okay so i noticed the service engine soon light on so i took it to get the codes ran. the guy told me that it was an oxygen sensor but he couldnt tell me which one. he said it was on the passenger side but wasnt sure if it was before or after the cat. so i bought a new bosch one and replaced the one on the manifold on the passenger side. but the service engine soon light is still on. does anybody know if it takes a while for the sensor to run through the computer or if i should just start replacing it down the line till i come up with one that works?

any help is appreciated.

 

what do you mean, "the guy told me that it was an oxygen sensor but he couldnt tell me which one. he said it was on the passenger side but wasnt sure if it was before or after the cat."

and what year is your truck? (very VERY important info which you left out)

any mechanic that scans the vehicle can tell you which O2 has failed, it'll tell him right on the scan tool.

maybe it's time you got a second opinion on the diagnosis.

 

you can throw 2 more new o2 sensors on there and STILL have a SES light...

post up what kind of rig you have (i.e. 96, 2dr, 4.3l, manual, 2wd)
post up what is wrong with it (made ___ osund and the drive line fell off, or just SES light was on...)
post up what codes came up (i.e. p0410, p0440)

and you will get better help.

not worth the effort of throwing cash at it until something sticks... if that is the route you want to go, you could save a lot of money not fixing the problem, and just have the codes cleared to not fix them

post up a little more about what is going on and i'm sure one of the fine folks that moderates here or a smarty pants member will give/link you some good advice.

 

its a 96 LT 4 door 4wd. 4.3 v6. other than that i dont know what the codes are. and the guy at autozone didnt sound too confident. kinda like he just wanted me to spend money there. im thinking about going to napa and then i can write down the codes and post them on here.

do you guys know if the emissions testing place will test your car if that service engine soon light is on? cause i have to get that done within like another few weeks. thats why im trying to get this light off

 

you can take it to a shop and have them hook up a real, good, 2 way scanner and get a whole run down on what SES light is talking about but you will have to pay for it.

BUT if you take it to auto zone (either the same one but ask to hook it up yourself, or a different location) it's as easy as plugging it in, for free! it should talk to your computer and come back with codes for your veiwing pleasure (both current and stored). just right of your parking brake release, on the knee bolster, is giant USB looking port. wedge the scan tools cord into that, and cycle the ingniton on. kick back and let the computers do their magic.

with this knowledge in hand, you can come back here, and see what is really going on. From there, once you have your codes, you can plan out your next move (i.e. burn it and collect the insurance $$, replace an o2 sensor, clear the codes that are set and squeak through emissions testing)

the kid may have been right in that one of your o2's was bad, and you may have guessed the right one and swapped it out successfully, but it will take a few engine cycles before it could clear itself. With out clearing the codes, you wont really know.


So, i suggest you read the codes, and then clear them. come back and get savvy on what each code meant and how to fix it. then IF the SES pops back on, you can pull that code and address the problem directly. This is not an awesome super fix, but it will get you on the right path and you will know first hand what is wrong. This will make it much easier to go up against.

hope that helps some.

 

wow. thanks alot. its really gonna help me. i think my uncle has one of the scanners too. thanks a bunch ABN31B

 

hey Curtis, what makes you so special that the noob links to your profile?

i'm thinkin' "stalker restraining order" in the future............

 

haha. i got lazy and copied and pasted it. i was tired

 

what makes me so special is that fact that I'm M F-ing ABN son

 

good news. after driving around today for about an hour the SES light went out!!!!!

i fixed it!!!!