hey all, my 97 ram 1500 5.2 had an 02 sensor go, check engine light came on , I drove it for a good 30 miles home and to the mechanic... he fixed it and told me that he had to change them in PAIRS, ... I was suspicious of this, but didnt argue since I could very well be wrong...
Then he told me the price, $312 total for 2 02 sensors and labor...
I paid it, but really thought,,, why cant he just change one 02 sensor???

If anyone here is a mechanic, please tell me, is $312 A lot for 2 02 sensors and also, DO 02 sensors REALLY need to be changed in pairs>? does Chrysler ship them only in pairs or something?> whats the deal?! Info would be greatly appreciated, So id know whether or not this guy swindled me or not!

 

Well....i don't know about Dodges...but i had an 02 sensor go out on my 2000 PreRunner. I only had to have the one changed out...not both. And I think they charged me about 250.00. Which probably was a ripoff. 50.00 for the part..and 200.00 for the 10 minutes it took to install it!!!

 

Bendover.. 02 sensors are around 50-60 bucks a piece. Going to asume your mech didn't know which one of the two was bad. Before and after cat sensor. Might have taken him 30 minutes to replace if he was eating a doughnut in one hand, wrench in the other.

 

I am not a certified mechanic but I am a electrician. NO you don't have to switch out the sensors at the same time. all it is doing is sending a signal (millivolt) to the computer telling it what level the exhaust gasses are at. they are not used in conjunction or tied together in any way other than both going to the computer. One thing to realize though is that if the sensor did not go out prematurely than the other one probably was not to far behind the first one.

 

yes, since O2's are 50-60 bucks and the amount of time to change the is shorter than cleaning your hands afterwards... Next time buy the socket for $10 and do it yourself. It's EASY.

 

Thanks for the info! In all fairness I have to say, all I knew was that the check engine light was on, so maybe the majority of this mechanic's labor bill was in the initial diagnosis... but still that shouldnt add up to 312 dollars.... now I know not to go back to this guy! thanks guys!

 

I always recommend both upstreams together. Downstreams usually don't go bad. Labor should have run about an hour.

 

replace together , and as far as price ... generaly figure 20 bucks for each wire. o2 sensors ive seen have one to four wires. some idiots try to cut cornors and be cheap and buy a universal 02 sensor so then you have to cut and spice wires together which dont do just bite the bullet and do it right the first time with the oe style so you just have to plug in and then screw the o2 into the pipe.

 

I don't have a ton of experience here, but I'll throw in my $0.02:

I've seen factor O2 sensors for automobiles run from $30-$250 a pop (quick internet search says OEM dodge O2 sensor for '97 Ram 1500 is $102 each). Two OEM's plus labor. . . I can see it getting close to $300. Aftermarket O2's are often less expensive, but even they can be all over the map. I'm assuming you took the truck to a dodge dealership - which means OEM sensors.

I changed the O2 sensor on a '87 Acura Integra once. I had to wrench the HELL out of it, in a small engine bay, to get the darned thing out. It took me a good half hour just to get the thing out.

As for HAVING to change both O2 sensors at once, I'm pretty skeptical. I supect the mechanic didn't want to spend the time to diagnose each sensor, so just replace both of them to ensure he gets the credit for solving the problem.

I've not really searched for the O2 sensors on my Ram 1500, but I suspect they are easy to get to. If correct, $320 to swap both sounds a bit excessive - don't think you got totally *** raped, but I think you could have had it done cheaper.

Now you know for next time!

 

I would recommend replacing both at the same time so that you have the best possible fix. All sensors wear over time, especially the O2 sensors; especially the upstream O2 sensors as mentioned. By replacing both at the same time you get a "matched" set that will net you better running and even better MPG (assuming they are both on thier way out). It is not necessary to replace both at the same time, but if mine ever go out, I'm gonna replace both (myself).