can PB Blaster ruin an o2 sensor?

[syP]

can PB Blaster ruin an o2 sensor? update- problem found

With my headers on the way, i decided to PB blast all the bolts yesterday to get ready for the install. I also used a liberal amount on all 4 o2 sensors.

This afternoon my CEL turned on.. codes were Lean Bank 1, Lean Bank 2 (171 and 174). I reset it.. then 30 minutes later it turned back on.


Only mod i have is a Vararam intake, have had it on there for 1 month now... never any problem before.


Car acts fine, drives fine, and gets the same gas mileage (so it seems)


can drenching an o2 sensor in PB Blaster seap in there and ruin it?

Click to read more...

 

[CrawlinTBSS]

outside air pickup could be picking up some of the PB. silicon based materials will contaminate a sensor and require new one. i know 1 PB is a silicon base. but im guessing the regular will do the same. if it gets in there.

 

[syP]

hopefully its just the rears... since those will be turned off anyways (catless)

 

[greasy]

I would imagine so, that is how a penetrant works. It gets into areas other than where you spray it.

 

[CrawlinTBSS]

yeah im guessing it seaped down the outside air inlet and coated the ceramic tip. itll cause the sensor to send fuckd rich/lean signals.

 

[syP]

ewww... no way to clean it when i take it out?

and apparently o2 sensors arent covered under the 5/100 PT warranty.. fml

 

[CrawlinTBSS]

nope. once contaiminated on the ceramic tip its toast.

 

[syP]

ah oh well.. we will see what happens after i turn off the rear sensors.. if not.. only $36 each from rock auto...

for OEM denso... surprisingly cheap.

 

[CrawlinTBSS]

rockauto = the shizzzz!

 

[syP]

x2

 

[syP]

interesting... according to a GM tech... they have gasket rings on them so they dont leak anything in or out.. and hes sprayed them plenty of times..

as the plot thickens..

 

[CrawlinTBSS]

interesting...the oxygen sensor has an air inlet for its measuring purpose

 

[CrawlinTBSS]

wikipedia yo!

"Another common cause of premature failure of lambda probes is contamination of fuel with silicones (used in some sealings and greases) or silicates (used as corrosion inhibitors and some antifreezes)."

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

yeah it usually has a permeable teflon/outer jacket for the atmosperic reference side of the sensing element so any HC's/oils/coolant/etc on the upper surfaces can contaminate it and skew its readings

thats why pb has that awesome stream spray nozzle, so you can just hit the base hex/gasket

btw as long as the exhaust is nice and hot half the time ya dont need PB

 

[CrawlinTBSS]

u done fuckd up now syp. lol

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

btw most O2 sensors tend to have reduced accuracy after as little as 30-50k miles so new replacments arent a bad thing

 

[6literEat'r]

ive soaked plenty of 02's with no problems, have had coolant, oil and water from the weather get on them and not have a problem..

 

[bikrboy128]

ive soaked plenty of 02's with no problems, have had coolant, oil and water from the weather get on them and not have a problem..

x2. maybe you just got unlucky

 

[CrunkMaro]

usually when an o2 sensor code kicks on...the o2 sensor is NOT the problem, just an indicator of the symptom (ie running lean)



p0171 and p0174 together usually indicate a vacuum leak

so.

find a vacuum leak

and while you're at it, clean your maf.

and don't replace the o2s.





or maybe i'm wrong. in which case, use your scan tool for what its actually meant for...to scan (NOT CODES) but rather...sensors.

with that said...

monitor o2 voltage switching.




THEN fire the parts cannon on it.





no wonder mechanics got called grease monkeys, cause they'd rather just get dirty and play with wrenches like monkeys than actually sit down and do some diagnosin.

 

[CrawlinTBSS]

its pretty obvious the reason the car is throwing the CEL.

hes sprayed shit all over it, the outside air pickup has obviously picked up the contaminants. he even said he sprayed a nice liberal amount over all of them. and within 30 minutes he throws a CEL pertaining to the items he just blasted with PB.

So he can waste his time and go find a scanner or replace the part that he so carelessly drenched in PB.

sounds like hes doing exhaust anyway so like Syp said if its the rears, he can just turn off.

 

[bikrboy128]

the rears only monitor catalyst efficiency, nothing else.

 

[KAR]

the rears only monitor catalyst efficiency, nothing else.

which is why they are turned off when going catless!

 

[CrunkMaro]

its pretty obvious the reason the car is throwing the CEL.

hes sprayed shit all over it, the outside air pickup has obviously picked up the contaminants. he even said he sprayed a nice liberal amount over all of them. and within 30 minutes he throws a CEL pertaining to the items he just blasted with PB.

So he can waste his time and go find a scanner or replace the part that he so carelessly drenched in PB.

sounds like hes doing exhaust anyway so like Syp said if its the rears, he can just turn off.

I am merely vivifying a very viable vicissitude to the verily verified vox populi...

 

[syP]

-UPDATE-

Had my master tech look at it today..

LTFTs were ~24... he said on GMs it should be +-10.

The guy i bought the intake from (used) turned around the air filter element so all the dirt/debris/bugs were facing the engine. I guess 1 month of the engine SUCKING air in got all the crap stuck on the screen and i guess on the MAF sensor itself.

He cleaned my maf and the filter.. we flipped it the right way

LTFTs are at 4 now. no CEL in the 45 minute drive home.



Lesson for the day... Always check out used parts thoroughly.

 

[10sec]

Could it have just been shitty gas? That'll happen sometimes After the update though, i doubt it. Used parts sometimes FTL, but most times FTW.