I like a 7/8" line wrench to get these bastards off. It looks like a box wrench with a couple teeth... or a closed wrench with a hole in it. Either way. They're a few bucks but grip better than with a regular wrench or a sensor socket (which only succeeded in stripping the nut on my 2nd O2)

 

i've always just taken off the timing cover, bend the metal bracket in the way and get a regular wrench in there. takes but a few minutes.

 

hehe, i did that, but dropped one of the dam bolts down in the cam gear area, where no light penetrated, and no tool was brave enough to go.

so i had to pay my mechanic to start taking stuff off until he got to it

 

For that leftmost nut I simply ground away the AC compressor bracket until the socket fit- then I ground away some more so it looks like it was designed to have space for a socket No, I'm not at all worried that the bracket will fail. 1) it's like 1/4" aluminum on that side, and that side's not even holding anything. 2) it's been about 2 years an no failure. I have, however, removed the header about 6 times for various projects and was very glad that I didn't have to do the "wrench trick" every time.

 

Teeth eh? sounds like an extractor for a stripped nut.

 

After I take off the heat sheild... will that screw up my O2 sensor wires? And what not... or...

 

No it wont, just make sure the wires aren't sitting in contact or too close to the exhaust manifold. Otherwise they'll melt.

 

I usually just put my hand on the shaft and stroke it. Sometimes i'll get both the right and left nut off. Kind of like a two-for-one.

I had to do it.

 

...wait, what?

 

The easiest way i found to do it was to take the 14mm closed wrench and slide it throught the valves onto the nut. Took me but three minutes to get the bolt off. had to put it all back together again cause i was unable to get my 2 bolts off the back of the second cat.

 

In my world that would be *parallel* to the ground - never thought of laying the car on its side to get to that bolt.

Just giving you grief - good explanation!

KeS

 

actually if you follow the wires to the connector, you will see that it has 1 bolt(10mm i believe) holding it in place, un bolt that, unclip the connector, unbolt the 4 bolts on the heat shield, and very carefully pull the HS off making sure not to snag the wires in the process.

 

What do you do if you if your strip out the O2 sensor? Bend over and take it?

 

yep. their spensive. i was working on my old car, grand am, and we dropped the alternator when hadning it to my freind on the other side of my car, and i f***** up the o2 sensor. dont remeber how much it cost, but it was expensive