Virantha Namal Ekanayakehttps://virantha.com/2014-04-15T23:41:00-04:00Replacing a Noisy Broan Bathroom Fan (Builder's grade 688)2014-04-15T23:41:00-04:00viranthatag:https://virantha.com,2014-04-15:2014/04/15/replacing-noisy-fan-broan-bathroom-688/<html><body><p>Here are my quick notes on replacing noisy contractor grade fans
in bathrooms. The <a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TTZZ?ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&tag=virantha-20">Broan 688</a> and variants
are common installations in new and rehabbed homes because they're
relatively cheap. But boy, at 4 sones sound output, they're very loud
and irritating to leave running for a long time.</p>
<div class="section" id="background">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id1">1 Background</a></h2>
<p>The Broan 688 is very small, which limits your choices if you're retrofitting
an upgrade without cutting out a bigger hole in your drywall. The dimensions
are basically 7.25" square, with a 3" round duct, and moves 50CFM of air. A
lot of installs with long runs use 4" ducts, so you may have an adapter inside
your ceiling as well, to connect this. On the plus side, these fans are very
low-profile, so you don't need much height going up into your ceiling to fit
them.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="alternatives">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id2">2 Alternatives</a></h2>
<p>Here were my upgrade options, ordered in terms of increasing
difficulty and quality. I picked the same low-profile ones so that I
could fit them without difficulty between my joists. If you have 8" joists,
you could probably go with something cheaper that are not low-profile.</p>
<ol class="arabic">
<li><p class="first">Upgrade kit specifically designed for the Broan:</p>
<div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NJT45A/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000NJT45A&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000NJT45A&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="110"/>Broan 690 60 CFM Bathroom Fan Upgrade Kit</a></div><p>This kit allows you to replace the fan without having to remove the
housing that's screwed into your ceiling joist, or rewiring the electrical
connections. Just unscrew the old fan, disconnect the plug, and then
remove it, and screw in the upgrade and connect the plug. Very easy, but
from reviews (like <a class="reference external" href="FV-08VF2WhisperFit">this one</a> ), it didn't seem that quiet at 3 sones, since you're just
reducing the sound output by about 25%.</p>
</li>
<li><p class="first">Fan with 50CFM that's an exact fit for the ceiling cavity:</p>
<div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C2N9CP2/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00C2N9CP2&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00C2N9CP2&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="110"/>Delta Breez Slim SLM50</a></div><p>This fan will let you use the same ceiling cavity (no need to cut out
more drywall), and it's much quieter at 1 sone. This is the one that
I went with for one of my bathrooms, that worked really well. It does
require that you remove the old enclosure and rewire the power, but
the good news is that the location of the vent, mounting screws, and
wiring inlets are almost identical to the Broan you're replacing, so
there's a very good chance you won't be in for any surprises during
the install.</p>
<p>This measures right around 60dB in operation.</p>
</li>
<li><p class="first">A slightly higher 70CFM replacement that's the same dimensions as the previous one but louder at 2 sones:</p>
<div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C2N9CS4/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00C2N9CS4&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00C2N9CS4&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="110"/>Delta Breez Slim 70CFM</a></div></li>
<li><p class="first">An even quieter option per unit volume are the Panasonic WhisperFit options, like the 80CFM below, rated at 0.8 sones:</p>
<div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G7M3GQ/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000G7M3GQ&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000G7M3GQ&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="110"/>Panasonic FV-08VF2 WhisperFit</a></div><p>This one has a much larger footprint (almost 12" square cutout, and 5.5"
up into the ceiling), and slightly different locations for wiring and
vents (this has a 4" duct, but comes with a 3" adapter). I spent much
more time installing this one in my main bathroom, but was happy in the end at
the amount of air moved for the same sound (80CFM vs 50CFM against the
Delta Slim Breez for the same 60 decibels).</p>
<p>Keep in mind that if you don't have anough clearance in your ceiling,
you may have to go with an even slimmer version of this called
<a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECMTXPA?ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&tag=virantha-20">Panasonic FV-10VS3</a> that is < 3.5" in height,
but will require an oval to round duct adapter.</p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</body></html>Fix your Breville Smart Oven by replacing the thermal fuse2014-03-02T17:18:00-05:00viranthatag:https://virantha.com,2014-03-02:2014/03/02/fix-your-breville-smart-oven-by-replacing-the-thermal-fuse/<html><body><div class="figure align-right" style="width: 256px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;">
<img alt="Breville Smart Oven BOV 450XL" height="145" src="/images/2014/breville/breville.jpg" style="width: 256px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="256"/>
</div>
<p>In this post, I'll dicuss how I was able to quickly and inexpensively replace
the thermal fuse on our Breville digital toaster oven. There were a few
scattered forum posts from which I pieced together this information, even
though this appears to be a common issue, and applies to the following
conditions:</p>
<ol class="arabic simple">
<li>You own a Breville Smart Oven that's out of warranty (or don't want to deal with
the weeks of delay in getting a warranty replacement)</li>
<li>Your oven is completely 'dead', with no display characters appearing when you plug it
in or press the buttons.</li>
<li>Your outlet is working properly (reset any GFCI or breakers) and you have verified other appliances work fine with the outlet you are using for the toaster oven.</li>
</ol>
<div class="note">
<p class="first admonition-title">Note</p>
<p class="last">Disclaimer!
