Last week I tried pulling the O2 sensor off my New Beetle and I nearly sheared the damn sensor off, and bungled one of the points on the sensor in the process. I regrouped and bought a couple sockets off of Amazon, but they didn’t even fit on. In the end, here’s what worked:<\/p>\n
1. Using MAPP gas heat the bung, the female threads holding the oxygen sensor in place, for 70 seconds.
\n2. Clip the wire off the old sensor and place a 12-point 7\/8-inch box-end wrench over the sensor and pull.<\/p>\n
That’s it. The sensor required some strength to break it free, but then it came out pretty easy. I was tempted to spin it with my fingers, but be careful as it will retain heat for a good ten minutes after heat was last applied. To reinstall the new sensor (I bought a cheap one on eBay<\/a> marked 050558 000025-050558 613234-21-05 and Made In China):<\/p>\n 1. Apply anti-seize lubricant (Permatex 133A – 81343)<\/a> to the oxygen sensor’s threads. If this cheap sensor performs I’ll pick up another for front side of the catalytic converter.<\/p>\n ** Update 10-16-2023 ** I also ran some diagnostics with the OBDII reader and the bank 1 sensor 1 seems to oscillate up and down voltages after it has warmed up. The new bank 1 sensor 2 was constant at about 0.45 volts, but I probably didn’t let it warm up long enough to see if it would be constant at a higher voltage at cruising temperature. Next time I go on a longer trip I will re-monitor its voltage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last week I tried pulling the O2 sensor off my New Beetle and I nearly sheared the damn sensor off, and bungled one of the points on the sensor in the process. I regrouped and bought a couple sockets off … Continue reading
\n2. Apply AGS dielectric silicone compound<\/a> to the electrical connections on the oxygen sensor and the car.
\n3. Thread the new sensor into place and snug up with a good tug on a 7\/8-inch open-end wrench (I don’t have a torque wrench to apply 30 pounds with, so I estimated).<\/p>\n
\nSo the cheap sensor from eBay began failing on September 14, 2023, just inside its one-year warranty. The eBay seller tried to honor the warranty by getting me to send them $12 outside of eBay through their PayPal account. Sorry, not falling for that tomfoolery. Instead, I paid five times the price and bought a Walker 350-34377 locally from Autozone that also comes with a one-year warranty. I installed the Walker oxygen sensor early in the morning 10-17-2023, let’s see how long this one lasts! The threads received a some anti-seize grease before I threaded it on and tightened it up with a box wrench.<\/p>\n