What Are the Symptoms of a Faulty Oxygen Sensor?

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Cars that have a faulty oxygen sensor will commonly have a poor idle, jerk erratically at a steady throttle or emit a rotten egg odor from the exhaust pipe. If a car has a bad or broken oxygen sensor, this will cause the car to operate less efficiently, causing other problems like the car being difficult to start, its “check engine” warning light coming on or an abnormally high rate of fuel consumption.

Oxygen sensors are very important because they monitor the exhaust of the engine, so if they break, more pollutants can be released into the atmosphere. This can also easily cause the engine to run into serious problems, including a compromised catalytic converter.

When oxygen sensors go bad, they can be costly to repair at an auto shop, but they can be replaced more cheaply by doing the repairs personally. These parts can be ordered online through standard retailers and can be installed with just a few simple tools. A heavy-duty low profile O2 socket is recommended for installation because it is durable and can reach the difficult angles necessary to replace oxygen sensors. It is also recommended that the car owner should refer frequently to the owner’s manual for their car so they understand what they are doing.