Cleaning oxygen sensor
By Thomas` | December 25, 2008
Is it possible to clean oxygen sensors and recycle them?
Though this article we have attempted to explore the
possibility of cleaning oxygen sensors as an alternative to
replacing them.
Oxygen sensors; located in the exhaust system of the
automobiles gets exposed to fuel and other toxic gases like
CO, HC and NO2. Exposure to these gases and fuel can
contaminate the oxygen sensor impairing its ability to
perform its functions effectively. O2 sensors can also get
damaged due to oil, fuel and coolant contamination.
Excessive accumulation of soot in the ceramic elements of
the sensor can increase the response time and hence degrade
the ability of oxygen sensor to sense oxygen effectively.
Presence of lead in poor quality gasoline also reduces the
life of the sensors. Likewise exposing sensors to silicones
and silicates inhibits their ability to perform properly.
Since the purpose of the O2 sensor is to determine the
optimal ratio of air and fuel mixture in the exhaust system
of automobiles, any contamination can make the car's gas
combustion engine to either run rich (with unburnt fuel) or
lean (with excess oxygen). This can reduce the mileage of
the automobiles. So maintaining proper health of the oxygen
sensor is crucial for minimizing gas consumption in
automobiles.
If contaminants do damage the oxygen sensor, the obvious
thing to do is to replace them with brand new once. But many
oxygen sensors; especially the wideband oxygen sensors can
be expensive to replace. So, in this article we try to see
an alternative way to "recycle" the oxygen sensors by
cleaning them.
Disclaimer: Please note that cleaning oxygen sensor is NOT
recommended and we can't guarantee if the cleaned oxygen
sensor will work; but in this article we have tried to
explore alternate ways to reuse the same oxygen sensor
rather than buying a new one. Weather these cleaning
mechanisms work or not are up to the readers to try out and
decide. So, please try the procedure at your own risk.
Determining ways to clean oxygen sensor raises a basic
question: Will the cleaned oxygen sensor be any good to work
properly? Since the oxygen sensor is exposed to high heat in
the exhaust system to the car, the main contaminant likely
to be present is a thick layer of baked carbon on the sensor
tip, which doesn't dissolve easily in any solvents. So one
way to clean O2 sensor with this carbon deposit is to heat
the oxygen sensor tip with a blow torch (like propane).
Expose the sensor tip to the torch till it's about to turn
red, then dip the sensor tip quickly into water followed by
cleaning the tip by blowing compressed air. This will make
the carbon deposit to break free. We recommend repeating the
procedure a few times until the carbon deposits are removed
from the sensor tip.
Another way to clean the oxygen sensor is by using CRC brand
QD electronic cleaner to remove fuel and oil contaminants.
It's a special cleaner and doesn't leave any residue on
drying. Keep a safe distance between the sensor and cleaner
nozzle when spraying the cleaner on the sensor and wear
gloves and safety goggles to prevent the cleaner from
affecting your hand and eyes.
Eric Dawson To find other helpful tips and information on
oxygen sensor please visit Oxygen Sensor Resource page Buy
cheap oxygen sensor - Discount O2 sensors for Honda Toyota
Ford - Bosch Denso NTK
Topics: Automotive |
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