The oxygen sensor in your automobile is responsible for checking the levels of oxygen that are found in your vehicle’s exhaust. Integrity Auto Repair advises that this sensor is located at the beginning of your tailpipe. The sensor is also called the O2 sensor, and it forwards the oxygen information to the engine control unit; this is your vehicle’s main computer chip. The unit uses this information to make adjustments to the air and fuel in the combustion chamber. If the oxygen sensor is malfunctioning, the engine control unit may make unnecessary adjustments and you will end up with the following symptoms of a bad oxygen sensor.
Check Engine Light
One of the first things that will happen is your check engine light will come on. The oxygen sensor sends an error code to the engine control unit when it malfunctions. This code will cause the unit to turn on the check engine light to alert you that the oxygen sensor is going bad.
Poor Fuel Economy
A faulty O2 sensor can also reduce your vehicle’s fuel economy. This is because it may convince the engine control unit that the combustion chamber needs more fuel when it actually doesn’t. Consequently, the engine will burn away the excess fuel.
Sulfur Odors
A malfunctioning O2 sensor can also damage your catalytic converter. As the catalytic converter gets clogged with hydrocarbons, you will notice a sulfur smell coming from your vehicle’s engine and in the exhaust. Sulfur smells like rotten eggs.
Black Exhaust
Depending on how much fuel is being burned in the combustion chamber, you may also end up with black exhaust flowing out of your tailpipe. This can create a dangerous condition if the engine is burning too much fuel. You might end up with a fuel fire.
High Emissions
A faulty oxygen sensor can also increase the hydrocarbons found in your vehicle’s exhaust. This increases the emissions coming out of the tailpipe and, consequently, your vehicle may fail any emissions test until such time as you get the oxygen sensor replaced.
Engine Problems
Finally, you may notice engine performance issues such as stuttering or surging. The latter indicates that there is too much fuel in the engine, and, again, this can be caused by a malfunctioning O2 sensor. The former indicates that there is too much air in the engine.
Call Integrity Auto Repair in Eugene, OR, today if you suspect that your oxygen sensor is going bad. This auto part lasts on average from 50,000 miles to 100,000 miles. We’d be happy to test the sensor and replace it if necessary.
