eric878

Hey Everyone,

I have a 1996 Si (2.3 liter engine) with about 155,000 miles on it. ECU recently started giving the code for the rear O2 sensor heating element (taking too long to heat up). I bought a new rear O2 sensor, jacked up the car, and squirmed underneath.

I removed the lower half of the catalytic converter heat shield, which caused the upper half to be loose and somewhat mobile. Couldn't get a combo wrench on the old O2 sensor and even if I could, there was no room to turn the wrench.

In fact, the clearance seemed so darn tight, I had a hard time picturing how a special socket & ratchet could be used.

The question I have is - is there enough clearance for a special socket & ratchet to work for removal/replacement of the rear o2 sensor, or does one need to remove the whole cat in order to do the job? All responses are welcome, though I'm especially interested in hearing from someone who has hands-on experience with this exact situation, on a 1996 Si.

Removing the cat doesn't seem like it would be too difficult, though the bolts are pretty rusted so it could be a pain in the rear. I just want to find out if I really need to do this, or if a socket can really work.

I prefer to replace the o2 sensor rather than do a hack with a resistor, especially because I already bought the replacement part.

Thanks!
Eric