This is a follow up to a post I created late last week. I got a code 41 out of my CEL and someone here told me that is for the o2 sensor. Will putting a new o2 in def solve my problem or should I have a shop look at it and make sure nothing else is screwy?

Secondly, I have been putting off replacing my front right (passenger side) axle for about a month now until I could get my motor mounts replaced first. The axle boot is cracked and my mechanic that spotted the problem recommeneded replacing the whole axle. A couple questions on this:
1) the axle is being to sqeauk when I turn the wheel (not driving it anymore for fear of really screwing it up). Does this mean that the axle is shot now or just that it is getting dry?
2) If the axle itself is not shot can I just replace the boot?
3) how hard is it to replace the whole axle on a scale of 1-10? I've done my own motor mounts, air intake, exhaust, tires, IACV, and various other reg maintance items think I could handle this?
4) most online auto parts stores (autozone, autowarehouse, etc...) I have searched sell axle assemblies. Will this include everything i need to replace the axle? my problem is that i have a cracked boot and its letting the grease out and dirt in.

I know some of you are gonna tell me to get a manual (book). I had/have one just can't find it. And I will def buy a new one before I go tearing into my axle, just looking for opinions.

 

Code 41 is the sensor preheater circuit. Unplug the sensor, measure resistance between the 2 black wires. Should be 15 to 40 ohms. If not, get a new sensor.

If it's OK, you'll be looking for broken wires (or loose plugs) somewhere in that circuit.

 

Where is that sensor? and can someone confirm that code 41 is for the pre heater circuit as Jim says? I am gettin mixed info now from different people here.

 

Boot would have to be changed soon after the boot tears, not after joint is dry, and now shot. Now you have to change both (axle and boot). The heated O2 sensor should be after the catalytic converter, on the exhaust. Like Jim said, test the sensor and circuit before changing. And yes, code #41= O2 sensor heater circuit.

 

Thanks a lot. How do you go about testing the sensor? and how difficult is it to change out the whole axle?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BLKFLSH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... The heated O2 sensor should be after the catalytic converter, on the exhaust.</TD></TR></TABLE>On an OBD-1 car there's only one O2 sensor, before the cat. Sometimes it's right on the front of the exhaust manifold. Only OBD-2 cars have a 2nd sensor after the cat, & it's got a different error code.

The heater is built into the sensor, so if the heater is bad you have to replace the sensor. BUT... the ECU can't tell the difference between a bad heater vs. an open connection or broken wire somewhere in that circuit. Did you measure the heater's resistance yet?

 

No I did not measure the heaters resistance. I am assuming I could hook up an Ohm meter to the sensor and it would tell me the resistance???

All the wires appear to be in good condition and everything is tightly connected. However I was replacing my front motor mount (very close proximity to the O2 sensor) when this CEL first came about. The wire problem seems more likely to me since those wires did get knocked around a bit in the process. Could I use a condinuity tester on the wires or is there a more acurate way to check them?

 

The heater is on the 2 same-color (usually black) wires on the sensor. Like you say, just use an ohm-meter to measure resistance between them. Also use the ohm-meter to check each of those wires for continuity to ground. Should not be any continuity to ground from either of those wires.

Set your meter for continuity & check the wires on the car. If the sensor's good & you don't find any broken wires, you may have to check continuity back to the main relay & back to the ECU.

 

Any idea what the resistance is supposed to be over the sensor? I am assuming to check the two same color wires, I can do that at the plastic junction clip and measure across the sensor.

How would I go about checking the continuity to ground though? That one has me kind of puzzled. Never was good at electronics. All I know how to do is put a continuity tester (wire with a light bulb in the middle of it) to both ends of a wire and make sure it can pass a current through it. To test the ground would I simply put one end of the wire to the black wire and the other to the car's frame? It is going to be a little bit before I get a chance to do any of this. I am in college and all my tools are at home (2 hours away) but I want a plan of action for when I get a chance to go home and figure this out.

Thanks by the way for this help. I am learning a lot about this right now.

 

You can't test the O2 sensing element itself at room temperature. You're just testing the heater element. But that's OK since the O2 sensing element would have thrown code 1...

Set your meter for resistance, put the leads on the 2 black wires. Should be between 15 & 40 ohms. Be aware of the difference between ohms & kilo-ohms for your meter's display. (40 ohms is 0.040 kilo-ohms)

Next check continuity to ground, leaving the meter set for resistance. Put one meter lead on the metal base of the sensor, the other lead on one of the black wires. It should indicate infinite resistance or "OL" or something like that. Just like it does when you don't touch the meter leads to anything. Repeat for the other black wire.

 

OK so I <U></U>NEED<U></U> to have a meter capable of measuring resistance. I was hoping to be able to test something with only a simple continuity tester (wire with a bulb inline) but that doesnt look to be possible. You think a Walmart or something similar would sell a multimeter for me to do this? I am limited in where I can get to being in philly currently.

 

I've seen cheap (under $20) multimeters at radioshack & autozone & walmart.

Use your test lamp like this...
Be careful you don't short your battery to ground!
Take a wire & connect one of the black O2 sensor wires to ground.
Take a wire from the (+) battery post to your test lamp.
Touch the test lamp to the other black sensor wire.
It should light up. That's not an absolute test, but most times the heater just burns out. This wouldn't detect a heater that has somehow changed to the wrong resistance.

Disconnect the first wire (sensor to ground) & move it to the base of the sensor or to the exhaust manifold.
Touch the test lamp to each of the black sensor wires.
It shouldn't light up.

 

HEHE I'll just get a multi meter tonight. but thanks though. I'll let you know later tonight/tomorrow how the test went. I walk past a radioshack every day on my way home from work.

 

Just tested it, I dont know if I got a bad connection or what but I got infinite resistance from connecting the two black wires together with the multi-meter. The meter works as I got little (&gt;.1) from touching both leads to the exhaust manifold. but the meter didnt budge (infinite) when i tried to connect the two black wires. It was quite difficult to get the leads of the meter into the socket for the sensor. Think im gonna try with a wire in there, might get a better connection. If it truely is reading infinite resitance would that indicate a blown sensor?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by razorskater &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... would that indicate a blown sensor?</TD></TR></TABLE>Yes.

 

OK. now on to the axle part of my post. Does anyone have any info regarding replacing an axle? How difficult is it? Do I really need a ball joint puller or is there any other way to get them apart? I have heard that can be pretty dificult. Anyone have some first hand experience with axle removal's?