The life and times of an oxygen sensor...

[Sean Ford]

I brought my car to LaPlata Motors in Norwood, MA yesterday. My '92
100CS started throwing "Check Engine" lights at me this past Wednesday
and to be honest the car was running rough.

"Rough" being a relative term since I've been complaining about power
loss at 2500 rpm, 2 events at startup when cold which result in a
bogging situation, and the vibration at 2800 and 3800 rpm. The 3800 rpm
vibration has been increasing slightly over time. Also, let's not
forget that my 12v V6 has developed an appetite for oil... 1 quart per
800 miles.

I brought the car in, not solely because of the "Check Engine" light,
but the combination of all of these symptoms.

All that LaPlata could do was replace the O2 sensors, nothing else
seemed amiss. Let me tell you, it's like a brand new car. Apparently,
all this goes back to my leaking head gasket which was replaced a
couple of years ago.

Apparently, when the gasket leaked it allowed some antifreeze through
and it ever so lightly coated the 02 sensors. The mechanic and I were
slightly amazed that 02 sensors hadn't tripped the "Check Engine" light
sooner, because they were simply not up to snuff.

I truly wish these things had given up the ghost sooner because the car
is running smoother, more powerfully, and I love it. Now, I'm going to
watch the oil consumption to see if even it was a result of a poor
running situation.

Moral of the story? Don't discount those 02 sensors as a problem just
because the "Check Engine" light isn't showing. Unscrew those babies
and give 'em a look, they might just be in tough shape.

=====
Sean Ford
audi_92_100CS at yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/seanford.geo
'92 Audi 100CS 5-spd non-q
'00 Triumph Daytona 955i
'89 Suzuki Katana 600

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