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Well, I can't say I wasn't forewarned, because I read the posts about the seized O2 sensor Wes was wrestling with. Per JohnB's advice, I was prepared to remove the elbow and torque the snot out of it to get it loose. How tough could it be?! So, generic Bosch sensor from Sobstory in hand, I popped the hood....
It's been a nightmare, and right now I can't bear to go into my garage and look at my Saab. I'm about ready to push it off a bridge somewhere. It really vexes me when the simplest (remove/replace component) mechanical tasks become weeklong projects involving machine shops and parts houses. I know these feelings will pass and I'll be in love again, blissfully cruising in my Swedish Beastie, but for now, I am thinking why the heck don't I sell this thing and buy a new car? Grrrrrr.
So here's where I am: As soon as I examined the situation, I decided I'd make it easier on myself by pulling the battery first. Five minutes, no sweat, the battery's out on the garage floor. Next, I looked again at that sensor, and the 6 rusty corroded nuts holding the exhaust elbow to the turbocharger and exhaust downpipe. I thought, "Maybe I can get that sensor out of there without taking the elbow off...". Snip! The wires were off.
Problem is, you can't put a four foot long wrench down in there. Best I could do was a foot long one, and I strained mightily, bellowing and grunting, sweating and pulling in a throughly manly fashion. The car rocked, but the sucker didn't budge. So I thought, "Okay, JohnB, you were right. Let's get this elbow off here."
Saturated the rusty nuts with liquid wrench and proceded to work them loose. Turns out that one of the bolt studs on the top 3 was a little bent... maybe as a result of my previous antics with the wrench on the sensor??? So getting those nuts off there was no picnic. Various attachments to a 13mm socket and a 1/2" ratchet worked for two of them; one was too close to the pipe to even get a thinwall socket on it, and I ended up using a 13mm open end wrench with a rubber hose on the end of it to give me some leverage. Buggered the threads on one of the studs getting the rusty nut off.
Then there was the other end of the elbow. Twisted a mighty twist of my trusty ratchet, and one of the nuts came right off... with half the stud still welded inside. It pinged down under the battery mount somewhere inaccessible. The other half of the stud stuck out of the exhaust flange, mocking me. Got the other two nuts off with less fanfare, and finally had the dastardly exhaust elbow and its evil O2 sensor in my hands. Noted then that my back would not straighten at my command... my wife put her knee in the small of my back and hauled rearward on my shoulders so I could straighten up. Gosh, was I having fun!
So I took the elbow over to the bench and tried to get the old sensor out of it. Fifteen minutes of pounding, head scratching, and isometric exercise later, I decided I needed to bring this thing to a machine shop to have someone with better gorilla tools get the hell-spawned thing out of there. I'm halfway expecting the threads in the elbow will strip and I'll be ordering a new part. And oh, yeah, guess what? It's Labor Day weekend and all the shops are closed today. And tomorrow. And Monday.
I don't know what to do about the broken exhaust flange stud, or the stripped out one coming out of the turbocharger. Does anybody know how to remove them? The exhaust flange isn't attached to anything now, so twirling that frozen stud isn't going to be easy.
Hey, if any of you would like to vacation for a few days in sunny Florida at my house (guest room w/ private bath, in-ground pool, heated jacuzzi, and all the barbecue you can eat) it would be my treat. Just help me put the Beastie back together again. If anyone knows someone in the Jacksonville area who might come to my rescue, tell them I'll pay handsomely for their assistance. ...And for anyone who's reading this and contemplating changing their O2 sensor, be warned. It's no picnic!
I feel better now. It sure is great having this forum to vent. If you don't have any advice for me, I'd still appreciate your condolences and sympathy!
- = M O N S T E R = -
87 900T 156K and original *#&@%!! O2 sensor....
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