Finding Your Oxygen Sensors

Oxygen sensors were first introduced in the mid 1970s and by the 1980s, all vehicles were equipped with at least one oxygen sensor. Today, it's not uncommon for a vehicle to have four oxygen sensors. The location of an oxygen sensor plays a huge role in its ability to correctly send signals to the computer. Usually an oxygen sensor is before the catalytic converter and the muffler, this way the oxygen sensor can get an accurate reading of how much unburned oxygen is in the exhaust gases. For some vehicles, there are oxygen sensors after the catalytic converter, although these oxygen sensors have a small role in the vehicles performance. For vehicles with multiple oxygen sensors, this increases the vehicle's chances to perform and have less harmful emissions. With modified exhaust systems, sometimes the oxygen sensor or sensors will need to be replaced with upgraded oxygen sensors.