When to replace o2 sensors
 

Just curious, but what is the consensus on when to replace o2 sensors on our cars?


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When they fail.

Just wondering as i didnt see anything in the service manual, just replaced the catalytic converters as they were clogged and am still getting a little bit of hesitation when i go wot....have seen some places that recommend replacing them at the 100,000 mile mark, but wasnt sure if nissan had a recommended replacement interval


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If they fail,there will be a Engine Check Light....but for best performance & if you got nothing to spend,can change it every 100,000Km[62,000 Miles].

What if they're just starting to fail and have not failed completely? I've replaced the map sensor as the previous one was a nice golden brown color on the sensor circuit itself and both maf sensors are reading good air flow....both post cat o2 sensors are reading within spec from the readings im getting from them, replaced fuel pump with new as the one that was in the fuel tank had become detached from its mounting poles. Running out of ideas as to why im getting the slight hesitation when i go wot


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Throttle Bodies? They become dirty pretty quick cleaned mine at 45k because the car would die at startup on hot days

When to replace o2 sensors
 

Cleaned those when i first got the car, inspected them just this last weekend and not very much buildup on them. Only things i can think of that might cause the hesitation are a vacuum leak, dirty fuel injectors or possibly a faulty abs sensor. I've looked for a vacuum leak before and couldnt find anything, but that doesnt mean there isn't one, im running fuel injector cleaner through the gas tank right now so i suppose we'll see if that helps and the only reason i mention anything about the abs sensors is because when i have vdc turned on i get a wheel slip light along with the slight hesitation. Car runs perfect otherwise, just going crazy trying to track down the cause of the hesitation :)


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Sounds like your VDC is turning on and that is causing the issue you see. So you loose traction and traction control kicks in by what you are describing above.

Question is why it would be turning on, all 4 tires are brand new and all the wheel hubs pass the shake test


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What are your tyre sizes .... OEM ?

No codes to indicate wheel speed sensor issues ?

Failing o2 sensors may not necessarily trip a DTC. They start failing by not responding quick enough. You can only see this on a scan tool, preferably one capable of graphing the results. If o2 output looks more square wave than saw tooth, there is a problem.

When to replace o2 sensors
 

Tire and wheel size are both oem spec and no codes being thrown for wheel speed sensors


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When to replace o2 sensors
 

Would this cause a hesitation in acceleration? My scantool doesnt have the ability to pick up on the pre cat o2 sensors, but from what i can gather from the stft and ltft it seems like the sensors are functioning, like you said though they could just not be responding quick enough which is what i suspect might be happening


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Did you check the back side of the butterfly valve on the throttle bodies? I've cleaned mine twice in 80K miles - the first time I didn't think they were even that dirty until I actually removed them and looked at the back side :ugh:

Also, VDC will brake for you when wheel slip is detected, and it will cut throttle if you continue trying to accelerate during wheel slip. Even if you turn VDC off, the ABLS system will still pulsate the rear brakes when wheel slip is detected, although you can overpower ABLS with throttle.

Lastly, I assume this hesitation is new to you? Because the throttle lag on the stock tune is horrid. A tune will fix that right up if you haven't already.

Checked the back of the butterfly valve on the throttle body, was nice and shiny, throttle lag isnt new to me, but what im feeling isnt that. Basically what happens is this: cruising along on freeway doing 60, pin the throttle to the floor, first second car starts to take off, then the next second or so it feels like the engine cuts power, followed by full power restored all the way to redline. These symptoms are made even worse when vdc is turned on as when i lose that power from the engine for that second the wheel slip light will turn on and sometimes stays on up till about 2000rpm before redline. Tires are new so i know they have plenty of grip


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That sure sounds like VDC kicking in. But unless you're boosted, you don't get wheel slip at 60 mph even if you're in the power band in 3rd gear with bald tires. Plus you said VDC is off and it still happens :icon14:

...unless its sub 60 F outside (even with fresh rubber). With low tread, I've had the tires break loose and VDC kick in gears 3 and 4 around 60mph at temps from 40 - 90 degrees, and I'm not boosted. Since, it's summer and the OP's tires are new, the scenarios I've described clearly aren't the cause though.

Perhaps the new tires are badly aligned?

Sure, O2 response plays a huge role in fueling. If the o2 is lazy, throttle response will suffer. I'd start by cleaning the throttle bodies then go from there.

Had an alignment done not to long after i got the tires mounted


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When to replace o2 sensors
 

Gave the throttle bodies a thorough cleaning when i picked the car up so i guess that leaves just one thing...well technically 2 since there is one for each side lol....question though, will a lazy o2 sensor harm the new cats in any way?


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What brand and model tires did you buy?

:tiphat:

Texas boy here. We don't have much experience with sub-60F temps :icon17:

I should have clarified environmental factors being consistent and not detrimental (like rain or cold).

Firestone firehawk indy 500, should note that the car has been doing this even with a different set of tires that were good


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I'd probably get it taken care of sooner than later. Your mileage should improve too.

When to replace o2 sensors
 

Well my mileage already improved pretty dramatically when i swapped out the cats lol


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When to replace o2 sensors
 

Dont know if this helps in any diagnosis, but the hesitation only seems to occur when everythings warmed up. Before that if i pin the throttle i get no hesitation at all, forgot to mention that before


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Car is in open loop mode prior to engine reaching operating temp. Once in closed loop, feedback from o2 is monitored and fuel adjusted accordingly.

When to replace o2 sensors
 

Guess it's a good thing i found our o2 sensors for less then $100 on amazon lol....one last question though, would the throttle response get worse as the o2 sensors heated up even more, like say as oil temps moved beyond 200 degrees or an extra load was put on the engine like ac being turned on?


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Clean your MAF sensors.

One of the first things i did after i got the car and cleaned them again last month...maf sensors are reading correct according to scantool


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Ok so in addendum to this thread i swapped out the bank 1 o2 sensor which is the one i was getting a code thrown for. The Z reacts a little more quickly to throttle inputs now, but i am still getting the hesitation i described before, do all o2 sensor both upstream and downstream need to be replaced in order to resolve this issue? Also in addition to the hesitation I noticed that the coolant temps are getting pretty high, like around 215 or more...could this be caused by the o2 sensors as well?

don't PIN it, problem solved..

Only way to know that is to have someone reading the scanner as you drive, or have a way to data log the information. :twocents: