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B:
You can get a generic Bosch sensor for around $35 to $45 bucks from various sources including some of the SaabNet sponsors. I got mine from SobStory, and I think it was something like $39. They're also available at places like Pep Boys. To replace it yourself, you remove the old one, cut off the plastic connector, install the new one, and then splice the wires back onto it. It sounds easy: unscrew old part, screw in new one. But it isn't... they're often very hard to remove. It's not impossible, though.
I did it myself this summer, and it took me two days, a friend's help, and I ended up having to replace studs on my exhaust flange which I broke in the process. The problem is getting the old one out of there! They're usually corroded in place and require some SERIOUS torque to bust loose, and they're in a place where you can't really put a huge breaker bar. I ended up removing my exhaust elbow (which wasn't easy, either) and taking the assembly to a vice to get the old one out.
The O2 sensor is easier to remove if it's still hot, right after you've driven the car -- but then you're working around a hot exhaust manifold. You might have to pull the battery out to get to it. (If you haven't seen your O2 sensor already, take a look under the exhaust pipe near the battery and see if you can spot it. It looks something like a metal can with wires coming out of the top, about the size of a sparkplug.) Once you see where it is, you might be able to decide whether or not you want to tackle the job yourself.
If you don't do it yourself, expect to pay a lot. The stock Saab part is a ripoff -- several hundred dollars, depending on how much your dealer gouges you. That's a lot to pay for having a fancy plastic connector on the wires. The generic Bosch part is identical otherwise. Labor on the job should be relatively cheap -- maybe 30 minute's worth, but they'll probably charge you an hour. They've got the special sockets and wrenches to get that thing out of there easier than you or I could.
If you decide to do it yourself, let the folks on here know, and I'm sure lots of people will give you pointers on doing it yourself. But be forewarned, it can be a real pain to do this. Knowing what I do now, I'm still not sure if I would rather have paid $250 for the dealer to do this instead of $40 to do it myself! I put anti-seize compound on the new sensor when I installed it, so if I ever have to do it again, hopefully it will be a lot less trouble the next time around.
- = M = -
, Tue, 5 Dec 2000 04:08:47, Tue, 5 Dec 2000 04:03:55
, Mon, 4 Dec 2000 11:29:11
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