Helping friend with oxygen sensor issue - replace others or not?

cwatkin
Thu, 17 Nov 2022 21:04:03 +0000
Maintenance/Repairs

I recently helped a friend replace an oxygen sensor on a 2003 Silverado. He was getting a code for upstream sensor on bank 1 so we changed that one. He was going to take it to a shop for several hundred dollars but the part was a bit more than $50 and that was it. I told him he would save that money in a week in gas based on how the truck was running and how bad the exhaust stunk. It was obviously in a limp mode and running very rich, possibly shortening the life of the converter and other components.

He isn’t made of money but I told him it might not be a bad idea to replace the other upstream sensor soon as well. Is this a good idea or should he just wait until that one fails? Also, I figure the downstream sensors should just be left alone unless they go bad. I know these are not nearly as critical as the upstream ones for performance and economy.

I know there is a range of performance on these sensors and that they don’t always fail in a black and white manner. They can get lazy over time but still be close enough to spec as to not throw a code. At the very least, the guy no longer has a code and the truck is running MUCH better.

Any other advice on this?

10 posts - 7 participants