Otto Bonn

Yes, for the benefit of anyone who comes after I will say start with the passenger side. Access is pretty good there. If you have bigger hands the driver side can be a bit more difficult. Getting the sensor to move shouldn't be too hard because that access is pretty good but fiddling it out is easier if you start shoving the coolant hoses around an inch or two as you work. ""Coolant hoses, dammit Jim, I'm an air cool guy."

The connectors in the engine bay may be accessible without removing the air box but I think it's tough and better to just remove the Box. They are mercifully easy to manipulate once you can get to them. And they are configured such that Replacements can only be installed one way.

I was worried about starting the threads of the new sensors without cross threading but they went in without issue and came with anti-seize already applied.

If the weather cooperates I will get the air box reinstalled and do an electrical handoff tomorrow before I go for a spin to give the computer a chance to adapt.

Left-y loose-y etc.

az968gpw

I did a set on a friend's car recently. Removing the air box makes accessing the connectors easy. 22mm crows foot. Try spinning the sensor out using the connector wire, I think I did that with drivers side post cat.

z driver 88t

Definitely soak them in PB Blaster (or equal) before removal. he O2 sensors had rusted in pretty well on mine. I removed the cats for better access and they still snapped off. I was able to drill them out and just re-tap the threads with a Harbor Freight tap, but it did add a couple of hours to the job.

Kris Murphy

Sorry, I will clarify. I do remove the airbox. Sorry I did not mention that, it was already removed in your photo. I do have skinny hands so I can get to them to turn them. If you have them loose already, after you disconnect the connector, you can twist the wire, depending on how loose it is, it may turn the sensor as you twist the wire. That does not help you install the new ones though.

Otto Bonn

Thanks guys. Lucky for me my car has led a somewhat protected life and there is no corrosion at the sensors. I didn't even need a crow's foot, just a standard open end which had to be flipped back and forth occasionally in order to engage the sensor.

I thought about twisting the wires but didn't want to ruin the sensors in case I need to use them for testing purposes in the future. Starting the threads on the driver's side required me to use my fingers like Chopsticks and it actually worked like a charm.

In summary I would say there was nothing else that needed to be disassembled in my case. I would advise those who replaced their sensors in the future that this would be sufficient. As for those people who had to remove their catalytic converters, drill things and tap things, my hats off. In this case I got off easy and dodged that thrill.

pdxmotorhead

When I took my exhaust off to pull the engine,, I had the cats laying on the floor,
I finally took them to a friends with a compressor, heated them with a torch and
used a nasty 1/2inch air impact to get the sensors out..

No way would those have come out in the car..

Heat-pbblaster-repeat.

jobyt

I have to remove and replace my exhaust every two years (CA smog test) and the x-pipe fails visual, even though the sniff passes. So I've become *somewhat* experienced in the process to change the O2 sensors in a short amount of time. 15 min to remove the bumper cover and heat shield, 30 min to remove and replace the exhaust, 30 min to button everything back up.

Otto Bonn

Nice work. Better you than me. That would have put me back.

I'm all buttoned up and have started the adaptation process. Took a little drive this afternoon in Hood River to prove it all works.

Now I can get back to other interests and find my happy space like last week...