I’ve got a 87 Buick Electra Park Avenue 3800 V6. Automatic with 168,00miles mainly hwy. So I’m having trouble finding a o2 sensor for my car. The one I bought is longer & not the same width it’s skinnier than the one that I took out. Is it ok to put the one I bought in? The one I took out said AC SPARK PLUG, I don’t think it’s ever been changed b4 cuz that’s an old brand. I also can’t find spark plug wires for my car cuz there also the wrong size. Mine are 3 at 42in & 3 at 22in. 3 in front of engine & 3 in back of engine by firewall. I’m having trouble finding the right firing order too. My car runs & drives (hard start & can’t flood it if I even tried) but will die 3 x’s then I have to wait 20 mins to start it again, it’s not over heating. I’m rattling on. Right now need to figure out o2 sensor, spark plug wires & right firing order. Any suggestions would be appreciated I'm going crazy trying to figure this out. I haven’t been comfortable driving this car so I’ve been without for 6 years! I did bring it to a auto mechanic & he said it’s worth fixing cuz it’s just little things but I’m dealing with cancer so I haven’t had the strength to do it. Please help me out if you can please thank you very much!🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
That kind of thing can frequently be an issue when dealing with a car that is nearly 40 years old.
Rockauto lists O2 sensors and spark plug wires for that car, which may or may not be correct. OEM is best but major brands such as Bosch or NTK may work.
Rockauto provides photos of the parts which may help in identifying whether thay are correct.
I don’t know if I can send you a pic?
Instructions for pictures and much more can be found in the topic pinned near the top of the main page with the title "READ THIS FIRST - Forum Guide".
I did buy a bosch (sp) part from Autozone. Do you think I should just put it in?
You can't necessarily expect to find the exact same part as the one that was manufactured 35 years ago. If it fits you might as well try it. If it doesn't work take it back to Autozone and tell them "it doesn't work".
I was also wondering if you had a way for me to know my firing order for my spark plug wires too?
You might try a repair manual for that car, such as the one below:
Thank you for responding to my question. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. I did buy a bosch (sp) part from Autozone. I don’t know if I can send you a pic? So my brother stopped by & showed me it’s not to long but is thinner then the old one. He thinks I should just put it in, but I’m not so sure cuz of the difference with the width. (The tip that goes into the hole.)The top of the part is wider than the old one. Do you think I should just put it in? I was also wondering if you had a way for me to know my firing order for my spark plug wires too? I know I’m asking a lot but I don’t have any help from my family. My brother wasn’t nice when I showed him the parts. I don’t have the book the car comes with & it doesn’t say on the coils. I heard that it could be stamped onto the car underneath the coils. Is that true? I will have to special order the wires cuz the long ones are in the front of my engine & the shorter ones are in the back of my engine by my firewall. I really don’t wanna give up on this car cuz I know it’s a few small issues. I just don’t know any backyard mechanics anymore. But I’m so frustrated with this car! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!🙏🏼 Thanks again for answering my question😊 sorry for bothering you again.