Please use the how-to below at your own risk. Although the fix
is fairly straight-forward for anyone with a technical/DIY/engineering
background, you are dealing with line voltages and a high temperature appliance.
I cannot accept any responsibility for loss or damage resulting from your use or
misuse of this information.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="background">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id1">1 Background</a></h2>
<p>A little more than 4 months after our purchase, with light duty of
~2-3 cycles of toasting bread every day, the Breville just refused to power on one day.
After verifying there was no cord/outlet issue, I did some google searches and
discovered that this is in fact a <a class="reference external" href="https://getsatisfaction.com/breville/topics/my_smart_oven_wont_turn_on/">common issue</a>. It appears that the thermal
fuse, which is used to cut-off power when the oven gets too hot, needed replacing.
I'm not sure why the fuse would blow, since my oven had plenty of space around it
and I did not bake at high temperatures for a prolonged period of time, but this
seemed like a common failure mode.</p>
<p>The relatively simple fix is detailed in the next section, and is based on this
<a class="reference external" href="http://www.fixya.com/support/t11821265-breville_bov650xl_will_not_power">post where someone replaced the 650XL fuse</a></p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="fixing-the-fuse">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id2">2 Fixing the fuse</a></h2>
<div class="section" id="tools-requireed">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#id3">2.1 Tools requireed</a></h3>
<ul class="simple">
<li>Philips screwdriver</li>
<li><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FZPDG1K?ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&tag=virantha-20">Wire cutters</a></li>
<li>Plastic pry tool</li>
<li><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002STTSY?ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&tag=virantha-20">Crimp tool</a> (best) or needle-nose pliers (acceptable)</li>
<li><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0CF5SA?ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&tag=virantha-20">Crimp terminals</a></li>
<li><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA?ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&tag=virantha-20">Digital multimeter</a> or continuity checker (nice-to-have)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section" id="replacement-fuse">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#id4">2.2 Replacement fuse</a></h3>
<p>There are two options to getting a replacement part:</p>
<ol class="arabic">
<li><p class="first">Get the entire fuse assembly (basically a long wire with a heat-resistant wrap, plus a thermal fuse and mounting bracket) for ~$5 plus shipping:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="http://www.ereplacementparts.com/thermal-fuse-assembly-p-630232.html">BOV800XL Fuse Assembly</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="http://www.ereplacementparts.com/thermal-fuse-assy-new-type-p-630212.html">BOV650XL Fuse Assembly</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="http://www.ereplacementparts.com/fuse-assembly-p-1439646.html">BOV450XL Fuse Assembly</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><p class="first">Avoid the long lead times, and just buy the thermal fuse at Radio Shack or
Amazon.com:</p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102788">Radio Shack</a> - 443F 10A-rated fuse.</p>
</li>
<li><div class="first"><div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0087ZRIAA/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0087ZRIAA&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0087ZRIAA&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="110"/>Metal TF 216 Celsius Cutoff Fuse</a></div></div></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>The latter is an exact temperature replacement for the 420F fuse in my 450XL, while
the former is a slightly higher temperature one. I went with the 443F one from Radio Shack because I wanted a little bit of headroom on fusing it next time, and I could buy this
in the store. You will also need some <a class="reference external" href="http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103494&filterName=Cable+type&filterValue=Butt+connectors">crimp terminals</a>.</p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="section" id="replacement-procedure">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#id5">2.3 Replacement procedure</a></h3>
<div class="section" id="remove-screws">
<h4><a class="toc-backref" href="#id6">2.3.1 Remove screws</a></h4>
<p>Make sure your oven is unplugged, place it front panel down on a counter, so you can get
easy access to the screws in the back. Remove all of them ~2 dozen, as shown in the
