Date:         Wed, 7 Apr 1999 11:53:49 -0500
Reply-To:     Jodi Sage <Jodi.Sage@WCOM.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jodi Sage <Jodi.Sage@WCOM.COM>
Subject:      O2 sensor question 85 vanagon
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Last night I noticed this "thing" on a wire hanging down from the rear of my
Van.  About the size of a spark plug, with threads attached to an
approximately 14 gauge wire.  Since I couldn't see any obvious places it
could screw into I taped it to a bracing rod nearby, until I could
investigate further.
Later in the evening as I was pursuing my "Handyman" magazines looking for
plans to build a wheel chair ramp, I came across an article on Oxygen Sensor
Replacement.   HOT DOG! Mystery solved that hangy down thing and the magazine
drawing look alike!  It's my O2 sensor.

So based on that article and the vans owners manual it needs to be in the
exhaust manifold.   Now   the van was just in the dealership for its "out of
hibernation" service.  At the time they told me that there is an exhaust leak
at cylinder #1.    They also told me that the CO2 setting cannot be adjusted
because the CO2 check valve is gone, due to previous exhaust work.   (Instead
of replacing the entire exhaust I had new pipe sections cut and spliced onto
the old. ) The exhaust just  started to roar last Sunday when I was coming
back from a week in Detroit (I live in Iowa).  Now I never noticed the sensor
hanging from the back while I was in Detroit, and I believe I would have as I
was checking the oil and coolant levels (refill & expansion tank) at every
other gas stop.   When I was examining the exhaust last night I honestly
expected to see a big gaping hole in one or more of the pipes and I didn't.
So this leaves me with the following questions:

What is the CO2 check valve?  Am I causing any future severe engine problems
by not having one?
How is it associated with the O2 sensor?
Is the location of the O2 sensor near or at cylinder #1?
Would the O2 sensor have been removed to do any tune up work?
The sensor looks really old, yet the dealership didn't or hasn't changed it,
since it's loose would it be a good time to change it and can I change it
myself?
Could the dislodged sensor be causing the exhaust roar?

Thanks,
Jodi
85 Westy Weekender (Tootsie)
97 Cabrio
57 Beetle
81 Rabbit CV (For Sale)
94 Honda Accord (For Sale)