How to replace 02 sensor?

Answer 1

O2 sensors are pretty easy to change, you need access to the under side of the car, preferably NOT a cheap little scissor jack like the ones that come with a car to change tires when you have a flat, use something that will keep the car from falling on you, like jackstands or big wooden blocks etc. because you may need to apply a bit of force to break the sensor loose because it screws into the exhaust pipe, and anything that bolts or screws into exhaust stuff is usually pretty tough to remove because of the many "cold to hot to cold etc" cycles it goes through. Your neon may have two O2 sensors, one "upsream" and one "Downstream" I'm not sure on that one, but my 98 neon has 2 sensors. first, carefully remove the wires connected to the sensor, You will also need something to remove the old sensor, it's likely that the sensor is too long to use a deepwell socket, but a wrench or "crows foot" socket and ratchet wrench will work. It is a pretty large size of wrench/socket that you need, but I don't remember what size it was. Depending on the location, you could use a pipe wrench, but I might avoid the latter to avoid breaking something, (but if nothing else works, I bet that would lol!). it's a typical "righty tighty, lefty loosey" threaded part, so turn to the left(counter clockwise) to remove, and turn to the right to install. If it is stuck in there, and you decide to try a penetrant lube, like "WD-40" you might want to make sure you wipe off the exaust pipe, it'll smoke and stink for a while of you don't. It shouldn't take too long, the hardest part is getting to the sensors, the top one can be tricky, and you might have to remove some surrounding parts to remove it. If you get totally lost, a Chiltons or Haynes manual is usually less than $20, and they usually do a good job of covering the changes that car manufacturers make over the model years. Things you might need: Penetrant lube, like "WD-40" to try and loosen seized parts.

Breaker Bar if using a socket.

jackstands, ramps, floor jack, or some other means of raising and

supporting the car(I used a curb once in a pinch lol)

good luck, and don't forget to plug the wire back into the new sensor, and if the check engine light still comes on after replacement, try this, with car off, remove the negative battery cable, then the positive, and let the car sit for a while, half hour to an hour(i've heard that if you touch both cables to a metal part of the car AFTER disconnecting both from battery, it speeds up the process) then hook the cables back up, positive first. This should reset or "restart" the car's computer. when you first start the car, it may be hard to start, sound rough once started, and/or idle rough for a few seconds while the computer is coming back online. don't worry, it's normal.