86TpiTransAm

Has anyone ever had an oxygen sensor go out?? Can a bad oxygen sensor make my car not run?? When I start it, it idles for about 10 seconds and then dies! When I put my foot on the gas it stutters as it revs up and then it backs off on it's own and if I keep my foot on the gas I can hear detination in the engine then the car dies! When I did a diagnostics test I got an engine code 44....I called the local parts store and they looked it up and told me the ECM was recording low voltage to the Oxygen Sensor for an extended period of time!! I guess a bad oxygen sensor would mess with the fuel mixture but I don't know! Any ideas anyone!???
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1986 Trans Am with 305 TPI - Completely stock with nearly 190,000 miles on it! Soon to swap engine out for a TPI 327 with bigger injectors, comp cam, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, air foil and 64cc pocket ported heads!

amagin86

I don't know too much about tpi, but i've had O2 sensors fail before, usually creating a rich condition i could smell and feel in my eyes at stops. This may not be your main problem, but it's obviously one of them. Could be that something else has fouled the O2 sensor, causing it to fail. sorry, i've probably not helped you, but I've had other problems foul my O2 sensor before.

clem

ViciousZ

iTrader: (1)

Don't know what you're getting a code 44 for, but I doubt that the O2 sensor is what is causing the car to not run. For the first few minutes that the car runs, the ECM does not take any information from the O2 sensor. This is because the exhaust is not warm enough yet to get an accurate reading. An oxygen sensor is used by the computer for fine-tuning the air-fuel ratio, or correcting a problem with another sensor. A healthy engine does not really need a O2 sensor, because if all the other sensors are functioning properly, the ECM should have the right air-fuel mixture already. But anyway, the oxygen sensor should have abosolutely no impact on how the car runs for the first few minutes. Are you getting the service engine light when you first start the car? The ECM will hold all codes for something like 50 starts, so it's possible that you got code 44 some other time when you were driving. Another note about the SE light: if it is not on at a certain time, then the ECM is not finding a problem at that moment. Only when the light is on is the ECM aware of a problem.

[This message has been edited by ViciousZ (edited December 20, 2000).]

Pukka

First check for any black soot on your tailpipes.

Check the fuel pressure AFTER the FPR. This will help you determine a rich condition.

Also check your ignition system for a good spark.

Do this BEFORE you mess with the O2 sensor. The reason is that problems in these areas will not allow the ECM to adjust the fuel/air mixture. The ECM also checks the CHANGE in O2 sensor voltage.....if there is no change, then the ECM may give an O2 sensor fault even though the problem lies somewhere else.

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92 Camaro RS LO3, 5-spd, T-tops
Mechanics:
Open Air Element w/K&N Filter, Flowmaster 3" Cat-back Exhaust, Z28 Grille w/aftmkt fog lamps
Electronics:
Alpine 8030 Alarm System, Valentine One Radar Detector (How did I ever drive without one?), Pioneer DEH 7450 Head Unit w/6-pack CD changer, Pioneer DEQ 7600 Sound Processor, 2 Kenwood KAC-90 Amps powering 2 12" Pro Red subs and 4 Infiniti speakers.
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