Oxygen sensor #1 plugged: mod or stupidity?

[georgeNCSUee]

I tried searching for this but I couldn't find anything.

So I have this 05 Spec V that was a theft recovery. I just started working on it and noticed that the hole for the o2 sensor #1 is plugged with a metal plug. Is that part of a mod (the only thing I could think of is a chipped ecu with O2 delete, if such a thing even exists for the Spec V) or was the last owner just stupid?

I don't know anything about the history of the car. It does have a cat-back (it says Nismo on the muffler but the writing is almost washed off so I don't know if it's the real thing) but the cat and everything before it are stock.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

Modified by georgeNCSUee at 3:21 PM 2/7/2008
Modified by georgeNCSUee at 8:54 PM 2/10/2008

[georgeNCSUee]

No ideas?

[nametakennow]

Horrible, terrible, stupid idea. The ECU uses that O2 sensor to make sure everything is running properly. You should have a SES/CEL because of it. Plug the sensor in ASAP, whoever had it before was a hack.

[Jiggyfry]

, definetly not a mod, put the OEM sensor back in and go.

[georgeNCSUee]

Yeah, I figured that was the case, but I just couldn't understand why someone would do something like that. The car keeps wanting to die at idle and the SES light is on with P1148 and P0031 codes.

So why would someone take out the oxygen sensor? Is there any logic behind it?

[nametakennow]

They probably heard from an "expert" that it causes the car to run rich or lean cause the factory tunes the ECU too much one way or the other.

P0031 = Oxygen sensor one circuit low, no surprising given that it was taken out.

Can't find the other one, but I'm sure it's related. Plug in the sensor and see how it goes.

[georgeNCSUee]

The other one, P1148, is Closed Loop Control Fault which also makes sense since there is no O2 sensor.

I'll just have to go to Autozone and order a sensor. Unless somebody knows a cheaper place to buy it from. It's $90 at AZ with OEM connector.

Thanks guys!

[nametakennow]

Autozone will likely only carry generic Bosch sensors. Bosch sensors use a slightly different voltage and get burned out in Nissan wiring systems. Sorry to say, you're going to have to get an OEM one.