09 Toyota Sienna, LE, front wheel drive. I can't remove the O2 sensor to replace it. Bank 1 Sensor 2. I've soaked it with Blaster penetrating lubricant but it still will not budge. I'm afraid of stripping something. Would heating it up help loosen the bolt and then attempting to remove it make a difference?
What course of action do you recommend? Thanks!
@zooper
Personally, I’d heat up the surrounding area with a torch. Once the surrounding area is extremely hot, hose it down with water until it’s no longer steaming. It will expand and contract the metal quickly allowing it to break free the threads from the corrosion. Crack it loose with the wrench. Works basically every time.
Be extremely carefully when using flames, learnt that one the hard way.
Localized heat would be my next step. You want to a find a way to heat the bung for the sensor red hot before it transfers to the sensor. We use induction heaters in our shops but it would be silly to buy one for a single use.
@zooper
When a mechanic was having trouble removing an 02 sensor on my 2000 i30, he pointed me to a muffler shop that I was already familiar with and they easily and cheaply removed the "bung hole" {blackemo}:wink: , welded on a new one and installed the new sensor.
Sugar hit the nail on the head heated up to get a giant extension bar with a socket and pull on it like mad often you'll have to Jack the car up pretty high to get enough clearance
