What can cause my oxygen sensor to get damaged during a oil change and fuel system cleaning?
Check engine light came on and it's from the oxygen sensor
My car has 11154 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hi, thanks for writing in. The oil change would not damage an oxygen sensor. The fuel system cleaning could possibly cause this condition, but it depends on the cleaner type and mixture. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your home or office to confirm a diagnosis on the issue and make or suggest the necessary repairs or replacements.
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Oil leaks are an often-overlooked cause for sensor failure. A vehicle with external oil leaks can result in multiple oxygen sensor replacements. For example, if a vehicle has a leaky valve cover gasket, oil may be leaking down the outside exhaust and into the oxygen sensor`s air ports.
The oil change would not damage an oxygen sensor.
Because the sensor can no longer regulate the fuel mixture, a car`s emissions will go up. While O2 Sensors are robust, they are exposed to the elements, and will deteriorate. Once this happens, the sensor will throw a fault, and thus the Check Engine light comes on.
If an oxygen sensor fails, the engine computer won`t be able to correctly set the air-fuel ratio, which could result in lower fuel economy, higher emissions and damage to other components, such as an overheated catalytic converter.
While the damage may seem small initially, the longer you drive with a bad oxygen sensor, the worse the damage will become. Eventually, you may experience rough idling, poor acceleration, engine misfires, an illuminated check engine light, and failed emission tests.
An illuminated check engine light is the first warning sign that your vehicle needs an oil change. It can activate because the oil is too dirty or when there`s not enough flowing throughout the engine.
This sensor measures the proportion of oxygen in the exhaust gases. Using this measurement, the engine management computer can adjust the air/fuel ratio near the optimum value of 14.7:1. At this ratio, engine performance, emissions, and fuel economy are all optimized.
Yes, a bad spark plug can confuse your car`s internal computer and trigger the O2 sensor code.
If you`re ever riding on the highway and smell something harsh from your car, that could be a quick sign that your O2 sensor is failing. If you ever begin to pick up on some changes like bad powertrain performance, engine misfires, or loud noises, that could be a symptom of your O2 sensor probably having issues.
Oxygen under pressure and hydrocarbons (oil and grease) can react violently, resulting in explosions, fire, and injury to personnel and damage to property. Never allow oil or grease to come in contact with oxygen under pressure.
Oil reflects light, which is needed by the photosynthetic phytoplankton. And toxins in the oil could also diminish the phytoplankton blooms. Both factors could potentially mean fewer dead phytoplankton reaching the bottom, leading eventually to less oxygen depletion.
Excess oil in the crankshaft can also cause the catalytic converter to fail. Additionally, overfilling the oil puts pressure on the gaskets and seals, causing oil leaks that may not have been present before. Overfilling the oil happens more often than you might think.
Excess oil in the crankshaft can also cause the catalytic converter to fail. Additionally, overfilling the oil puts pressure on the gaskets and seals, causing oil leaks that may not have been present before. Overfilling the oil happens more often than you might think.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
lost all oil pressure, replaced the oil pump, low oil sensor, oil pressure sensor, oil pan gasket,
ANSWER : The fuel pump will not stay on if you loose oil pressure. This is why it is shutting off. The loss of oil pressure may be from bad crankshaft bearings or camshaft bearings. The engine oil pan should be removed and the oil pump needs to be checked to ensure that you put in the pick up tube seal to the pump and connected the pump to the block. Then remove at least one main bearing cap and inspect the bearings for excessive wear and crankshaft damage. If you need some help with this, consider YourMechanic, as a certified technician can help diagnose the issue with your oil pressure firsthand and help you fix it accordingly.
What can cause my oxygen sensor to get damaged during a oil change and fuel system cleaning?
ANSWER : Hi, thanks for writing in. The oil change would not damage an oxygen sensor. The fuel system cleaning could possibly cause this condition, but it depends on the cleaner type and mixture. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your home or office to confirm a diagnosis on the issue and make or suggest the necessary repairs or replacements.
Low oil pressure light comes on when idle. Check engine light is on as well. Both came on after getting an oil change 3 days ago.
