I was thinking it might be good to change out my O2 sensors (both are the same, one pre-cat and one post-cat). I've put over 55k miles on the car, and I've heard that the o2 sensors only last upwards of 70k miles. I've heard that the car will run way rich when they do go bad. I called the dealership's parts dept and they want $206 OUCH for each sensor. Do you know of a narrowband sensor that would work and where to get one?

 

give Mike at Classic MINI a call. I talked with him last year and got a price of just under $107ea. Now I have an 02 Cooper, so I don't know if they are different or not. I have 102K on my Cooper and it running as strong as ever. I most likely will not replace the o2 sensors until I start to see signs that they are going south for the Winter. Although I have considered purchasing a set and having them at the ready.

 

sounds like this guy MIKE is good people huh!?!?

 

You know what's bad obout the whole price issue of the dealership's narrowband O2, is that a wide band (which is supposed to be more expensive because it is more sensitive) is actually 79.00 (from PLXDevices)...and that's a name brand one, one made by Bosch. Go figure :impatient I think I've found a second source for the narrowband. Something similar to the Classic MINI situation. Waiting to hear back on a price. If that's not a good price, I'll go with Classic as it they have a reasonable price.

 

who's PLXDevices?

pls. keep us updated!!

 

http://www.plxdevices.com They're in the Sunnyvale, CA (Bay Area) and they make the R-250, R-300, M-300, and M-500 units as well as sell various components that go with.

I guess I'm a little shocked at the expense of the narrow because I know what a wideband costs.

 

right i agree so thats why im wondering if i can get an explanation as to why the price jump from one to the other

 

so with all this talk of cost, has anyone actually replaced one of these puppies? I started kicking SES lights recently and discovered to my horror that the pre cat sensor had gone south and the dealer cut me a "deal" @ $187! wish I'd searched for this thread sooner.So, I know I'll need to go buy a 22 mm wrench- the kind that has 5 out of the 6 hexes covered with a split and that I'll need to do the work on a cold engine unless I want to fry myself.From what I can tell, there is a heat shield that I'll need to remove, but until I do, I don't know what kind of pandora's box I'm opening up.Any hints or advice would be greatly appreciated.(02 MCS with 76 k.)
Jock

 

Good job on getting a deal. That's a very nice price, although I feel no more than $70.00 should be realistic for one of these items.


You can always use an adjustable wrench instead of buying the specific sized open end wrench.

Just spray some PowerBlaster or WD-40 on the threads prior to trying to loosen it up.

Also you'll want to do this on a cooled engine, just so you don't get burnt!

 

If you do change yours Domini. can i get the old ones. instead of just throwing it away.

 

just a follow up:
I replaced the pre cat O2 sensor last week having failed my inspection because of the SES light displayed.I went to NAPA and bought a 7/8" ,3/8 drive socket that has a cut out for the wires:$16.00 (for all you fanatics: 7/8= .875" and 22MM = .86614", so what's .009" among friends? ). The whole job took around 20 minutes( dealer had quoted me an hour ) from what I gather the post cat sensor must be done from the bottom end and I guess I'll be looking to do that sooner than later Jock.

 

What does "run way rich" mean?

 

with the burn mixture composing of basically air and fuel , running "rich" means more fuel than it needs and is a day to day fact of life for cooper S's. It can be "seen" by the constant black deposits on the inside of your exhaust tips.
Part of the job of the 02 sensors is to monitor the mixture of air and fuel as it leaves the engine and report back to the ecu which is supposed to alter the mixture of air and fuel going into the engine accordingly.Anybody feel free to correct me if I'm off base here, but this is my understanding. Jock

 

So the more rich it runs, the worst the milage is?

 

Yes, and if it is running way too rich (meaning richer than it needs to be), then you can loose power as compared to running it properly and also your fuel mileage will suffer.