O2 sensor replacement

[Mr.Fixit-Norm]

Hi Folks,

It’s been a while since I posted ( my 2001 petrol Rav’s just too damn reliable - lol ), anyway Saturday the EML came on and a quick plug in of my trusty OBDII reader threw up a P0161 code ie Sensor2 Bank2 which seems to equate to an O2 sensor.  I reset the light and after a few miles today it came on again, suggesting it’s more than a glitch.

As I’m now retired and funds are a bit more limited, I wondered if anyone had any experience of the ( much ! ) cheaper sensors that seem to be available ?, there seem to be ones on eBay and other places for between £18 - £40 whereas a genuine Denso is around £75-90 

Norm

[flash22]

Don't do it !! The cheaper sensors do not last 14-18 months you will be doing it again - also get the direct fitment item rather that the universal 4 wire, the code is a symptom not a cause

 

check and inspect the harness and plug/socket then check the heater circuit for resistance with a multimeter

If you scroll down there is a nice little diagram

https://www.autocodes.com/p0161_toyota_rav4_2.0.html 

 

[Mr.Fixit-Norm]

48 minutes ago, flash22 said:

Don't do it !! The cheaper sensors do not last 14-18 months you will be doing it again - also get the direct fitment item rather that the universal 4 wire, the code is a symptom not a cause

 

check and inspect the harness and plug/socket then check the heater circuit for resistance with a multimeter

If you scroll down there is a nice little diagram

https://www.autocodes.com/p0161_toyota_rav4_2.0.html 

 

Hi Bob,

subject to checking the wires etc as you stated, if it turns out I need the sensor, this seems to be a very good deal

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brand-New-Genuine-Denso-Post-Cat-Lambda-Oxygen-Sensor-for-Toyota-Rav-4/152682276465?epid=1029766019&hash=item238c92a671:g:RLoAAOSw71xZpXhk

mines a 2001 petrol RAV4 so should be a direct fit. I’ve had it for 9 years now and it’s done 150,770 miles !

[Garth-1]

Don't mess about.  If you need a sensor get a genuine Denso one as recommended by Mr Fixit-Norm.

[Grumpy stumpy]

Hi Norm as above buy denso one only thing which tends to go on these otherwise bullet proof.  I swapped mine in for a newer 4.3 Rav .

phil

[Mr.Fixit-Norm]

On 1/7/2020 at 2:08 PM, Grumpy stumpy said:

Hi Norm as above buy denso one only thing which tends to go on these otherwise bullet proof.  I swapped mine in for a newer 4.3 Rav .

phil

Hi Phil,  Like you I now have a 4.3 model, it’s a 59 plate XTR auto petrol valvematic with 64,000 on the clock. It’s got a few more extras than my old 4.2 It hasn’t got a sunroof, which I don’t really miss, but I’m loving the flappy paddles 😊. I sold my 4.2 to a nice young couple living on a farm near Halesworth, I got £1100 for it which I thought was good for a 20yr old Rav with nearly 157,000 on it. She passed the mot in March at a cost of only £85 and that included the mot itself 🙂

The wife of the chap who bought it asked me on Wednesday if I thought it would be ok for a trip to Nottingham today, knowing how reliable it had been I said yes, no problem. I got a phone call at 10am today saying she’d got as far as Bury and the engine management light had come on 🙄

I said is it running ok, she said yes it’s fine. I said it’s probably a cat sensor and she’d be ok to continue but to get it checked out. I texted her to see if she made it ok ( I did feel slightly guilty as I said it would be fine ), and she said it got there with no trouble. She had it checked and they said it was the bank one exhaust sensor, and she’s going to get it sorted when she gets back.

[Avalon]

Mmm flappy paddles…

Unfortunately cars have a nasty habit of doing things like this at the most un-opportune times - I had a power steering seal go mid test drive (as a seller) much to my disbelief and my 4.4 popped an intercooler pipe 2,000 miles and 10 days after I got it. Thankfully it’s a relatively simple and inexpensive part for them, may be worth passing on that a generic sensor is a false economy if you are still in touch with them and explain that you’ve had the other changed recently so they don’t get steered into doing both by a garage.

[Mr.Fixit-Norm]

1 minute ago, Avalon said:

Mmm flappy paddles…

Unfortunately cars have a nasty habit of doing things like this at the most un-opportune times - I had a power steering seal go mid test drive (as a seller) much to my disbelief and my 4.4 popped an intercooler pipe 2,000 miles and 10 days after I got it. Thankfully it’s a relatively simple and inexpensive part for them, may be worth passing on that a generic sensor is a false economy if you are still in touch with them and explain that you’ve had the other changed recently so they don’t get steered into doing both by a garage.

