The oxygen (O2) sensor keeps track of how much oxygen your vehicle exhaust has. Fountain City Auto Clinic advises that the engine control unit (ECU) uses this information to make sure that the combustion chamber always has the right amount of air and fuel in it. If the oxygen sensor is malfunctioning, it will send incorrect information to the ECU and you may end up with the following problems.
Black Exhaust Smoke
A bad oxygen sensor can cause your vehicle to release black exhaust smoke because there is too much fuel in the engine. When the ECU adjusts the fuel in the combustion chamber to increase it because of a misreading by the O2 sensor, the engine will burn away the excess fuel and this creates the black exhaust you see flowing out of your tailpipe.
Check Engine Warning
A malfunctioning O2 sensor also triggers the ECU to turn on the check engine light to warn you that there is a problem in the engine. In fact, when we run a diagnostic check to find out why the check engine light is on, it will return an error code that points us directly to your vehicle’s oxygen sensor. Replacing the sensor usually solves the problem.
Engine Problems
Because the O2 sensor affects how much air and fuel the ECU puts into the combustion chamber, a failing oxygen sensor can cause your engine to stutter or surge. If the engine is stuttering, you have too much air in the combustion chamber. If the engine is surging, there’s too much fuel in the chamber. Your engine can also stall if the mixture is off by quite a bit.
High Emissions
When your vehicle burns too much fuel, it releases excess carbons in the exhaust. This increases your vehicle’s emissions and leads to an emissions test failure. Until such time as the malfunctioning oxygen sensor is replaced, your vehicle will continue to release excess emissions.
Loss of Fuel Efficiency
This will also cause you to see a reduction in your automobile’s fuel economy. When the engine burns away the excess fuel, you run through a tank more quickly. Even if there is too much air in the combustion chamber because of the failing O2 sensor, you may still see a difference in your gas mileage.
Rotten Egg Odors
Finally, the O2 sensor can directly affect the catalytic converter. When it is forced to process excess carbons, it becomes clogged and fails. Consequently, you end up smelling rotten eggs. This is actually sulfur.
Fountain City Auto Clinic in Knoxville, TN, can help. Call us today to schedule a diagnostic check.