Date:         Sun, 14 Oct 2007 02:06:24 -0400
Reply-To:     Karl Mullendore <groups@WESTYVENTURES.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Karl Mullendore <groups@WESTYVENTURES.COM>
Subject:      Re: another fun 2200 mile road trip in the 84 inline four.. trip
              report
Comments: To: Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <001401c80e25$167e1680$c6b2d8d1@laptop>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed

Don, don't worry yourself: the light is connected to a mileage timer and
has no other connection to the functioning (or not) of the sensor. It is
merely a silly timer to let you know it is time to check or replace it
and is designed to come on every 30K miles. To reset it: look under the
van, left front wheel area: find the speedo cable coming from the wheel,
follow it to a square plastic box about three inches square. On that
box, you will find a button, push it in until you hear a click, then
you've reset the timer! That's all, don't worry about your oxygen sensor
unless it has over 60K on it or the van is running poorly.

Karl

Don Hanson wrote:
>   Then at dusk, approaching Gerlach, the O-2 sensor light came on!  "Oh
> Crap!" I think, "Couldn't be further out in the boonies anywhere else in
> America, almost"...But the van continued to run fine anyhow, with the
> mileage diminishing some..maybe a mile or two per gallon was all.  Drove on,
> after overnighting in a 'stealth camp' late, near Fallon, Nv......
>   During one "off" afternoon following a time trial right outside Bryce
> Canyon, I found a generic Denso O-2 sensor in St. George and returned to
> camp to try to find out what was up with the warning light.  I was hoping a
> ground was loose, or something, since I replaced my 02 sensor about 15k
> miles ago when I got the van..No such luck. Tried all the connections and
> tried to re-set the light by disconnecting the power..Then I tried to get my
> O2 sensor loose with just a big open end wrench I carry to change my
> propane...That didn't work and I decided that rather than breaking
> something...like my knuckles or the sensor, I would just drive on home
> without a functioning one...Or maybe it is working, but the light is
> faulty...dunno as I have to do some testing tomorrow while the penetrating
> oil soaks in..I  did not take my Bently along, not that it will probably do
> ME much good on electrical testing proceedures...I do best by 'throwing
> parts" at electrical problems...$87 for the Denso generic 3 wire O-2 sensor
> at Import Auto Parts in St. George, BTW..