Yes they are good, I like the fact you can be going along in drive, go to overtake and just drop it down a gear or two to go past, back up again afterwards then just leave it and it goes back into full auto mode 🙂

I told her to make sure they get a genuine Denso one, they aren’t that expensive on eBay. If it’s the O2 they’re about £80 and the other ones about £60. As I now have the special socket and I got good tuition from you ( and I’ve changed one myself 🙂), as a good will gesture I said I’d change it for them if they bought the sensor.

She said the garage in Nottingham asked if she wanted it done, she said she’d wait till she got home and they said she might lose power 🙄, I’ve had both types go, drove them around for over a week and never had any issues, I told her they were just trying to get the business !

[Mr.Fixit-Norm]

7 minutes ago, Mr.Fixit-Norm said:

Yes they are good, I like the fact you can be going along in drive, go to overtake and just drop it down a gear or two to go past, back up again afterwards then just leave it and it goes back into full auto mode 🙂

I told her to make sure they get a genuine Denso one, they aren’t that expensive on eBay. If it’s the O2 they’re about £80 and the other ones about £60. As I now have the special socket and I got good tuition from you ( and I’ve changed one myself 🙂), as a good will gesture I said I’d change it for them if they bought the sensor.

She said the garage in Nottingham asked if she wanted it done, she said she’d wait till she got home and they said she might lose power 🙄, I’ve had both types go, drove them around for over a week and never had any issues, I told her they were just trying to get the business !

Whoops sorry Avalon, I didn’t look at who’d posted a reply, thought it was Grumpy Stumpy 😳 ( He very kindly offered to change the sensor on my first Rav as he had the special socket, and gave me tips on how to do it) 🙂   

[Avalon]

Don’t worry about it, I would imagine they appreciate an honest seller offering to help them out when something went wrong because it was the nice thing to do.

The last car I had a paddle shift box on was a smart roadster, small, light, RWD and you were inches from the engine behind you, and the turbo noise in your ear, that was a fun little car, especially after a remap and some intake and exhaust tweaks.

[Mr.Fixit-Norm]

1 minute ago, Avalon said:

Don’t worry about it, I would imagine they appreciate an honest seller offering to help them out when something went wrong because it was the nice thing to do.

The last car I had a paddle shift box on was a smart roadster, small, light, RWD and you were inches from the engine behind you, and the turbo noise in your ear, that was a fun little car, especially after a remap and some intake and exhaust tweaks.

I’ve always thought the Rav would look good and possibly sound good with twin rear exhausts, especially the 4.2 with that overgrown back box. 
I did see a 4.2 petrol with twin rear pipes ( spaced out either side ) near where my daughter used to live, I’m pretty sure it was a std 2L one but never saw the owner to find out where he got them ?

[Avalon]

Remus and Renegade Exhausts used to do them from memory, the latter is no longer trading sadly.

[Grumpy stumpy]

Hi norm, yep you have a Rav the same as mine, auto with paddles, love it, don’t drive it much as have a 3.0 auto Hilux which is awesome. Glad I could help out before mate. All best . 

[Mr.Fixit-Norm]

2 hours ago, Grumpy stumpy said:

Hi norm, yep you have a Rav the same as mine, auto with paddles, love it, don’t drive it much as have a 3.0 auto Hilux which is awesome. Glad I could help out before mate. All best . 

Out of interest Phil, is yours a dark metallic grey ? If so it’s the same as mine !  I’ve just fitted Climair wind deflectors to the windows, front and rear dash cams and replaced the cigarette lighter below the cubby hole with a twin USB socket that has a built in LED voltmeter !

All I’ve got to do now is fit my aftermarket wheels that I had on the old Rav and I’m just waiting for a new roof Ariel with a dab connector as I’m changing the Pioneer multimedia Satnav unit for a new Sony one as I rarely use satnav and the pioneer one is way too complicated.😂

Does yours have a reversing camera as well as the parking sensors ? Mine has and I find it really useful. I agree with you the lack of spare wheel is a pain. If I go on any long journeys I’ll throw one of the wheels I take off to fit mine in the back 😉

[Grumpy stumpy]

Yep grey . Full leather. Just rear sensors mate no sat nav in mine. I have a space saver I bought but won’t fit under floor so sits in back when on long trip .

[Mr.Fixit-Norm]

4 hours ago, Grumpy stumpy said:

Yep grey . Full leather. Just rear sensors mate no sat nav in mine. I have a space saver I bought but won’t fit under floor so sits in back when on long trip .

Haha, they could be twins ! Mines full leather as well with heated front seats, not something I’ve had before and I’m not sure they’ll get much use either.  I swopped the wheels out this afternoon then gave it a good wash. I must’ve got a couple of pounds of mud from the flange under the back wheel arches, I hate that it’s what causes the arches to rust.

Just the new multimedia unit and roof Ariel to go - that’s going to be fun, I need to feed the cables down behind the passenger side windscreen trim but I’m a bit nervous about the airbags. I did wonder if I turn off the air bag on the passenger side if it will also do the windscreen pillar one ?

