Camry Forums - Toyota Camry Forum - '94 V6 LE Downstream O2 sensor replacement...

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'94 V6 LE Downstream O2 sensor replacement...

Have all parts and tools ready. I can pop the console coin holder, the one to access the parking brake adjustment, and see the O2 sensor wire harness, but can barely get one hand in there to get near it. I see the wire and grommet feed through side of console/exhaust tunnel and it probably won't easily feed back up with the new O2 sensor since it's tight against the carpet/seat/console.

Not really looking to remove passenger seat and entire console. If anyone has done this before, how did you do it?

Would it be easier to do from underneath the car? Do you have a repair manual like Haynes? I wish I could give you some solid advice on this but I'm not up to speed on the V6's. This is the rear O2 sensor, right? Hit that thing with some PB Blaster and also run the car a bit to get the pipe warm. If that sensor has been in there since '94 it is probably pretty well rusted in, every little bit is going to help.

Job Completed : My Step-By-Step (elapsed time <1hr)

Get engine to operating temperature (I drove it for 1.5hrs at highway speeds to destination)
Shut car off and spray O2 sensor with penetrating lube/spray (I shut the car off and immediately sprayed with PB Blaster, had some immediate "steaming" affect, but no risk of fire. I wanted the best chance of lube penetration into the heat-expanded threads.)
Lift front or side of vehicle for access
Let exhaust system cool while you now work inside car...
Remove four plastic bolt trim covers (carefully pry with flat-head screwdriver) and four 14mm passenger seat bolts and lift seat out
Remove console Parking Brake adjustment cover (mine looked like kind of like a coin tray) with flat-head screwdriver and locate O2 sensor wiring harness, the cable running down passenger side of console towards floor
Remove two Philips-head screws from passenger side of console (they were originally blocked by the seat before you removed it) and carefully start pulling carpet out from underneath that area of the console. (This will give you a little more much-needed room for cable access.)
Carefully adjust carpet around passenger seat area floor heater vents for even more much-needed room for cabling
Through any combination of access points under and around carpet/console area, whichever works best for you, unplug O2 sensor wiring harness
Go back underneath car, pull sensor cable with grommet through floor opening
Remove O2 sensor and cable mounting clip if present (There isn't enough room for an O2 sensor-style socket and ratchet assembly so I used an over-sized plumber's pipe wrench, roughly 20" long. I didn't want to give the sensor any chance of playing hard-to-get with me and my patience. Yeah, I brought a gun to a knife fight, but it broke loose on the first turn.)
Compare the new and old sensor floor grommet locations and fasten the new one in place exactly where the old one was, measure from the sensor, not the plug. (The grommet opening is a slight bit larger diameter than the cable so I wrapped the grommet area of the cable with vinyl electrical tape to fill the small void between the cable and grommet, slid the grommet in place and used a zip-tie to secure in place.)
Apply anti-seize compound to new sensor threads and install sensor with 7/8" open-end wrench
Secure cable to bracket if present and feed plug harness through floor and seat grommet properly
Plug in harness by same means as earlier through carpet openings
Adjust carpeting around floor heater vents and underneath console
Install two console Philips-head screws
Install seat with four 14mm bolts and snap on trim covers
Snap in console Parking Brake adjustment trim plate
If necessary, reset ECM to clear the CEL PO136 code
Start engine and inspect for exhaust leaks
Lower vehicle to ground
Pat yourself on the back for another completed DIY!

Awesome job! Thanks for posting this DIY! Someone should sticky this! Pretty involved job you had to do and I never would have thought that you would need to pull the seat out to do an O2 sensor!
Congrats and thanks for sharing.

Thanks! The seat removal turned out to be a non-issue. I was more concerned with the possibility of removing part or all of the console. Which, as it turns out, can only be done after removing both seats because of the two screws on each side of the console behind the side of the seats.

Ugh! They must have built that car around that sensor! Again, good job sir!