picture below:</p>
<div class="figure" style="width: 675px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;">
<img alt="back" height="506" src="/images/2014/breville/breville_back.jpg" style="width: 675px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="675"/>
</div>
<p>Next, remove all the screws on the bottom feet of the oven, as well as two screws on the bottom sides. (sorry, no picture here) Remove the plastic feet from the front. I could not
figure out a way to remove the rear feet as there appeared to be a rivet holding
them in place, but YMMV.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="pry-open-back-panel">
<h4><a class="toc-backref" href="#id7">2.3.2 Pry open back panel</a></h4>
<p>Slowly slide the back panel down and to the right, without snapping off the feet in the process (maybe there's a better way to do this, but all you need is access to the left
side of the oven where the power cord goes into the fuse).</p>
<div class="figure" style="width: 675px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;">
<img alt="open" height="506" src="/images/2014/breville/breville_open.jpg" style="width: 675px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="675"/>
</div>
</div>
<div class="section" id="disassemble-fuse-assembly-bracket">
<h4><a class="toc-backref" href="#id8">2.3.3 Disassemble fuse assembly bracket</a></h4>
<p>The white assembly is on the left side, and you'll need to remove two phillips screws to
disengage from the inner oven wall. Pull it out of the bracket as shown below:</p>
<div class="figure" style="width: 675px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;">
<img alt="open" height="506" src="/images/2014/breville/breville_bracket.jpg" style="width: 675px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="675"/>
</div>
<p>At this point, it's probably a good idea to use a multi-meter and test for lack of
continuity across the two ends of the wired assembly, to verify that the fuse is in fact
blown.</p>
<p>Now, you can either replace this entire assembly if you went that route, or
replace just the fuse in the next section.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="replace-fuse-in-assembly">
<h4><a class="toc-backref" href="#id9">2.3.4 Replace fuse in assembly</a></h4>
<p>If you slide back the white plastic sheath, you'll see the thermal fuse underneath:</p>
<div class="figure" style="width: 675px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;">
<img alt="fuse" height="506" src="/images/2014/breville/breville_fuse.jpg" style="width: 675px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="675"/>
</div>
<p>Now, just cut off the old fuse with the crimp connectors on either side, making
sure to remember which side is marked black, and connect your new fuse with
new uninsulated crimp terminals. Roll back the sheath over the fuse, place it
back in the bracket, re-attach the bracket, and rescrew the back panel</p>
<p>You're done!</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body></html>Replacing the upstream oxygen (O2) sensor in a Honda Civic 20052013-01-13T04:19:00-05:00viranthatag:https://virantha.com,2013-01-13:2013/01/13/replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005/<p>This is not quite my normal tech post, but I thought this might help
other folks needing to change the O2 sensor in this particular model.
There's some conflicting and incomplete information out on the web for
this relatively simple task, so hopefully this will clarify things a
bit.</p>
<div id="diagnosis" class="section">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id1">1 Diagnosis</a></h2>
<p>The check engine light came on in my wife's car, and I finally got a
chance to buy an OBD-II sensor. I ended up going with the <a class="reference external" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NLQAHS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=virantha-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005NLQAHS">BAFX ELM 327
Bluetooth OBD2 scan tool</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=virantha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005NLQAHS" alt="image0">. This tool had decent reviews, was
under $25, and could connect via bluetooth to an old android tablet I
had lying around. This scanner pairs up easily with the free Andoid app
called <a class="reference external" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torquefree">"Torque Lite"</a>, which can read the error out of the car's
engine-control-unit (ECU) and reset it.</p>
<p>When I got this hooked up (the OBD-II port is under the dash on the
driver's side, coming out from the right side above the accelerator
pedal), the code reported using Torque was:</p>
<pre class="literal-block">P0135 "O2 sensor heater circuit bank 1 sensor 1"
</pre>
<p>A quick internet search yielded the information that this was the
upstream sensor.
