Is Cleaning an Oxygen Sensor Effective?
1 Answers
Whether cleaning an oxygen sensor is effective depends on the situation. If the tip of the oxygen sensor is found to be black (mainly due to carbon deposits), cleaning it can be very useful at this time. However, if the tip is white or brown, it indicates that the oxygen sensor has been poisoned. No matter what type of poisoning the oxygen sensor has, cleaning it multiple times will not help, and it needs to be replaced promptly. In engines using a three-way catalytic converter to reduce exhaust pollution, the oxygen sensor is an indispensable component. Since the air-fuel ratio of the mixture deviates from the theoretical air-fuel ratio, the three-way catalyst's purification ability for CO, HC, and NOx will sharply decrease. Therefore, an oxygen sensor is installed in the exhaust pipe to detect the oxygen concentration in the exhaust and send a feedback signal to the ECU. The ECU then controls the increase or decrease of the fuel injector's fuel injection amount, thereby keeping the air-fuel ratio of the mixture near the theoretical value.