Stupid Question of the month

[CiscoKid]

OK, so who can tell me what the Ex. Gas Sensor lamp on my car is for and under what circumstances it would come on and then what to do about it other than unscrew the bulb and ignore it.

[kristoj]

Fuel injected cars have an exhaust gas sensor, otherwise known as an oxygen sensor. After 30,000 miles, the light will come on as a reminder to replace the O2 sensor. The purpose of the sensor is to measure the air/fuel ratio and provide feedback to the CPU, which fine tunes that ratio. If the sensor isn't working, you car should still run okay. But it won't be able to make peak power and/or fuel efficiency. A new O2 sensor only costs about $50 and is relatively easy to replace (it is the spark plug looking thing in you exhaust manifold.

You can also reset the light by pushing a button under the steering column. It is located in a black box. You simply remove the cover screw and push the button inside. The light will come on again in another 30,000 miles.

[CiscoKid]

Perfect, thx.

The fiat I had a long time ago was a '78, so I was curious about the "new" lamp.