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Tried using brake cleaner on an O2 sensor and it actually worked

I had a customer's car throwing a P0135 code last week and figured I'd swap the sensor, but decided to try cleaning it first with CRC brake cleaner on a whim. Five days later the code still hasn't come back - has anyone else had luck cleaning sensors instead of replacing them?

2 comments

2 Comments

river1838d ago

Cleaning sensors is one of those things that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Brake cleaner is safe for the ceramic element, just don't get it on the wiring connector or the plastic part. P0135 is the heater circuit, so if the code is from carbon buildup shorting the heater to ground, cleaning can actually fix it. But if the heater coil itself is burned out, no amount of cleaning is going to help. I'd give it another week or two before calling it a win, those codes love to come back right when you think you've beat it. Worst case you're out a can of cleaner and 10 minutes of effort.

green.mason8d ago

Yeah that sounds about right. Reminds me of old TV remotes or game consoles where a good clean fixes them sometimes but other times the damage is already done. You just never know until you try it.