Description
WHAT DOES AN OXYGEN SENSOR DO?
O2 sensors measure oxygen levels in your exhaust fumes to gauge engine ‘efficiency’.
Gas engines work by combusting an air-fuel mixture in the engine cylinders. This mixture needs to be burned at a precise ratio to perform as efficiently as possible. If this ratio is off, the mixture in the engine is considered “rich” if there is not enough oxygen in the mixture, or “lean” if there is too much oxygen — both of which can cause harmful emissions and potentially damage your engine.
The oxygen sensor detects rich or lean mixtures and tells your Powertrain Control Module (PCM) to adjust the ratio. The PCM will then inject more or less fuel into the engine.
Many standard vehicles come with at least two oxygen sensors. The second sensor also measures oxygen in the exhaust flow, but only after the exhaust fumes have passed through the catalytic converter. Catalytic converters convert certain unwanted exhaust gases to help control the release of toxic emissions. This second O2 sensor is placed downstream of the catalytic converter to measure how efficiently it converts the exhaust.
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