96 Accord LX 4Cyl. has check engine light on, so I went to Advance Auto to read the code. It is P0141 which is "malfunction exists in the heater circuit for oxygen sensor #2 in bank #1."

The shop I normally go to quoted me $258 for parts and labor. This seems a bit high because they said labor alone was $37. I looked online for replacement O2 sensors (after cat), and it looks like they run anywhere from $60 to $230. What's with the large range in price, and would I be okay with a cheaper one?

On a side note, I think I'm about out of freon because the A/C isn't putting out cold air like it used to, what should I expect to pay to have it recharged?

Thx

7/25/2006 3:49:20 PM

typically the cheaper one is a universal setup that you hvae to splice into the existing wiring harness, while the expensive one is model specific and has the factory harness attached.

a/c recharge is probably $60-90

7/25/2006 5:32:44 PM

^what homeboy said.

7/25/2006 6:10:12 PM

my S2000 threw a heater circuit code for the downstream sensor (same thing as your Accord).

the OEM O2 sensor was several hundred dollars, and a universal was still like $60-90 (don't really remember). while $60-90 isn't that much, and splicing the wires in is no big deal, here's the deal: a downstream O2 sensor is a worthless-ass piece of gear. It's like a car's appendix. I don't really care if it works at all, and I definitely don't care if the heater circuit works.

I opted to solder in a big resistor to fool the ECU into thinking the heater circuit wasn't inop. I looked up the specs for the heater circuit, and it was rated at 13 ohms and a bunch of amps. Then I found some appropriately sized resistors online (on eBay, if i remember correctly). I cut the heater circuit wires, soldered the resistor in, and reset the ECU.

Problem solved.

Let me know if you wanna go that route. I'll tell you which wires to cut. zxappeal can tell you, too (i had to ask him).

7/25/2006 7:16:52 PM

^Not bein a smartass but doesnt that defeat the purpose of the O2 sensor, to let your ECU know if your engine is running too rich or lean i.e. shitty fuel economy/power, and correlates that with the upstream sensor. Unless you were just trying to save money on something that isnt worth it down the road. In that case I totally understand.

7/25/2006 7:35:16 PM

i lucked out and got baonest to fix it...took him like 5 minutes

7/25/2006 7:37:33 PM

no, A/F is metered off of the upstream.

the downstream is just there to be a pain in your ass if you elect to ditch the cat.

[Edited on July 25, 2006 at 7:50 PM. Reason : and regardless, the O2 sensor still works. it's just the heater that's inop.]

7/25/2006 7:38:17 PM

What Duke said. The downstream O2 sensor merely monitors catalyst efficiency. No cat, no "efficiency"...no pass emissions testing. This is how the OBD-II emissions testing can get by without using an exhaust gas analyzer.

7/25/2006 9:22:58 PM

don't you also get money back for turning them in? because they use platinum or something? or is it a different part i'm thinking of?

7/25/2006 9:28:29 PM

While the O2 sensors do use platinum, the amount in an O2 sensor is (diddly/squat).

Catalytic converters, however, are recycled for their platinum and rhodium content.

7/25/2006 9:30:25 PM

ah, that was it...nm

7/25/2006 9:40:37 PM

Thanks guys, I think I'll go with a cheaper one and possibly attempt to install it myself.

7/25/2006 10:40:05 PM

it's your car and your money, but you can fix it for like $5 and about the same amount of work by doing it my way.

7/25/2006 10:43:02 PM

Brian, give me a call if you need a hand with that

7/26/2006 12:21:12 AM

attn all O2 sensors

plz to last longer

7/26/2006 10:37:41 AM