So I checked my oil today and it's as black as coal? It Mobil 1 and just over a 1000 miles old. This is a new thing, I have changed my oil and filter every 3000 never seen my oil this bad. I checked my plugs and they look fine, plugs, cap, rotor, coil, wires are fairly new so they can't be the culprit. Timing is good, Compression is 155 +/- 5 all the way around. I think its running rich b/c my exhaust recently smells like gas and is very noxious at red lights. Is this a sign of impeding engine failure?

 

It's not a sign of engine failure, just of sensor failure.

Somewhere you have a sensor that's telling the ECM that you need to be richer than you really have to be, most likely an O2 sensor, but it could be anything from a bad ECT, IAT, MAF/MAP, TPS, or something a little more mechanical like a leaking injector or bad FPR.

Something to try is to jumper the A and B terminals of the ALDL, like when you're pulling codes, but do it while you're driving. The SES light should blink slow and even, telling you you're in closed loop. The light is on longer if it's rich and off if it's lean. If the Light is blinking fast, then you're in open loop and need to find out why.

What I tend to see is bad O2's causing a lot of the problems. When they age, they tend to be more sensitive to heat changes and stop working at idle, forcing the ECM into open loop. As soon as you start driving again, it heats up, starts working and BAM! You're in closed loop again.

 

It's blinking fast. New thermostat last weekend 180 deg.

 

well, blinking fast says that you're in open loop. Does it blink like that even when you drive? If so, I would say that since the t-stat is keep ing the temp at 180 where it should be, that O2 sensor is probably dead and should be replaced.

 

Did the test again on my way to the parts store, stopped blinking fast now blinks occasionally, but when I'm at a light idling its starts blinking again?

 

sounds like a bad O2 sensor to me.

 

seems like all the symptoms are leading to the failure of a sensor that has to survive all hell in the exhaust pipes. They're subjected to over 600 degree heat, they go bad.

 

i tried cleaning my maf sensor wit brake kleen because I had the code for it. Looked like someone else replaced it and the burn off relay, car still has suet on exhaust tips everytime i wash it. Im going to get a new o2 tommorow is there only one on a tpi? Im guessing its going to be around $60.

 

There's only one O2 sensor and it's about a $20 part. Just sucks removing the old one if it's original. If possible wear a pair of leather gloves and try to get it out with the exhaust still hot, they come out easier when hot.

 

I hate bosch, this is my second one to go since I installed headers. I going with delco this time!

 

That's the only O2 i'll install in my car at this point. I've had too many problems with the Bosch ones on too many cars.