Saturn Repair: Service engine light on, crank angle sensor, saturn dealers


Question
Hello again,
I took my car in to autozone and used a code reader device and P0133 was my code how do I clean my connectors I belive I have a slow response bank 1(o2 sensor connector) and the weather conditions have been damb or should I clean the conector or replace the o2 sensor?
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Followup To
Question -
Saturn SL2 service engine light on what could be the causes, it has a 100000 miles its a 99
Answer -
I could simply be that it has reached the 100,000 mile mark and, unfortunately, it does that.  Also, at that many miles, the sensors start tripping which cause the engine light to come on.  It is probably nothing...but, some Satrun Dealers will put the code reader on it for free.  It takes about 2 minutes...they have a portable little reader that plugs into a connector under the dashboard on the drivers side.  We have two local Saturn Dealers here in Metro Detroit.  One was completey horrible...nothing but trouble.  The other, Satrun of Northville, was excellent, did the code check for free, told us what it was referring to, and reset the codes...all in about 5 minutes!  If your local dealer will not do it for you, Many Auto Part Chain Strores will.  Auto Zone does it for free.
In closing, it could be something serious...in at least one case, the sensor was indicating that a Timing chain was loose...it wasn't fixed in time and cuase the engine to need replacement!  So, don't let it go BUT keep in mind that it is probably something you don't have to worry about...unfortunately, there are too many possible things that could be causing it.  In my case, the Check engine light is always on because the Crank Angle Sensor  was replaced with another year's.  And while it is fine, it still triggers the light to go on.
Best of Luck,
Greg Moore
www.taylorgolfsupply.com

Answer
I am glad you were able to find a source for the code reader.  AutoZone is great.
To clean the connectors to the sensor, I have successfully used Rubbing alchol on a Q-tip as well acetone (use cautiously...it is very strong).  To remove corrosion phyically, I have resorted to a small flat blade screw driver, lighlty scraping the pins in the Male connector.  It is harder to clean the holes on the female connector...use whatever you think may work.

Often, just plugging in the connector and unplugging it several times will allow for a good contact.

Try the cleaning first, but be prepared to replace the O2 sensor as they go bad more often than not. Again, sometimes just removing it and re-installing it casues it to work fine for another 50,000 miles!
You did great in your detective work, you're to be congratulated!
Best of Luck,
Greg Moore
www.taylorgolfsupply.com