All cars, light-duty trucks, and utility vehicles have oxygen sensors. Also called the O2 sensor, this sensor is located at the beginning of your tailpipe. The O2 sensor sends oxygen level data to the engine control unit. The average lifespan of an O2 sensor is 60,000 miles to 90,000 miles. Yours may last longer. Midlane Truck & Trailer Repair advises that your vehicle will give you a warning if the oxygen sensor is going bad. Here are signs that the O2 sensor is faulty in your light-duty truck.
Check Engine Warning Light
One of the first things that will happen is your check engine light will come on. This is because the oxygen sensor usually reports an error to the engine control unit. Once the engine control unit receives the indication that the O2 sensor is malfunctioning, it will turn on the check engine light.
Engine Performance Trouble
Accompanying the dashboard warning light is generally engine performance problems. You may end up with an engine that has problems accelerating and stutters at high speeds. You may also end up with an engine that picks up speed unexpectedly in spurts. Either of these things indicates that the air and fuel balance in the combustion chamber is off. This can be caused by a faulty oxygen sensor.
Excess Black Exhaust Smoke
Another thing that can happen is you might end up with excess black exhaust smoke flowing out of the tailpipe. When this happens, it’s possible that the engine control unit has added more fuel than necessary to the combustion chamber based on misreadings by the malfunctioning O2 sensor.
High Emissions Levels
If your engine is burning away excess fuel, you will end up with higher-than-normal emissions levels. This will cause your light-duty truck to fail any emissions test that it takes. The reason why it will fail the test is that you have excess hydrocarbons being released in your vehicle’s exhaust.
Noticeable Rotten Egg Odors
These hydrocarbons can also clog the catalytic converter. When the catalytic converter gets clogged, it will begin to malfunction and release sulfur. If you know anything about sulfur, you know it smells like rotten eggs. If you smell rotten eggs coming from your automobile, it could be the O2 sensor.
One last thing to look for is a reduction in your light-duty truck’s fuel economy. If the engine is burning excess fuel, you’ll end up at the service station more often. Don’t worry. Midlane Truck & Trailer Repair in Eugene, OR, can help, so call us today.