O2 sensor recommendation

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Guys, thanks all for some great feedback.

Kestas, I did install a Bosch universal O2 sensor on our old Mazda back in 2011. Installation went fine, and the sensor seemed to work well. No codes, and no decrease in performance or gas mileage. The van went to the boneyard 8-1/2 years later with the Bosch universal. However, I later replaced an O2 sensor on our old Protege, and was able to get a model-specific one for about the same price or slightly cheaper. (Can't remember the brand, but it too worked well for the remaining life of the car.)

Leo99, I don't have a Smartphone or any of the associated auto software. This is something I'll have to look at in the future. It would be really good to be able to determine whether or not the factory sensor is becoming lazy yet.

BDC, thanks for the factory part number. I provided same to the dealer and received a quotation of C$231 - ouch!

Trav, good point that although one usually associates Japanese brands with Denso and NTK, the Duratec is a Ford-built engine which may have come with a Bosch sensor.

A couple of interesting things from the Rock Auto info buttons - NTK and Denso use the same "find your O2 sensor" graphics and mileage table for sensor replacement. They must have some sort of alliance. And Bosch claims superior O2 sensor performance - rather than cycling between low and high O2-detected thresholds, they claim that their sensors are more analogue in nature, actually switching on a continuum depending on how much O2 they sense in the exhaust.



To be continued ...

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Your front O2 sensor is a "Wideband, Lambda, AFR" type. It doesn't switch like Narrowband O2 sensors.

Bosch is the gold standard when it comes to Lambda sensors!
 
Originally Posted by clinebarger
Your front O2 sensor is a "Wideband, Lambda, AFR" type. It doesn't switch like Narrowband O2 sensors.

Bosch is the gold standard when it comes to Lambda sensors!
Thanks ClineBarger, good information! So would I be better off going with a Bosch (or genuine Mazda part, which is quite possibly a Bosch) than a Denso or NTK? It sounds like the Denso and NTK are narrowband, correct?
 
I went with an NTK. It is a wideband unit. Removal was easy (with a 22 mm crowfoot O2 sensor socket) as was installation. It may be placebo effect, but I think that the minor surging under low-RPM cruise has disappeared. The idle sounds quieter too.
 
Got a Walker from RA on B1 right now.. about 20k miles on it with no issues. Threads, lead length and connector (mine came with the connector so that was a plus) was an exact fit. I cleaned up the old OE and bench tested it, still good so I kept it. It had just gotten too dirty so it was "lazy".. the preheat circuit was just fine.
 
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How about instead of replacing it, just stock the o2 sensor in the house. Replace it when it died.
 
Originally Posted by Tundragod
How about instead of replacing it, just stock the o2 sensor in the house. Replace it when it died.
There are a couple of schools of thought on maintenance - breakdown ("If it ain't broke don't fix it") and preventative ("Do it now to keep it running well"). Prevailing wisdom seems to be that O2 sensors get lazy long before they "break" (that is, trigger a code). O2 sensor deterioration is on a continuum, so when is the right time? For me, it was time to think about replacement once the manufacturer's mileage (160K km) was exceeded. Given the improvement in driveability, and the anticipated fuel savings and resultant longer cat life, it was not a hard decision. Payback, based on 5% fuel savings, will be < 2 years.

For what it's worth, our old '90 MPV (RIP) triggered a "replace O2 sensor" off the odometer every 130K km. I think the US models were set for 80K miles.
 
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