'99 Honda Accord LX - Check Engine Light? Code PO135 ? PLEASE HELP!!!
#1
09-09-2009, 03:40 PM
Unregistered
Posts: n/a
'99 Honda Accord LX - Check Engine Light? Code PO135 ? PLEASE HELP!!!
Hi everyone, I'm new here and I need HELP!!! 
PLEASE!!!
I have a 1999 Honda Accord LX, 5 speed manual transmission w/ approx 64,325 miles on it... I am the original owner and my car has never been in an accident nor has it had any major repairs/damage/etc...
2 days ago my 'Check Engine Light' came on... AutoZone ran a test and it came up w/ the code: PO135
Definition:
Sensor 1 heater system malfunction
Probable cause:
1. Open or short circuit condition
2. Poor Electrical Connection
3. Faulty A/F sensor
The clerk there said I need an O2 Sensor
... and the guys from Honda-tech.com told me that I need the PRIMARY o2 Sensor.
I am currently stuck in Texas and I need to drive this weekend approx 1,300 miles to go back home to CA! So my question is, should I get a new O2 sensor BEFORE I drive home? Do I need the sensor before or after the converter? Is it safe to drive 1,300 miles before getting it fixed? I don't want there to be a problem and me get stuck on the road in the middle of nowhere by myself and not be able to go back to the SAME shop that did the repair. But I also don't want to break down on the road if I needed it fixed.
I'm going to try to do this myself b/c I am broke and unemployed. Plus, I'm not from around here and do not have a local repair shop that I know of or trust. 
Does anyone have any step by step directions for replacing the o2 Sensor for a 1999 Honda Accord LX, manual transmission?
Is replacing the sensor part w/ the special sensor socket very hard or tricky? My father is stressing me out over the phone b/c he says it's very easy to break it off if I torque it too hard... but how do I know what is too hard? too tight? not enough? I don't want to screw this up!
I can post pics... it looks very easy, and it's right in the front w/ easy access, it's just putting the sensor part that I'm stressing about!
Thanks for taking the time to read this... and thanks in advance for your help!!!
PLEASE!!! I have a 1999 Honda Accord LX, 5 speed manual transmission w/ approx 64,325 miles on it... I am the original owner and my car has never been in an accident nor has it had any major repairs/damage/etc...
2 days ago my 'Check Engine Light' came on... AutoZone ran a test and it came up w/ the code: PO135
Definition:
Sensor 1 heater system malfunction
Probable cause:
1. Open or short circuit condition
2. Poor Electrical Connection
3. Faulty A/F sensor
The clerk there said I need an O2 Sensor
... and the guys from Honda-tech.com told me that I need the PRIMARY o2 Sensor.I am currently stuck in Texas and I need to drive this weekend approx 1,300 miles to go back home to CA! So my question is, should I get a new O2 sensor BEFORE I drive home? Do I need the sensor before or after the converter? Is it safe to drive 1,300 miles before getting it fixed? I don't want there to be a problem and me get stuck on the road in the middle of nowhere by myself and not be able to go back to the SAME shop that did the repair. But I also don't want to break down on the road if I needed it fixed.
I'm going to try to do this myself b/c I am broke and unemployed.
Plus, I'm not from around here and do not have a local repair shop that I know of or trust. Does anyone have any step by step directions for replacing the o2 Sensor for a 1999 Honda Accord LX, manual transmission?
Is replacing the sensor part w/ the special sensor socket very hard or tricky? My father is stressing me out over the phone b/c he says it's very easy to break it off if I torque it too hard... but how do I know what is too hard? too tight? not enough? I don't want to screw this up!
I can post pics... it looks very easy, and it's right in the front w/ easy access, it's just putting the sensor part that I'm stressing about!
Thanks for taking the time to read this... and thanks in advance for your help!!!
#2
09-09-2009, 03:54 PM
Yes, the PRIMARY O2 sensor is the one that's right up front on the exhaust manifold. The wire is short, the plug is right there for you to unplug.
Can you borrow a multi-meter?
Unplug the sensor. Take the wire going to the sensor (not to the car) and look for 2 of the wires being the same color (black?). Measure resistance (ohms) between them. If the sensor is bad, it'll probably read open-circuit. Since it's probably a California car (ULEV) I'm not sure of the correct resistance. Bad sensor heaters almost always go open-circuit.