ANSWER : It is possible that they put in the wrong viscosity oil. In rare instances, a defective filter will also cause low pressure. If there is too much oil, it will aerate and cause low pressure. Be sure the oil level is really not above "max". The P2187 code will appear if the oil fill cap is not tight but it will also appear due to a myriad of causes because that code only "generally" identifies a lean running condition. Consequently, numerous parts would have to be tested including the O2 sensor, gas cap seal, manifold air leaks, any vacuum leak anywhere including PCV and EVAP systems, exhaust leaks, and fuel system faults such as failing fuel pump, clogged filter and more. Since the car has relatively low mileage, you would not expect a failed oil pump, although the pressure sensor (or switch) could be bad. However, the occurrence of the oil pressure warning light is quite coincidental to the oil change, thus I would suggest bringing the car back and asking them to redo with a new filter and double check the viscosity of the new oil that they use. If the problem persists after that, you will have to test actual operating oil pressure (at idle for instance) as well as the oil pressure switch. Finally, if the oil pressure warning light comes on continuously, unless the warning circuit itself is malfunctioning, that means the oil pressure is too low to operate the engine without damaging it. Anytime the light comes on for more than literally an instant, you should shut down the car and thus an issue like this obviously has to be repaired.
If you’d like, a YourMechanic certified mechanic can come to your home or place of business to inspect the vehicle and perform an oil pressure light is on inspection to diagnose the vehicle and suggest potential repairs.
the car is acting like its getting to much fuel. changed the fuel pump, fuel filter, and the fuel pump relay.
ANSWER : There could be a few things contributing to your problem. You are correct that clogged or sticking fuel injectors and possibly the fuel pressure regulator could be faulty. A plugged catalytic converter can also cause the vehicle to bog down. A failing throttle position sensor can cause the symptoms you describe as well. I suggest having a certified technician, like one from YourMechanic.com, do a few tests to determine the exact cause of your starting concern.
car burning too much oil and can’t find where it’s going
ANSWER : The engine is sucking it in most likely. The oil control rings are bad or the intake valves are leaking. You should have a mechanic check the intake PCV system to see if there is a problem. After the diagnosis of your leakage, a certified mechanic can make necessary repairs.
would fuel system cleaning gas fuel injection cause service engine soon light to come on?
ANSWER : Hi there. Sometimes certain fuel injector cleaners can aggressively remove carbon deposits from sensors and cause a service light to illuminate but it is very rare. What is more likely is that the service light came on due to the maintenance light not being cleared by the company providing these services. However, it’s always a good idea to have a professional mechanic complete a service light inspection to verify what is causing this light and clear it if there are no issues.
My car is leaking oil i got an oil change for it last month but it is still leaking oil what will cause my car to leak oil ?
ANSWER : Most older cars have oil leaks. Sealing technology has just not kept up with mechanical improvements to engines so much so that leaks often kill engines rather than mechanical problems. So, it is not unexpected at all to have an, indeed many, oil leaks on a 23 year old car. Oil leaks vary hugely in terms of severity and priority of repair. Oil leaking onto a hot engine manifold is the worst case (the oil can start a fire; at best, you are left breathing oil fumes in the cabin, as the oil burns off of the manifold) while de minimus seepage of oil at the oil drain plug or oil pan gasket, while annoying and messy, if limited enough is not an emergency. Some leaks are easy to repair, while others literally require the engine to be removed just to get physical access to all the leak points. In your circumstance, if you smell burning oil, oil is probably leaking onto a hot engine part such as the exhaust manifold. A certified Mechanic, dispatched by YourMechanic right to your location, can perform an oil leak diagnostic and then let you know of your repair options and costs.
As far as the check engine light, that is not related to the oil leak(s). If you request a check engine light diagnostic, a certified mechanic from YourMechanic would use a code scanner to retrieve the specific diagnostic trouble code(s) from your car’s PCM that have caused the check engine light to illuminate. Using those codes, the appropriate individual vehicle components or sub-systems (often a sensor, circuit, and the like) are then carefully tested, based on specifications set forth in your car’s Factory Service Manual, to pinpoint the cause of the fault or the reason why the check engine light has illuminated. Once the faulty part or component is identified, it is explained to your satisfaction and the mechanic will let you know of the cost to repair. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
Get "check your oil level" on dash info panel. Had it checked out, was told it was oil sensor and a "dealer item". Was also told t
ANSWER : Hi there. The oil sensor is not incredibly difficult to replace on a 2001 Cadillac DeVille, but can be difficult to get to without a lift. This video is for a different vehicle, but the same engine as your car, so you might want to watch this to see how it’s replaced. In regards to estimated cost, it would vary based on who is completing this service. I don’t believe this is part of our mobile service offerings at the moment, but I have forwarded your request to our sales and service team to let you know if we can and what the cost would be for this service.
