hey guys i'm new to the site and i have a question.
i have a 2000 dakota with the 4.7 magnum. the truck was burning really rich and it was blowing soot and black smoke out of the tailpipe. the mechanic changed out the oxygen sensor and some other sensor. anyways the smoke and soot went away. now the truck is starting to smoke again. what could be causing this thing to burn through sensors like this?
any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

a short somewhere probably.

 

LETS MAKE THIS SIMPLE:
a 2000 (my) model year?

1)vehicle is stock?
2) post codes*- pxxxx....auto zone will read/scan for free.

*ck even if MIL is off

A tip..... there are NO codes that say "change part"

 

it's a common preventive maintenance item. the average life is approx. 60K miles. just like the one post where we all overlooked one sensor that was a big part of poor fuel economy. the MAP sensor, which wasnt reading properly, but it wasnt off the charts to trip a CEL. and you dont ened to run to autozone everytime you get a check engine light. just do the keydance and take to code to the 2nd gen main page and look at the code list (will tell you how to do the key dance.) only benefit of a basic scan tool is too erase codes. just pull the battery cable instead and save yourself a drive or $100-200 investing in a obd2 scanner

 

Assuming the oxygen sensor is actually bad, it could be one of a few things.
1) You got a bad sensor, or a sensor that failed earlier than normal.

2) How many miles have you put on the truck since than? As stated aobve, oxygen sensors, like everything else, has a lifespan. Typically 60,000 to 100,000 miles.

3) Electrical short/etc. It's very important the wiring for the O2 circuit to be in good condition. There should be no soldering near the sensor itself, since the sensors get fresh air through the wiring harness, nor packing it with grease, or any other kind of obstruction.

 

I am getting a diagnostic code: P0133 which indicates an issue with the drivers side precat O2 sensor.

I currently am having an issue with removing and replacing my drivers side precat O2 sensor. Getting the sensor out isn't the problem, but getting to the plug is. It is WAY up behind some other tubes and wires and I don't see anyway of getting to it.

Photo0431.jpg

I bought an OEM direct replacement O2 sensor with the wires and plug, but I can't get to the freaking old plug to even unplug it.

Am I allowed to just cut this old sensor off and splice in my new one? I would use solder and heat shrink tubing. I am just stumped at how I am supposed to be able to unplug the O2 sensor.

Any help guys?

 

When I did my O2's I just followed the wire harness for the old O2 straight up the firewall and found the plug for it under the main wire harness that runs the width of the firewall. Getting to it was a bit of a stretch for me but I was able to get to it from the top side and unplug it and plug in the new one. I have a 3.9, though. Your 3.7 might be different. Maybe remove the wheel and inner fender liner to get a better view and better access. I would not cut and solder the wires, it is best to unplug the old and plug in the new, especially with an OEM sensor.

Jimmy

 

The guys at the part store agreed that I should NOT splice into the wires because they are super sensitive connections. The plug is behind the wire looms and tubes seen in the picture on the right. There is no way to get to it from above. It is almost on the top of the transmission where the plug is. I just can't see anyway of getting to it. I'm going to talk to my local exhaust shop tomorrow and see what they say.

 

Come to think of it now, the passenger side O2 on my truck had th eplug up top at the main wire harness. Sorry, I told you the wrong thing. I remember the driver's side O2 being attached to the top of the transmission area too, but I was able to reach in and twist it out and there was enough slack in the wires to unplug and plug in the new O2. I remember reinserting the mounting tab back in the original hole on the bracket now too. My truck is a manual though and there may be differences in sizes of the tranny or the bell housing and it may be attached in a different spot on your automatic. I also had to remove the inspection panel in the driver's side fenderwell to get better access to the sensor.

Good luck with it.

Jimmy

 

Thanks Jimmy,

I put the old sensor back in before I did anything brash. I will reanalyze with a clear head tomorrow and look and see if going through the drivers side wheel well will give me better access. I just want to get it taken care of before my mpg has a chance to suck too much.