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I've read hundreds of posts on this forum regarding HEGO sensor failure codes (P1131 for instance). Almost without fail, the first thing suggested to try is replace the sensor. Well people, let me give you a little piece of common sense troubleshooting strategy. All 4 HEGO sensors on the SVT Contour are identical. If you suspect a particular sensor might be bad, just swap it with the sensor on the other bank (V6 engine, remember!), reset/clear the EEC codes, and see if the problem moves to the opposite bank sensor the next time the CEL light comes on. If it does, the sensor is bad and then you can replace it. If it stays on the same bank, the sensor is NOT the problem and you can move on to the next step and look elsewhere. FWIW, most HEGO sensors will work at least 100K miles with no problems.
I just hope this saves a LOT of you posters a LOT of green.
Regards,
Midnightengineer
1999 SVT Contour
1990 SHO
1967 Ferrari Dino 206
1967 Fiat Dino Coupe' 206 (3)
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
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Originally posted by MrComputer:
All 4 HEGO sensors on the SVT Contour are identical.
Wrong.
Good day.
Bless our servicemen & women overseas.
L.Cpl Ian Malone, 1st Battalion Irish Guards, R.I.P.
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Posts: 195
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1998 ContourLX V6 ATX
Cats Gutted+MIL Eliminators
Grandma gave me the finger
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Veteran CEG\'er
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Originally posted by MarkO:
Originally posted by MrComputer:
All 4 HEGO sensors on the SVT Contour are identical.
Wrong.
Good day.
They are identical. Just the connector is different.
There are ways around that........
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Hard-core CEG'er
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Originally posted by brianl703:
Originally posted by MarkO:
Originally posted by MrComputer:
All 4 HEGO sensors on the SVT Contour are identical.
Wrong.
Good day.
They are identical. Just the connector is different.
There are ways around that........
Not true. One is heated, the other isn't and I cant quite remember which is which. I think the lower (post precat) is heated. Dont quote me on that though.
Bless our servicemen & women overseas.
L.Cpl Ian Malone, 1st Battalion Irish Guards, R.I.P.
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Originally posted by MarkO:
Not true. One is heated, the other isn't and I cant quite remember which is which. I think the lower (post precat) is heated. Dont quote me on that though.
According to the wiring diagram, they are all heated.
According to my visual inspection, they all have 4 wires. (Unheated oxygen sensors, which I've only seen on two vehicles, both mid-80s carbureted models, only have one wire.).
According to Bosch, Autozone, and http://www.oxygensensors.com the universal replacement is the same part number for both applications, front and rear.
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Originally posted by brianl703:
Originally posted by MarkO:
Not true. One is heated, the other isn't and I cant quite remember which is which. I think the lower (post precat) is heated. Dont quote me on that though.
According to the wiring diagram, they are all heated.
According to my visual inspection, they all have 4 wires. (Unheated oxygen sensors, which I've only seen on two vehicles, both mid-80s carbureted models, only have one wire.).
According to Bosch, Autozone, and http://www.oxygensensors.com the universal replacement is the same part number for both applications, front and rear.
Interesting. Autozone do show the same part #. Oxygensensors.com show different #'s for the OEM (terminated) type.
I don't understand why the wiring diagram show both sensors to be heated though. If this is true, there would be no need to have different shape plugs on the OEM style sensors.
Off to search I go .... 
Bless our servicemen & women overseas.
L.Cpl Ian Malone, 1st Battalion Irish Guards, R.I.P.
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I can think of two reasons why the downstream and upstream sensors have different connectors:
1)The upstream sensors use a connector that is unique to the Contour/Mystique (maybe the Cougar and Focus use it too)---it appears to be a European connector. Ford may not have wanted to use that connector for the downstream sensor when they re-engineered the harnesses for OBD-II, which was probably done in the USA. I have noticed that the mere presence of that unique connector increases the cost of an oxygen sensor by $10. (Notice that the downstream oxygen sensor is $10 cheaper than the upstream).
2)They don't want someone to plug an upstream sensor in where a downstream sensor should have gone, or vice-versa. That could cause major problems. As it is, there have been reported cases of people swapping the oxygen sensors in pre OBD-II cars, such as the Mustang 5.0, with very wierd, hard to troubleshoot results (there are no trouble codes, yet the engine cycles between very lean and very rich).
Ford got wise and added a diagnostic code for this to the OBD-II cars.
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Newbie
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Newbie
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Actually, I didn't look close enough to realize the connectors are different on the upstream/downstream sensors.
But my original advice still applies as you can swap upstream sensors or swap downstream sensors. I do this all the time and it saves you money when you discover the sensors are not bad (and they usually are not based on my experience).
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Originally posted by Sam J:
... But my original advice still applies ...
??? How can you have given original advice, this is your first post?
98 Mystique LS v6 atx 163,000km
97 Contour LX v6 atx 163,000km
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