O2 sensor removal

[matrass]

Trying to remove the O2 sensor in my Tralblazer today and so far it will not budge. sprayed with PB blaster and let it soak in for a few hours. was getting dark so I decided to call it a night and sprayed it some more to sit over night. the socket that I hvae is a 3/8 drive and had a large slot in the side to allow the wire to go through it. are there better ones out there at Advanced auto or autozone ? the socket I am using one seems to only get a good grip where I have the least leverage . used a small 3/8 breaker bar on the socket and had a small piece of pipe on it.the way the sensor is in there there is not a lot of room for the head of a ratchet so I am not sure if a 1/2 socket and breaker bar will fit in the space.

 

[Xlr8r1]

Use some heat....

 

[matrass]

Originally Posted By: Xlr8r1
Use some heat....


So I should just put the torch on it for a couple of minutes ? wish the socket I had would put me in a post where I had more leverage. trying to goo though the fender well you have no leverage , so I am going in from top. did not think heat would do much as the threads get pretty hot every day.

 

[d00df00d]

Put the torch on the exhaust pipe AROUND the sensor, not on the sensor itself.

The point of heating is to break the sensor loose while the exhaust pipe around it is hot.

 

[tomcat27]

on my car I just kept adding extensions until I could get the ratchet up high enough to put some muscle into it.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

use all the tools, PB, Heat, extensions, breakerbars, sledgehammers, air impact, .. i could get carried away..

 

[bdcardinal]

I know this might be a little pricey, but MATCO has a socket for O2 sensors that has its own handle. I bought one a few months ago for the Volvo, but a few techs at my work tried it and liked it enough to buy their own.

http://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/KL013282A/UNIVERSAL-O2-SENSOR-WRENCH/

O and the easiest way to get heat there is to drive the car and get the exhaust hot, just wear something to protect your arms.

 

[Trav]

Chances are you wont be taking a stuck O2 sensor out with 3/8 drive anything. Penetrating oil has a hard time getting past the seal and is usually futile.
You will need 1/2 drive and a breaker bar, maybe even a oxy acetylene torch to heat the O2 bung cherry red.
Do you have an air compressor and an air hammer?

 

[The_Eric]

If you haven't heated already, get a 22mm or a 7/8" wrench and and put on there (cold). Take the slack out of it with one hand and give it a bash with the meaty part of your other hand. If you can't do that, take wrench and jerk it back towards you (hard). It might require you to do it a few times but 90% of the time, it works for me, even on the most crusty looking sensors. The sharp, jarring blow will almost always knock them loose. If the hex starts to round off, cut the connector off the harness and use the box end of the wrench.

 

[MyTQuick]

If you don't have a torch, just run the engine to get the exhaust manifold warm. Then try to remove the sensor. I've also had luck tightening a hose clamp around the O2 sensor socket after I slid it over the sensor. If you can't get any leverage on the ratchet though, you will need to put some extensions on it if possible.

 

[matrass]

Well here is the latest update. lost my socket this am and ran to advanced auto, they had no sockets in 1/2 drive. went to Autozone and borrowed their 3 socket pack. they had a 1/2 o2 socket that was a low profile crowsfoot . put 18 inch 1/2 breaker bar on it and still no go. I can only get a good bite on it in one spot where the breaker bar has room to move at all ( even then not much) tried putting it up on ramps, no way you can get to i from underneath unless you had a lift. going through the fenderwell and no leverage there. took a break when the socket fell of and I could not find it. I did have the truck heater up this time when I tried removing it. I do not have an air compressor so no air tools ( which I had some type of air hammer to hook up to the socket ) not sure what to try next but the new O2 sensor is not doing me nay good still sitting in the box LOL !