LS - 1st and 2nd Gen (1990-2000) Discussion topics related to the 1990 - 2000 Lexus LS400

Oxygen Sensors

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 06-10-16, 01:14 PM
  #1  
bdazzler
Rookie
Thread Starter
 
bdazzler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: OK
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default Oxygen Sensors

Vehicle: 94 Lexus LS400

Been having issues with this car of late. Changed the rotors, distributor caps, spark plug wires (plugs were changed recently as well but not at the same time), and two coil packs. And also the O2 sensors. Car was burning too rich, hesitant up hills, poor MPG. After all of the aforementioned changes the car ran almost 100% for first couple of weeks.

I also changed the O2 sensors with aftermarket parts but think I may have wired them up wrong. The original sensors have two black wires, a white and a blue. The aftermarket has two white, a black and a gray. Might have been stupid but I connected the two black wires with the two white wires (made sense since there were two of each but maybe I'm doofy like that), the black with the white and the blue with the gray.

Didn't get any config with the new sensors. Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated!



Old sensor (top), new aftermarket sensor (bottom)
Old 06-10-16, 02:48 PM
  #2  
dicer
Lead Lap
 
dicer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: ca
Posts: 4,525
Received 97 Likes on 89 Posts
Default

That's why I get them with the connector already there. And I agree with your logic as far as the connections.
But heres what I found.

And a search found this, and it agrees too. Except the mention of the grey wire .
http://home.earthlink.net/~jcgebhart/o2sens.html

http://mechanics.stackexchange.com/q...p-an-o2-sensor

Looks like grey is not to blue.
Old 06-10-16, 05:35 PM
  #3  
bdazzler
Rookie
Thread Starter
 
bdazzler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: OK
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Thank you very much, Dicer!

Got a message back from the seller: Output wire is the black wire. White are heater wires. Ground is usually gray. I think I did right then with the white on black wires (2)...according to Stack Exchange. So maybe I just made an error with the black to blue and gray to white?

If someone has done this recently and remembers how they solved this, please holler!



Originally Posted by dicer
That's why I get them with the connector already there. And I agree with your logic as far as the connections.
But heres what I found.

And a search found this, and it agrees too. Except the mention of the grey wire .
http://home.earthlink.net/~jcgebhart/o2sens.html

http://mechanics.stackexchange.com/q...p-an-o2-sensor

Looks like grey is not to blue.
Old 06-11-16, 06:40 PM
  #4  
YODAONE
Lexus Champion
 
YODAONE's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: CALIFORNIA
Posts: 3,257
Received 407 Likes on 346 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by bdazzler
Thank you very much, Dicer!

Got a message back from the seller: Output wire is the black wire. White are heater wires. Ground is usually gray. I think I did right then with the white on black wires (2)...according to Stack Exchange. So maybe I just made an error with the black to blue and gray to white?

If someone has done this recently and remembers how they solved this, please holler!
Try Rock Auto for OEM brand Denso O2 sensors offering correct connectors (no splicing)

Probably they sell for close to the same price you paid for random aftermarket stuff.

Lose the splice job.
Old 06-11-16, 07:47 PM
  #5  
dicer
Lead Lap
 
dicer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: ca
Posts: 4,525
Received 97 Likes on 89 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by YODAONE
Try Rock Auto for OEM brand Denso O2 sensors offering correct connectors (no splicing)

Probably they sell for close to the same price you paid for random aftermarket stuff.

Lose the splice job.
X2, I would not bother with the splice deal either. And butt connectors are not good around road wash and salt or what ever else gets in there to cause problems.
Old 06-12-16, 03:05 AM
  #6  
PureDrifter
BahHumBug

iTrader: (10)
 
PureDrifter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: California
Posts: 23,918
Received 94 Likes on 86 Posts
Default

Never had any issues with the universal Denso sensors i've used ,splice right up without issue and wiring even matches factory as denso made the OEM sensors.
Old 06-12-16, 07:13 AM
  #7  
python
Lexus Champion
iTrader: (4)
 
python's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: ca
Posts: 1,840
Received 26 Likes on 24 Posts
Default

i sell the universal ones all the time..never had them returned.
Old 06-12-16, 01:12 PM
  #8  
bdazzler
Rookie
Thread Starter
 
bdazzler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: OK
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Got it lined up but didn't solve my problem. Thanks for commenting, everybody...
Old 06-13-16, 07:16 AM
  #9  
Banshee365
Instructor
 
Banshee365's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: FL
Posts: 971
Received 97 Likes on 80 Posts
Default

Get a proper diagnosis if you can't do it. You've already wasted lots of money throwing parts at it. That's NEVER the way to fix a concern. If you can't diagnose it, take it to someone who can. If you want to change the part(s) that's diagnosed then fine.
Old 06-13-16, 08:16 AM
  #10  
RA40
Super Moderator

iTrader: (6)
 
RA40's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: California
Posts: 20,850
Received 463 Likes on 361 Posts
Default

There are a couple threads on poor MPG causes-fixes, these may provide some insight too.
Old 06-13-16, 03:23 PM
  #11  
oldskewel
Lexus Test Driver
iTrader: (1)
 
oldskewel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: California
Posts: 1,053
Received 179 Likes on 145 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by PureDrifter
Never had any issues with the universal Denso sensors i've used ,splice right up without issue and wiring even matches factory as denso made the OEM sensors.
Yes, I've never had problems myself with universal ones.

True, it's easier to screw up if you screw things up. But if you don't, each wire is just a wire. So for anyone out there who has never tried it, but is usually successful in fixing things, you should not be worried about this one.

In addition to the sometimes significant price savings, the universal ones are often easier to find.
Old 06-15-16, 12:12 PM
  #12  
bdazzler
Rookie
Thread Starter
 
bdazzler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: OK
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Banshee365
Get a proper diagnosis if you can't do it. You've already wasted lots of money throwing parts at it. That's NEVER the way to fix a concern. If you can't diagnose it, take it to someone who can. If you want to change the part(s) that's diagnosed then fine.
Well, you can look at it that way or that it's part of a major tune-up that was needed, right?
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
LexBrett
SC430 - 2nd Gen (2001-2010)
5
09-26-14 12:52 PM
avalon42
LS - 1st and 2nd Gen (1990-2000)
19
01-31-10 09:50 PM
jcrome04
LS - 1st and 2nd Gen (1990-2000)
8
07-21-09 08:42 AM



Quick Reply: Oxygen Sensors



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 10:35 PM.