96 o2 sensor rounded and rusty nut woes

D

DustyRoads

New member
So I got my new front o2 sensor delivered and was looking forward to putting it on the 96 sr5.

One nut for the front o2 sensor broke loose very easily with no trouble at all.

Can't say the same for the other one. It's now pretty much rounded off.

I have a set of bolt extractors but i can't pound on a socket because of the tight space.

I have no torch for heating it up. And vice grips don't fit the tight space very well either.

I'm feeling pretty stuck here and the muffler shop i just called said 30-40 bucks if they can torch the bolt off. up to 80-160 bucks to drop the pipe that the sensor lives in and pound/drill the nut/bolt off.

What can i do here guys?

edit: mispoke and said bolt rather than nut in OP
 
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First off, there is no bolt involved (absent PO barbarities). They are studs with nuts, and the studs are much harder than the nuts. So the idea is to crunch/crush/crumble the nut and then clean up the threads on the stud.

These little 5-inch Vise-Grips did the trick for me--small enough to maneuver in there and strong enough to crush the silly nut.

Vise-Grip 09-5WR 5-Inch Vise-Grip Curved Jaw Locking Pliers with Wire Cutter - Tools Products - Amazon.com

412CK6YG5JL.jpg
 
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I just did my front 02 with rusty nuts. Lol. As said. They are studs with soft nuts. A small pair of needle nose vise grips took mine right off. They are not that tight. Always have a small torch handy. Makes jobs much easier. You might have to clean the threads with a die if messed up.
 
A Dremel tool and a cutoff wheel. Cut through one side of the nut almost to the threads, with the wheel as parallel to the stud as you can get it. Then use a cold chisel to spread the nut and snap the uncut portion of the nut.

I was faced with the same problem on an '02 Tacoma; this is how I solved it.

If you cut a bit into the 8mm stud no worries. It's not highly stressed, not structural. You'll want an 8x1.25 die to clean it up before reassembly.

If the cold chiselling gives you the shivers, repeat the cutting operation on the opposite side of the nut.
 
I used some nut extractors. Worked like a charm for me when both of mine were rounded. I tried using some vise grips, and that didn't work.
 
Ok I got the nuts off the studs. Hit it with pb blaster, drove around to heat it up, hit it again with pb blaster, hit it with a chisel to loosen it and used a dremel to clean the area up a little bit and give my bolt extractor something to grip on to. It finally turned loose. Super glad i didn't break off the stud as most shops I talked to expected would happen.

Does anyone know the size of nut and if i can get it at Home Depot? Preferably something that won't rust easily.... :rolleyes:

Also, how are people getting at the clip that's above the CAT? I can barely get my hand and fingers in there to attempt to release it. Long screwdriver and needle nose?
 
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MStudt said:
Patients! It took me about 10 minutes to get it disconnected.
Click to expand...

I can't see which side the release tab is on. Do i stick a screwdriver in there and yank?

Any details would help. Just spend 10 min laying under there trying to cram my hand up in that small space.
 
DustyRoads said:
I can't see which side the release tab is on. Do i stick a screwdriver in there and yank?

Any details would help. Just spend 10 min laying under there trying to cram my hand up in that small space.
Click to expand...

You might be able to put a screw driver completely under it and pry the entire plug off. The release tab should be on the car side section, not the o2 side section.
 
MStudt said:
You might be able to put a screw driver completely under it and pry the entire plug off. The release tab should be on the car side section, not the o2 side section.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's exactly what i'm referring to. The plastic connector piece is so crammed in a tight spot that i can't see that assembly to view how i need to release the clip. Any tips on that part?
 
DustyRoads said:
Yeah that's exactly what i'm referring to. The plastic connector piece is so crammed in a tight spot that i can't see that assembly to view how i need to release the clip. Any tips on that part?
Click to expand...

I got nothing. It's been quite a while since I replaced them and I really can't remember the details that well.
 
So the plastic connector is on top of the tranny and basically impossible to reach from underneath. Do i need to remove the shifters and boots to access it from above? I have a 5speed. Is this a problem?
 
Update:

I indeed had to pull the shifter boots and plate, along with the main shifter to get at the plastic O2 plug which is hiding on top of the transmission.

There's a 14mm bolt that holds the bracket for the o2 clip in place. Stupid place to put it if you ask me...

If the bolt won't budge there is a plastic release clip that can be taken apart from the metal bracket. Either option works.

In hindsight, and after SEEing the plug that i was battling, i wish i would have had a picture of the release mechanism for the clip. It would have taken half as long with that info.

All in all, I think everything checks out. Took it for a test drive and everything seems to be in order with no CEL or anything as of yet.

Thanks for the support, guys!
 
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