“Will bad O2 sensor cause misfire” or any errors caused by the faulty sensor are always among attentive concerns.
While a good oxygen sensor maximizes engine performance and fuel economy, the bad one leads to serious troubles like misfires, rough idling, black smoke, and bad mileage.
This informative post helps you find an answer to the question, “can bad oxygen sensor cause misfire” and analyze why your car appears diagnostics, which can likely come from a bad sensor.
Let’s get started!
Will Bad O2 Sensor Cause Misfire?
Your worry about what happens to a bad O2 sensor or “can a O2 sensor cause a misfire” is understandable.
As this component measures the air-to-fuel ratio, the faulty O2 sensor can not properly trigger the correct fuel injection level and regulate exhaust gas to complete efficient fuel combustion.
As a result, the malfunctioning O2 sensor can lead to a misfire in the worse scenario.
What Are The Most Common Diagnostic Of A Bad O2 Sensor?
The faulty O2 sensor affects engine performance, such as loss of power, engine hesitation, or stalling once you start the car.
Misfire caused by a failing sensor becomes irritating once you are in the middle way.
Therefore, diagnosing the bad O2 sensor through its most common symptoms is crucial to avoid severe engine damage and uncomfort on the way.
1. Engine Light On
The signal of the engine warning light is very noticeable. It indicates something wrong with your car engine.
The check engine light can simply notify minor errors such as a loose gas cap, a malfunctioning spark plug, or a faulty oxygen sensor.
On the other hand, the flashing or intermittent lights pinpoint severe problems such as a faulty catalytic converter, misfire, etc.
Under these warnings from the dashboard, it is vital to diagnose the problem. Using the OBD-II reader gives out codes relating to the oxygen sensor, such as P0141, P0161, P0136, and P0171.
2. Poor Gas Mileage
Error sensor fails to monitor oxygen level. Incorrect air-to-fuel measurement results in a lean or rich burn. It significantly affects fuel efficiency.
A drop-off is up to 40% of fuel. Replacing a bad oxygen sensor can improve your car’s fuel economy and performance.
3. Rotten Egg Smell And Black Smoke
Rotten egg smell and black smoke are two recognizable phenomena of a defective O2 sensor. Fuel combustion creates sulfur dioxide gas.
The mixture between gas and moisture in the air forms sulfurous acid, which makes a rotten egg smell.
Besides the coming out of the bad smell, the imbalance between oxygen and fuel creates a black smoke residue. It comes from unburned fuel.
Undoubtedly, your car gradually faces poor idling, hard-starting issues, and high fuel consumption.
4. High Emission Level
Participating in fuel engine management, the air-fuel sensor determines the amount of unburned oxygen in the exhaust.
The powertrain control module reads its “rich burn” or “lean burn” signal to shorten or increase the duration of the fuel injector pulses.
The fuel mixture ratio and fuel will be adjusted accordingly to maximize engine efficiency.
Once the old O2 sensors are getting slower to react to changes in exhaust oxygen levels, due to this fact, the emission level reaches a high level and a drop in fuel economy.
Similarly, misreading oxygen levels caused by the failing sensor produces high emission levels.
5. Engine Misfire
Rough idling and misfiring or, more seriously, vehicle stalling are warning signals for the failure of the oxygen sensor, injectors, fuel pressure regulator, or other components from the fuel combustion system.
Having a car serviced is the best solution to find out the most accurate reason. A mechanic’s check will diagnose these errors to see if they are directedly related to oxygen sensors or other components.
6. Premature Wear On The Catalytic Converter
High emission levels and black exhaust fumes stress the catalytic converter. Consequently, it gets worn and torn quickly.
On the other hand, this component highly relies on oxygen measures from the O2 sensor to control harmful pollutants released into the environment.
Any misreading from the sensor causes the catalytic converter not to function properly.
Ignoring the most common diagnostic of a bad sensor leads to expensive repair fees. In the worse situation, you encounter a costly replacement for a new catalytic converter.
FAQs
How Long Do O2 Sensors Usually Last?
Sensors are located ahead of the catalytic converter. It is also in the exhaust manifold, depending on the make and vehicle model.
During the working process, oxygen sensors are always exposed to extreme heat.
Contaminants, carbon or grease, and other liquids get stuck on the sensor surface. These factors have a tremendous impact on the sensor’s longevity.
It normally lasts between 50,000 and 60,000 miles, which is equivalent to 3 to 5 years.
Scheduled maintenance is handy for extending sensors’ longevity. Otherwise, it will be hard to reach that mileage.
How Much Does It Cost To Replace O2 Sensor?
The replacement fee for the oxygen sensor varies greatly, depending on the quality brand and your number of sensors.
The price of a good sensor ranges from US$ 155 to US$ 380. On top of this part replacement fee, you will pay a labor fee of around US$ 120 for 1 hour. So, the total cost is from US$ 275 to US$ 500.
Conclusion
This post on “Will bad O2 sensor cause fire” provides us an insight into the importance of O2 sensors.
It does not only provide us a straightforward answer to the specific question, “can bad o2 sensor cause misfire”.
By analyzing the most common diagnosis of the malfunctioning O2 sensor, we better understand the tight connections between the sensor with the catalytic converter and the fuel injection system.
Well, servicing your car is the best daily advice for anyone to drive. It significantly improves engine performance and saves your life.
However, we should learn about our car to take care as your babies, then they will serve you as a queen.
I hope this article will help you out of your problem. Thank you for reading!
Is this the fault of the upstream or downstream O2 sensor
It’s both folk.