Will a bad oxygen sensor in a 1983 olds 307 cause it to run too rich?

Answer

The purpose of an oxygen sensor is to sense the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gas. If oxygen is present, an insufficient fuel mix has been added to the cylinder to make it fire. The oxygen sensors job is to send a signal to the computer that regulates the intake mixture to richen the mixture until enough fuel has been added to combust all of the oxygen in the mixture, ensuring the proper mixture. A lean fuel mixture will take longer to burn than a rich mixture due to the lack of fuel in relation to oxygen. The engine will still opperate though poorly, and when the piston moves up in the cylinder, it will be pushing burning gasses through the exhaust port. This is normally what causes the engine to run hot on a lean mixture. A failed oxygen sensor could easily cause an engine to run rich or lean. Some vehicles may have programs to automatically richen an engine's fuel/air mixture to protect the engine from premature mechanical failure in the event of a failed oxygen sensor. A rich mixture will not likely damage an engine, just your pocketbook.

First answer by ID215825288. Last edit by ID215825288. Question popularity: 58 [recommend question]