Oxygen sensor cross threaded.
 

Tonight I spent the last 5 hours installing a JDL EL header, Motive overpipe and JDL ultra quiet midpipe. The install was okay except when I went to take my oxygen sensors off the stock header the front one popped right off and the rear was impossible to get off. I looked a little closer and the rear oxygen sensor is off kilter and you can see threads sticking up from one side and flush on the other. I called my local dealer and they told me they refused to look at the header off the car and I would have to re install it and bring the entire car in... I tried to search for this issue but couldn't find anything in the forum. I'm now running the car with above mods and missing a rear o2 sensor with a bolt blocking the hole in its place... pretty pissed when one pops out with 25ft lbs and the other is broken straight from the factory :(

I'm going to have to buy one and wondering if a 2nd hand brand will be okay or if I need to go with the Subaru one?

Thanks for reading my being annoyed rant.

Same thing happened to me. I just went to auto zone and bought one that fit my car. It was about 85 after tax

and found one with google... http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43333

Kind of similar story; my friend's secondary O2 was cross threaded the first 4-5 threads as well. To clarify, we took off the header first with the sensors disconnected from the electrical connections, not the sensor end. Then, we attempted to unbolt them on a workbench so there was a very small chance the cross threading was due to us.

Another one just surfaced here. Tried everything and still can't get the cross-threaded sensor out. Grrr. @Ammunition @Chen

If you really can't get it out you're going to have to break it off and drill it out... Obviously not the desired approach though :)

It happens. IMHO, cut bait.

Probably just gonna leave the cross-threaded sensor in the OEM header. No reason to destroy it. When the OEM header goes back into a car it will have a like-new but impossible-to-remove o2 in it.

+1 one on that strategy, if you managed to remove it it probaly going to have stuffed threads or be damaged anyway, and it might even be stuffed threads in header.

@Zaneman, @DarrenDriven I found these fancy tools on Amazon, They might help if you dont have them already. Like I said to Darren I wont have my JDL header for about 3-4 weeks. I will probably be grabbing both these and two O2 sensors just for the UEL header and just leave the stock header alone...


[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0195PCO22?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_titl e_4&smid=A1UMBRA5ZTBCX8"]Amazon.com: ABN Oxygen Sensor Thread Chaser M18 x 1.5: Automotive[/ame]


[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NPUKIE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_titl e_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER"]TEKTON 4929 3/8-Inch Drive by 7/8-Inch Oxygen Sensor Socket - - Amazon.com[/ame]

Thanks man, those are both good things to have. They grabbed an o2 socket from Harbor Freight, but I bet that one on Amazon is better.

Those threads on the denso O2 seem a bit fragile. My downstream O2 threads were mangled the first time I removed from the factory header...

If it doesnt leak, just leave it in the factory header. Which is what I did, though after trying to repair the threads and installing heli-coil in the factory bung and chasing the threads on the O2. In hindsight, I would have save a lot of time and money just by cutting out the mangled bung and welding in a fresh one.. lesson learned.

glad i came across this post
just took my ofh2 in today to get installed
mechanic said it was cross threaded and needed a new o2 sensor
apparently our warranty wont cover it unless we put the stock header back on and take it in
oh well i guess not much to do about it now
probably take the stock stuff in anyways with the mechanics paper work to try and get them to cover it
not counting on it tho

I understand this is an old thread but with that being said I just removed my rear o2 sensor with the correct socket and for whatever reason half of the threads broke off while removing it from the header. I still managed to get it in my new header but it will never be coming out now.