida. Good transaction so far. I compared it visually to the one on the front bank exhaust. Looks like a dead ringer size and shape wise. The one I ordered is a four wire universal made by Denso. Good quality heat shield shrink was supplied as well as crimps, however I would solder being a technician for 38 years, I dont like crimps in elements of heat etc.

Sorry guys that is all I can give you right now, but the product looks first class just like the one in the manifold. got it for $25 delivered to my house. what a deal....

can u give the denso part number of the item purchased, the denso website says there is no universal fit for the front 2 fuel ratio sensors

[lenore]

the numbers in order from top to bottom on the part are 12594452

Denso

149100-7160

03H06

this is what appears on the sensor, I have not put it in the car yet, sorry.

[Brian in AZ]

Lenore:

Have you put in the sensors yet? Did they work?

[2000guy]

Does anyone know how to replace the two front oxygen sensors? Is it difficult? My CEL has been going on and off, and the code has been read as two bad sensors. Bank 1, two front sensors.

Thanks for the help.

I have a 2000 rx300 front whl dr.

[lenore]

Lenore:

Have you put in the sensors yet? Did they work?

No I am sorry I have not put the sensor in yet...