How to Disconnect the Oxygen Sensor on a 95 Isuzu Rodeo

The Rodeo, Isuzus compact SUV, hit the marketplace in the 1990 model year. It gained fame in the 1993 model year, as it became the base vehicle that Honda manufactured its first SUV, the Passport, on. The 1995 Rodeo came standard with a 120-horsepower, 2.6-liter four-cylinder engine. As with all modern on-road vehicles, the Rodeo has oxygen sensors mounted to its exhaust system to monitor the air-to-fuel ratio and exhaust emissions. Replacing both oxygen sensors upstream and downstream on the 1995 Rodeo is a straightforward task.

Instructions

Allow the vehicle to sit until the engine is cool to the touch, then allow it to cool for an additional hour to allow the exhaust system to completely cool.

Open the hood and find the exhaust manifold on the drivers side of the engine. Find the oxygen sensor near the base of the exhaust manifold, just behind the alternator.

Trace the oxygen sensors wiring until you reach the where it connects to the Rodeos wiring. Unplug the wiring harness. Remove the oxygen sensor, using a ratchet and oxygen sensor socket. If the sensor is difficult to loosen, heat where the sensor connects to the manifold with a propane torch, then loosen the sensor. Once cool, remove the sensor.

Apply a thin coat of an anti-seize compound to the new oxygen sensors threads, then hand-tighten the sensor into the exhaust manifold.

Tighten the new oxygen sensor to 30 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and oxygen sensor socket.

Connect the new sensors wiring harness to the Rodeos wiring harness.

Park the Rodeo on a flat and level surface, then allow it to sit until the engine is cool. Once the engine is cool, allow the vehicle to sit for an additional hour to allow the exhaust to cool.

Lift the front of the SUV with a floor jack and slide jack stands under its frame rails. Lower the Rodeo onto the frame rails.

Crawl under the drivers side of the vehicle and find where the exhaust system routes along the side of the transmission. Find the catalytic converter, which is the muffler-like component bolted in this section of the exhaust system. The downstream oxygen sensor bolts into the rearmost part of the catalytic converter.

Trace the oxygen sensors wiring upward until you find where it connects to the Rodeos wiring. Notate the oxygen sensors routing, as you must route the new sensors wiring in the same manner. Disconnect the wiring harness from the Rodeos wiring and pull it from the routing clip.

Remove the oxygen sensor from the catalytic converter following Step 3 in the section titled Upstream Oxygen Sensor Removal.

Install the oxygen sensor by following steps 1 and 2 in the section titled Upstream Oxygen Sensor Installation.

Route the oxygen sensors wiring in the same pattern the old sensors wiring was in prior to you removing it. Plug the wiring harness into the Rodeos wiring harness. Press the Oxygen sensors wiring into its routing clip.

Lift the SUV off of the jack stands and remove the jack stands. Lower the vehicle to the ground.