Do You Need A Special Socket To Remove O2 Sensors?
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While it may seem intimidating at first, there are plenty of easy DIY auto maintenance projects that even the most novice DIY-er can handle. These include changing engine oil, swapping fuses, or installing a replacement air filter. More often than not, you won't need any special tools for this, either; replacing a fuse often only requires a pair of pliers (to remove the old fuse), for example. Similarly, some cars have easy, toolless air filter assemblies that only require you to unsnap a plastic cover and drop the new filter in.
Other tasks, however, benefit from the use of specialist tools or sockets, and one such job is removing a car's O2 sensor, whether you're planning to clean it or replace it outright. Now, to be clear, you can generally use a bog-standard wrench to remove the O2 sensor without too much difficulty. However, depending on how your car's O2 sensor (or sensors) are installed, it may be easier for you to use one of the different types of specialist sockets available for the job instead.
What do O2 sensor socket sets include and where do you get them?
O2 sensor socket kits generally include three types of sockets: two offset 7/8-inch sockets with 1/2- and 3/8-inch drive receptacles, plus a straight 7/8-inch socket with a 3/8-inch drive socket. These are sometimes known as crowfoot and deep-well sockets, respectively. Many kits will also include a couple of extra tools in the form of two thread chasers, usually M12 x 1.25 mm and M18 x 1.5 mm. These thread chasers, while not essential, are there in case you end up stripping the threads while removing your old O2 sensor.
You can get O2 sensor socket kits from online retailers such as Amazon without any issue (and at a reasonable cost). This five-piece Duratech O2 sensor socket set, for example, retails at around $22 and seems like a solid choice given its 4.7-star rating from 1,200 or so reviews. Parts stores such as AutoZone will even loan you an oxygen sensor socket set, although you may be better served just buying a set outright — AutoZone, for example, charges $30, more than it would cost you to buy the Duratech set.