I'm having a problem with my 2003 Dodge Stratus and I'm hoping someone can help me with perhaps the fix and what it might cost me to fix. My oxygen sensor keeps going off causing my engine to miss fire.

It started doing it a year ago and I had the sensor replaced. It worked great for a couple of months and then it went off again. My mechanic replaced it for me for free as it had just been a couple of months. Again it worked great for a few months and then went off again. At that point my mechanic checked the sensor separate from the car and confirmed that the sensor was just fine. He put it back in the car and it worked great for a couple of weeks and then went off. This time he adjusted connections, wires, cleaned off anything that could cause a faulty connection and it worked great for a couple of weeks again and then went off. At this point he told me it had to be the computer and told me that the dealership is my only option as he can't rebuild or replace the computer.

So my question is, does anyone know roughly what this would cost to replace or rebuild in my car?

I'm trying to determine if it is worth replacing or if it is time to get another vehicle which I would really rather not do. the dealership will charge me a diagnostic fee to tell me and quite frankly money is tight for me right now and I need to watch every penny I spend. Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

A couple of other interesting nuances with this problem that might help you understand it are:

1. if the sensor goes off and the car miss fires, it will stop doing it if i turn off the car however the engine light will stay on.

2. If I let the car idle for 5 minutes the first time I turn on the car that day, the sensor will be less likely to go off. (no guarantee)

3. if I slowly accelerate the sensor is less likely to go off. Also If I keep under 60 miles an hour it is less likely to go off. (no guarantee)

4. when the sensor goes off, the engine will miss fire. I then have to play the game of laying off the gas, and then give it gas before it stops miss firing. Then it will drive for a couple of minutes before doing it again. I then get to play the game again until it stops for a couple of minutes, then I continue that process until I get to my destination.

Again thank you for any help you can provide.

 

weird symptoms ,do you have a coupe or sedan? when he replaced the sensor did he put the same brand back in or try another brand have read bad things about different brands of sensors on here. if you have a sedan, did he check the ground strap on the back of muffler make sure its not rusted or loose . try checking the asd relay its in the fuse box under the hood on certain stratus's it supplies power to the oxygen sensor heater element .if you need a new ECM you don't have to get it at dealer(very expensive) you can search online for a replacement ecm(try searching on here also after you find a company will help you get an idea of there reputation)

 

Thank you for your response. I have a sedan. I'll pass what you listed to my mechanic to see if he checked those items. Thank you for your help.

If I am able to purchase a new ECM independent of the dealership, what would be the length of time it would take install it?

 

you can get a rebuilt computer for under 200 dollars with different warranty lengths(some lifetime warranty check around). it comes set up for your vehicle should take around an hour or less to install(couple wiring harnesses and a few bolts)