March 8, 201313 yr Hi, just joined. I have a 97 legacy outback limited. Just replaced the O2 sensor and the Knock sensor per codes that came up on the diagnostic check. Check engine light stayed off for about 2-3 weeks and came back on a couple of days ago. Ran another code check and the only one that came up was P0141 which I just fixed. Wondering if it could be the new one or maybe one of the other O2 sensors? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
March 9, 201313 yr What brand of o2 sensor did you put in? Was it universal or was it direct replacement?
March 9, 201313 yr Author It was a direct replacement. I didn't want to start cut or splicing anything if I didn't have to.
March 9, 201313 yr That is good the universal sensors almost never work. I believe 97 has two o2 sensors but you code scanner should tell you which bank is seeing the error. Is it the same one you replaced and which one is it front cat or back.
March 10, 201313 yr Author The code scanner is telling me bank 1 sensor 2. I replaced the one about halfway down the car in the middle which I believe is sensor 2 (not sure).
March 10, 201313 yr if it is behind the trans, it is the second sensor. 95 - 99, there is only one bank and and basically there is a sensor in / on each cat.
March 10, 201313 yr Author It is. Is it likely at all that the one I put in is defective or stopped working that fast?
March 10, 201313 yr Author The only other suggestion I've had so far is the catalytic converter could be the problem.
March 10, 201313 yr Have you noticed any driveability problems? Has your gas mileage gone down? How many miles on the car? 2.2 or 2.5? The more info the better. If the car has high mileage like 300k or more it could be the cat but, there should be a way to test that. I would rule everything else out before replacing the cat.
March 14, 201313 yr Author Wires and the connector look fine. Outback Limited 2.5, 193047 miles on it. Do you know of a way to test the 02 sensor or the catalytic converter? I don't want to start replacing things unless I know that it is the problem.
March 14, 201313 yr The only test I know of is for a blocked cat that is causing problems, but It wouldn't work for your situation. I think there is a way to test the sensor with a multi meter but, don't quote me on that if you know somebody that has a obd scanner that can read live data that could tell you a lot. You can also get an OBDII scanner through harbor freight that can read live o2 sensor data for right around $120
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