2 Questions: O2 Sensors And Gray Side Skirts

[kyle_baker]

my car: 1995 325is

-o2 sensor question:
i've purchased a dtm muffler and my cat. convertor is burnt out so for now i'm just going to have to muffler shop bend some pipe to connect my muffler and avoid the cat. convertor. my question is what do i need to do about the o2 sensors on the old cat? do i have to rig them up so they fit in the exhaust somewhere or can i just ignore them?

-gray side skirts question:
i've read the removal instructions and everything for removing the gray from your side skirts to get the colors to match but i am wondering two things. first of all does my 1995 325is have matching paint underneath the gray before i start? and secondly i'm wondering will the gray on the bottom of the front and rear bumpers come off as well or would if be pointless to remove the gray on the sides?

...thats all, please help asap. thanx in advanced!

[Delmarco]

not sure about the o2 sensor. All I know those sensors were weak on 1995 E36 cars and tend to break down sooner or later and need replacing. I would replace it with a new one.


we've had the greyskirts discussion and a few E36 members concluded that 1992,1993,1994 cars have the color under the grey.
some 1995 and all 1996 cars do not have the color under the grey. so if your car was made mid to later 1995 it may not have color under the grey, earlier and it should have color if it was made earlier in the year.

Yeah I noticed you have a 1995 E36 and that my friend is a tough one...but if you find out from your vin code in you door jamb it should have the month/year your car was made.

Mine said 9/95 and my 1995 318i apparantly has color under the grey...but the skirts were faded and any paint underneath it was already chipping off so I could'nt just remove the grey...I had to paint over everything...

you could buy BMW DIY paint kits (62$ from www.paintscratch.com) for your car and DIY. One member, Supark, did this a while back and his car came out really good!

[kyle_baker]

about the paintscratch.com thing, i have checked out that site before, looks pretty good, but will one can paint he side skirts as well and the gray parts on the front bumper and rear bumer and possible a new set of side mirrors?

[97alpineM3]

Yes your O2 sensors need to be in your exhaust system... your car wont like it if you dont.... same things happens when one fails... unless I read your post wrong... and you plan to keep them...

Les

[kyle_baker]

well how can i keep them and make them work with it piped instead of using a cat. convertor?

[napalm]

Originally posted by kyle_baker@Jun 15 2005, 08:04 AM
well how can i keep them and make them work with it piped instead of using a cat. convertor?

[snapback]353678[/snapback]

I just replaced mine, and it had failed. My engine light was one when I bought the car. The o2 sensor threads directly into the exhaust. Your exhaust shop should be able to drill the appropriate size hole in your new exhaust bypass, and insert the o2 sensor (good idea to get a new one and not reuse the old one irregarldless).
Fortunately there's not to much out of the ordinary with the o2 sensor as long as its 'nippled' end is in the exhaust. (JB-WELD it in the exhaust, it doesn't weigh much?)

I imagine if you leave it out and hooked up you could experience problems with the car running too lean or too rich.

[kyle_baker]

ok, thanx man, so all i need to do now if buy a new o2 sensor and have the muffler shop drill a hole and install it? it is that easy?

how many do i need to buy? 1 or 2? bavarian autosport has them for my car at $119.95 "325i 92 thru 98". is there any place that sells these for a better price?

[kyle_baker]

bavarian autosport has them part number 13231 for $119.95

https://www.automedicsupply.com has the same o2 sensor (13231) for $22 less, $97.97

http://www.discountoxygensensors.com has them (13231) for $93.60, anyone know of a better priced site?

do i just have one to replace or are there two to replace?

[Hootie361]

What's the problem with your car running too lean or too rich? What kind of problems does it create? My car has had those errors now for a few hundred miles and I've yet to see any detrimental effects.

[mrsoul]

Why not just replace the converter and do it right...
The computer for the engine needs to read the O2 sensors inorder to maintain the highest performance...taking out the cat. converter will change the readings of the last O2 sensor and cause poor performance as well as lowered gas mileage.
It may also be illegal to modify a car by removing the cat. converter. The car will never pass inspection either.

[kyle_baker]

here is my case....my cat. convertor is burnt out, it has to go regardless of replacing it with a new one or just piping it. I WANT to pipe it, all i need to know is.......how many o2 sensors do i need to replace for it and also has anyone here done this before? i'm sure someone has because everyone talks about it, someone who has done this, please tell me what i need to do to make this work out right.

also, unanswered questions about the gray paint, does it come off of the lower part of the front and rear bumper as well? and my 325's date is 02/95, this is earlier in the year so it should have paint underneath the side skirts gray paint, correct?

[kyle_baker]

if the o2 sensor is before the cat how would it make any difference if i pipe it or cat it? it will still be reading the air the same. it reads the air before it goes throught the cat. it should work fine, just be alittle louder.

[mrsoul]

In a catalytic converter, the catalyst (in the form of platinum and palladium) is coated onto a ceramic honeycomb or ceramic beads that are housed in a muffler-like package attached to the exhaust pipe. The catalyst helps to convert carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. It converts the hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water. It also converts the nitrogen oxides back into nitrogen and oxygen.


The engine computer thinks it should read a LARGER amount of O2 on the engine side of the converter and a SMALLER amount of O2 on after the converter. Your engine's computer will try to correct this situation...giving you poor mileage and performance.

What your talking about doing, removing the converter, did work before computer controlled engines...but the days of that are long gone.

[kyle_baker]

where is the o2 sensor after the cat located? i've only noticed the one immediately before. where is the one after? just wondering where to look next time i slide under my car.

[triggrhaapi]

that's the most ass backwards way to solve the problem EVER.

buy a used stock midpipe. Any OBD I 6 cyl will do.