[Avalon]

Having run more than my fair share of cables all over RAV’s of various generations, I’ve had zero air-bag deployment issues. If you are concerned, disconnect the Battery. My only suggestion is you consider using the existing channel to run cable and tape the new to the old, it’s slightly more fiddly, but means the cable is where it’s expected to be and not crossing the path of the air-bag.

Heated seats wise, they are absolutely worth it for cold mornings and longer runs - I have done Newcastle to Somerset/Devon 3 times this year, the first in my 4.2 without heated seats, the next two in the 4.4 with them, zero stiffness/aches on the 4.4 runs, so much so that I ordered a kit for the 4.2.

[Mr.Fixit-Norm]

15 minutes ago, Avalon said:

Having run more than my fair share of cables all over RAV’s of various generations, I’ve had zero air-bag deployment issues. If you are concerned, disconnect the battery. My only suggestion is you consider using the existing channel to run cable and tape the new to the old, it’s slightly more fiddly, but means the cable is where it’s expected to be and not crossing the path of the air-bag.

Heated seats wise, they are absolutely worth it for cold mornings and longer runs - I have done Newcastle to Somerset/Devon 3 times this year, the first in my 4.2 without heated seats, the next two in the 4.4 with them, zero stiffness/aches on the 4.4 runs, so much so that I ordered a kit for the 4.2.

I did drop the headlining down at the back before I ordered the ariel to see what the cable run was like and and the cable appears to go into the offside roof box section, it looked like it would be an absolute pain to get to to run it that way. My plan was to go straight across to the roof under the headlining to the passenger windscreen pillar, down the inside and then across to the radio. Using that route I can take out the glove box ( like you would to get to the cabin filter ) and there’s less to get tangled up with on that side. I suspect the factory fitted one goes down the drivers windscreen pillar.

if I do go down the passenger side I’ll make sure the cables are well away from the airbag. I’ve just looked at a YouTube video and it seems reasonable easy and safe to remove the trim. There are clips that retain the trim if the airbag goes off, these can be turned through 90° to release the trim completely.

Out of interest does anyone know if disconnecting the Battery causes any issues ? It didn’t on my 4.2 but this ones got a lot more systems !

If the weather stays dry I may tackle it tomorrow 😬🙂

[Avalon]

Disconnecting the Battery has caused me no issues on the 4.2/3/4, the 5 I have only done a hardwired dash cam on so far and I confess just left it well alone - I suspect I will be doing a rear dash cam install at some point soon.

You can either run your cable along the headlining and down the A pillar at the front, then onto the centre console behind the glove box, or take it across and down to the floor channel either via the boot or the passenger quarter panel area by the door, once down, it’s pretty easy to just tag it onto the existing loom run, the plastics are easy enough to come out and go back in. If you do intend to run a rear dash camera for example, this may be a good point to do both, but once you’ve done it once, it’s an easy enough process. If you do run a dash camera, the N/S rubber boot conduit is for cables, the right is the water tube for the rear washer, you can feed a USB cable through with a little patience in a non destructive manner (unlike some of the genius’ on YouTube who cut the rubber).

[Mr.Fixit-Norm]

Decided to tackle the roof aerial today along with fitting my new multimedia unit. Replacing the roof aerial with a new dab/fm unit ( from Dab on Wheels ) wasn’t quite as straight forward as I thought as the existing OEM one didn’t have a plug anywhere in the cable run from the base of the mast to where it goes into the car box section ☹️, which meant I had to cut the cables.
 

Having done that, and investigated running the new cables across the roof and down the passenger pillar, I decided it was going to be quite a job to do as feeding it across the roof was going to be awkward without taking down half the headlining. Instead I took the cables down the back passenger pillar, fed it behind the interior wheel arch trim, through underneath the passenger side front and rear door scuff trims and up behind the glovebox which makes life easy as it drops right down to change the cabin filter ( which I changed at the same time 🙂)

Removing the panels either side of the radio unit with the hazard and 4WD lock buttons was effortless using the £10 set of trim removal tools from Amazon, which then allows for the bezel around the double din unit to be removed.

From there on in it was just a matter of sorting out the wiring, of which all bar two wires were plug in the other two were soldered direct and heat shrunk and the only annoying thing was the microphone that had been installed with the Pioneer unit had a 2.5mm jack plug instead of a 3.5 used on the new one. To overcome this easily, rather than change the entire microphone over I just cut and soldered the new plug on to the original microphone lead.

Amazingly once everything was put back the unit worked perfectly 🙂 phew !!

The only thing I couldn’t remove to go with the original unit was the gps aerial, it was buried somewhere behind the dash possibly up near the top and I couldn’t even see it let alone remove it. Shame really as I was thinking of selling the Pioneer unit but it would need a new gps aerial module ( which are still available )

Norm