If the sensor reads good, then come-on back & someone can go through checking other things within the car's wiring.
The hard part might be removing the sensor; after being stuck in there for 64,000 miles it's gonna take some muscle to loosen it. If the old sensor is bad, who cares if you break it as you remove it??
Can you get your hands on some tools? Borrow an O2-sensor-socket? If it's very difficult, it may be easier to remove if the engine & exhaust are VERY hot, like right after a good drive. Then let it cool before installing the new one.
The new sensor will have a little bit of anti-seize grease on the threads. Don't smear that out onto the business-end of the sensor. Tighten it moderately, it's not terribly sensitive to over or under tightening. Your dad can check it's tightness after you get home.
Finally, the check-engine light won't go away by itself right away. You can reset it by opening the fuse-box in the right-side of the dashboard. Open the passenger door & look near the door hinges. Pull fuse #13 (while the key is turned OFF). You'll have to reset the clock & stuff like that. Or you can wait for 5 or 10 driving cycles before the engine-light goes away by itself.
Can you borrow a multi-meter?
Unplug the sensor. Take the wire going to the sensor (not to the car) and look for 2 of the wires being the same color (black?). Measure resistance (ohms) between them. If the sensor is bad, it'll probably read open-circuit. Since it's probably a California car (ULEV) I'm not sure of the correct resistance. Bad sensor heaters almost always go open-circuit.
If the sensor reads good, then come-on back & someone can go through checking other things within the car's wiring.
The hard part might be removing the sensor; after being stuck in there for 64,000 miles it's gonna take some muscle to loosen it. If the old sensor is bad, who cares if you break it as you remove it??
Can you get your hands on some tools? Borrow an O2-sensor-socket? If it's very difficult, it may be easier to remove if the engine & exhaust are VERY hot, like right after a good drive. Then let it cool before installing the new one.
The new sensor will have a little bit of anti-seize grease on the threads. Don't smear that out onto the business-end of the sensor. Tighten it moderately, it's not terribly sensitive to over or under tightening. Your dad can check it's tightness after you get home.
Finally, the check-engine light won't go away by itself right away. You can reset it by opening the fuse-box in the right-side of the dashboard. Open the passenger door & look near the door hinges. Pull fuse #13 (while the key is turned OFF). You'll have to reset the clock & stuff like that. Or you can wait for 5 or 10 driving cycles before the engine-light goes away by itself.
Last edited by JimBlake; 09-09-2009 at 03:58 PM. Reason: don't know the proper resistance for ULEV
#3
09-09-2009, 05:08 PM
Unregistered
Posts: n/a
Yes, the PRIMARY O2 sensor is the one that's right up front on the exhaust manifold. The wire is short, the plug is right there for you to unplug.
Can you borrow a multi-meter?
Unplug the sensor. Take the wire going to the sensor (not to the car) and look for 2 of the wires being the same color (black?). Measure resistance (ohms) between them. If the sensor is bad, it'll probably read open-circuit. Since it's probably a California car (ULEV) I'm not sure of the correct resistance. Bad sensor heaters almost always go open-circuit.
If the sensor reads good, then come-on back & someone can go through checking other things within the car's wiring.
The hard part might be removing the sensor; after being stuck in there for 64,000 miles it's gonna take some muscle to loosen it. If the old sensor is bad, who cares if you break it as you remove it??
Can you get your hands on some tools? Borrow an O2-sensor-socket? If it's very difficult, it may be easier to remove if the engine & exhaust are VERY hot, like right after a good drive. Then let it cool before installing the new one.
The new sensor will have a little bit of anti-seize grease on the threads. Don't smear that out onto the business-end of the sensor. Tighten it moderately, it's not terribly sensitive to over or under tightening. Your dad can check it's tightness after you get home.
Finally, the check-engine light won't go away by itself right away. You can reset it by opening the fuse-box in the right-side of the dashboard. Open the passenger door & look near the door hinges. Pull fuse #13 (while the key is turned OFF). You'll have to reset the clock & stuff like that. Or you can wait for 5 or 10 driving cycles before the engine-light goes away by itself.
