What is an oxygen sensor and why is it important?

Modern cars with internal combustion engines have oxygen sensors in their exhaust systems.The oxygen sensor is a tubular device normally mounted inside the exhaust manifold.They can also be mounted directly in front of the catalytic converter.Vehicles usually have one to four oxygen sensors.

The number of sensors Toyota has in its cars depends on the model.The newer and more powerful your car, the more oxygen sensors you'll likely have.The vehicle's maintenance manual should tell you how many oxygen sensors it has.

How the oxygen sensor works

The oxygen sensor (also known as the O2 sensor or Lambda sensor) is designed to detect the amount of oxygen in the exhaust.Up to 7 executions per second.It compares the amount of oxygen in the flue gas with the amount of oxygen outside the vehicle.The O2 sensor then sends the data to the ECU, which adjusts the air/fuel mixture accordingly.

This process exists to help your Toyota engine always maintain an ideal fuel mixture.The ideal fuel mix depends on a number of factors, including:

Engine temperature.
Engine load.
The temperature.
Throttle position.

Symptoms of an oxygen sensor malfunction

When the oxygen sensor fails, your engine may become too thick or too thin.This leads to a range of symptoms.

Oily travel means there is too much fuel in the air/fuel mixture.Symptoms of mixed fuel abundance include:

Reduce fuel economy
Power reduction
To speed up slow
Soot is visible at the end of the exhaust pipe
Operational imbalance
There is a strong smell of petrol in idling

A weak mixture is the opposite of a strong mixture.This means there is too much air in the air/fuel mixture.The ECU reacts to the thin mixture by delaying the timing of the engine to prevent overheating or even explosion.Thin operation shortens spark plug life, reduces fuel economy, and reduces the engine's total power.In addition to checking that the engine light is on, the following symptoms indicate that your engine is running too thin: