Ford: P1131 Error on 96 Ranger, faulty sensor, oxygen sensor

Question
Hi James, I recently got this code after checking the engine light and from what I've read it seems like a faulty Oxygen Sensor. Is there a way for me to check if in fact it's a faulty sensor before I pay a mechanic to check for me? Thanks.

Answer
Ross, is this a 4 cylinder engine? It is quite hard to back probe an O2 sensor to see what the voltage is at the ECU. Most O2 sensor problems are really an indication that there is unburned fuel left in the exhaust, which can indicate the need for a good tune up, plugged or unable to close injectors. If one has not been done in a while i would recommend a tune up, starting with that, and you can accomplish this yourself and it's not going to hurt anything by putting a fresh set of plugs and filters into your little pick-up. Also throw a can of injector cleaner in the tank it really goes a long way.

Hope this helps

Jim