Can you borrow a multi-meter?
Unplug the sensor. Take the wire going to the sensor (not to the car) and look for 2 of the wires being the same color (black?). Measure resistance (ohms) between them. If the sensor is bad, it'll probably read open-circuit. Since it's probably a California car (ULEV) I'm not sure of the correct resistance. Bad sensor heaters almost always go open-circuit.
If the sensor reads good, then come-on back & someone can go through checking other things within the car's wiring.
The hard part might be removing the sensor; after being stuck in there for 64,000 miles it's gonna take some muscle to loosen it. If the old sensor is bad, who cares if you break it as you remove it??
Can you get your hands on some tools? Borrow an O2-sensor-socket? If it's very difficult, it may be easier to remove if the engine & exhaust are VERY hot, like right after a good drive. Then let it cool before installing the new one.
The new sensor will have a little bit of anti-seize grease on the threads. Don't smear that out onto the business-end of the sensor. Tighten it moderately, it's not terribly sensitive to over or under tightening. Your dad can check it's tightness after you get home.
Finally, the check-engine light won't go away by itself right away. You can reset it by opening the fuse-box in the right-side of the dashboard. Open the passenger door & look near the door hinges. Pull fuse #13 (while the key is turned OFF). You'll have to reset the clock & stuff like that. Or you can wait for 5 or 10 driving cycles before the engine-light goes away by itself.
** Question: Do I NEED to measure to see if the sensor is really bad? I don't know where I'd borrow a multi-meter. ??? I was just thinking I should replace it b/c it's NEVER been replaced. I did have my spark plugs replaced for the first time back in May. I obviously need to become more aware of my car now that I'm unemployed... I've always had company cars so I never had to worry about repairs/money and such... UNTIL NOW! And it really stinks!
Well, I just got back from AutoZone and bought:
BOSCH O2 Sensor
(part #: 13075)
10.3 inches
O.E. Type
Retail: $89.99
** Question: Is this brand ok or is it better to buy a Denso or a direct Honda part? (remember, I'm tight on cash but I want to do this right!)
They loaned me an O2 sensory-socket kit and a couple customers went out to my car to reconfirm and reassure me of what I am doing. I think you're right about it being tough to loosen up after 64,000 miles! I'm going to take our advice and try to do it when it's hotter and if need be, I'll ask the neighbor if he can loan me some muscle power!
And one of the customers did point out that the new sensor had the grease already on the new part... so thanks for telling me (and now I can return the $3.50 tube I bought... haha!)
And thank you very much for your detailed instructions of how to re-set the CEL... that was going to be the next thing I had to google and you saved me a step!
#5
09-09-2009, 06:21 PM
Unregistered
Posts: n/a
So I called for the Denso and AutoZone told me that for a Honda 99 Accord it has TWO different options for o2 sensors and it depends on the ENGINE CODE (?) that is supposedly written on my engine block.
The 2 codes are: F23A1 or F23A4 and that will determine which Denso o2 sensor I'm supposed to purchase. UGHHHH!!!!
How do I find out where this code is located???
Should I just keep the Bosch or buy the Denso?
The 2 codes are: F23A1 or F23A4 and that will determine which Denso o2 sensor I'm supposed to purchase. UGHHHH!!!!
How do I find out where this code is located???
Should I just keep the Bosch or buy the Denso?
#7
09-10-2009, 06:45 AM
Another way...
Look on the top of the valve cover.
If it says "ULEV" then you have the F23A4. I'm not sure, but I think all the ULEV engines come with automatic transmission.
The only reason to measure your old sensor is to confirm that it's actually bad. It's the most common failure (to cause P0135) but it IS possible that the problem is in the car's wiring harness instead.
Look on the top of the valve cover.
If it says "ULEV" then you have the F23A4. I'm not sure, but I think all the ULEV engines come with automatic transmission.
The only reason to measure your old sensor is to confirm that it's actually bad. It's the most common failure (to cause P0135) but it IS possible that the problem is in the car's wiring harness instead.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
kmg1
General Tech Help
6
07-25-2014 07:05 AM
Yessy Consuegra
General Tech Help
7
01-18-2014 08:21 PM
ddold@gkschools.org
General Tech Help
6
01-29-2008 03:35 PM