<sup id="sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-1-back"><a title=" The Civic '05 has two sensors, the upstream (located on the engine block), and the downstream (after the catalytic converter, and accessed from underneath the car). This post only refers to the upstream one. This is actually a wide-band fuel/air ratio sensor, so it's somewhat pricey to replace compared to a regular narrow-band O2 sensor. " class="simple-footnote" href="#sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-1">1</a></sup></p>
</div>
<div id="parts-required" class="section">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id2">2 Parts required</a></h2>
<p>With the problem identified, I just had to replace the O2 sensor.</p>
<ol><ol class="arabic">
<li><p class="first"><strong>Replacement Sensor</strong>: The OEM part for this is manufactured by
Denso. You can find a replacement (at the time of writing) at
Amazon.com for less the $100, the cheapest I could find online
<sup id="sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-2-back"><a title="`Rock Auto`_ is also a good source" class="simple-footnote" href="#sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-2">2</a></sup>:</p>
<div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C5UFVM/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000C5UFVM&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000C5UFVM&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" border="0" width="110" style="vertical-align: middle;">Denso 234-9005 Oxygen Sensor for the Civic LX</a></div><p>Note that this part does <strong>not</strong> work in the EX model, which
requires the 234-9017:</p>
<div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00122EENE/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00122EENE&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00122EENE&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" border="0" width="110" style="vertical-align: middle;">Denso 234-9017 Oxygen Sensor for the Civic EX</a></div><p>Be careful with box stores like Autozone that give you the wrong part
numbers for this car.</p>
</li>
<li><p class="first"><strong>Oxygen sensor socket: </strong>This is a special socket with a slot down
the side that lets you slide the O2 sensor wire through it. I ended
up getting this one from amazon for $25 that fits the 7/8"
sensor.</p>
<blockquote>
<div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00062ZK5M/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00062ZK5M&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00062ZK5M&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" border="0" width="110" style="vertical-align: middle;">Socket</a></div></blockquote>
</li>
<li><p class="first"><strong>Ratcheting socket wrench 3/8":</strong> To fit the above socket; had this
lying around in my toolbox.</p>
<div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FOQH2K/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001FOQH2K&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B001FOQH2K&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" border="0" width="110" style="vertical-align: middle;">Wrench</a></div></li>
<li><p class="first"><strong>Penetrating oil: </strong>Essential to have some kind of penetrating oil
to loosen up the old sensor. I cheaped out and just used some WD-40 I
had lying around, but you could use something like this:</p>
<div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00200MR8Q/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00200MR8Q&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00200MR8Q&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" border="0" width="110" style="vertical-align: middle;">Liquid Wrench</a></div></li>
<li><p class="first"><strong>Gloves and protective eyewear: </strong>Never hurts to be safe.</p>
<div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001D1FV72/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001D1FV72&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B001D1FV72&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" border="0" width="110" style="vertical-align: middle;">CLC gloves</a></div><div><a class="amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RKQ1NI/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000RKQ1NI&linkCode=am2&tag=virantha-20&"><img src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000RKQ1NI&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=virantha-20" border="0" width="110" style="vertical-align: middle;">Eyewear</a></div></li>
</ol>
</ol></div>
<div id="replacement" class="section">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id3">3 Replacement</a></h2>
<ol class="arabic">
<li><p class="first">Apply some penetrating oil to the sensor</p>
</li>
<li><p class="first">Examine the wiring harness while you wait for the sensor to loosen
up. The wire from the sensor clips into a socket, and both are
attached via a metal tab to the frame.</p>
</li>
<li><p class="first">Disconnecting the old sensor wiring harness
was the most difficult part of this whole task, given that I'd never
done this before, and also the least documented piece.</p>
<div class="figure align-left" style="width: 80%width: 960px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;">
<img height="720" alt="Oxygen sensor layout" src="/images/2013/o2sensor.jpg" width="960" style="width: 960px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;">
</div>
</li>
<li><p class="first">The first step is to pry the wire clip and socket off this metal
clip. Push the little tab shown in the picture up towards the wire
clip (you may hear a slight click) [green arrow], and then start
wiggling the clip off the metal tab [red arrow]. Go slow; the metal
will usually have oxidized, and you don't want to yank too hard in
case it comes loose quickly and you end up stressing the wiring
coming from the ECU.</p>
</li>
<li><p class="first">Once the wire clip and socket are free from the metal tab, you need
to remove the clip from the socket. Push down on the far end of the
top of the socket [blue arrow], and pull the clip out slowly [purple
arrow]. This part should come out fairly easily; if it doesn't, that
means you're not pushing the tab on the socket correctly to release
the clip properly.</p>
</li>
<li><p class="first">Now, you're free to use the socket to remove the old O2 sensor. Turn
counter-clockwise to loosen, and then use your hands to rotate the
remainder and pull out the sensor, being careful not to damage the
threads.</p>
</li>
<li><p class="first">Put anti-seize grease (included with your sensor) on the threads of
the new O2 sensor, then thread it in by hand, finally tightening
using the socket (Not super tight like a tire lugnut, but fairly
tight)</p>
</li>
<li><p class="first">Connect the new wiring clip to the socket, and slide the whole wiring
harness back on to the metal clip (you should hear a slight click).
Make sure the wire doesn't touch the engine block after attaching.</p>
</li>
<li><p class="first">You're done! Clear out the error code using the OBD II tool, and
start your engine and drive away with the satisfaction of having
learned a little bit about your car and saved a few hundred
dollars.<sup id="sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-3-back"><a title="You may have some slight burning smell for a little while as the WD-40 and/or the anti-seize grease excess burns off" class="simple-footnote" href="#sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-3">3</a></sup></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<ol class="simple-footnotes">Notes:<li id="sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-1">
The Civic '05 has two sensors, the upstream (located on the engine
block), and the downstream (after the catalytic converter, and accessed
from underneath the car). This post only refers to the <strong>upstream one</strong>.
This is actually a wide-band fuel/air ratio sensor, so it's somewhat
pricey to replace compared to a regular narrow-band O2 sensor.
<a class="simple-footnote-back" href="#sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-1-back">↩</a></li><li id="sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-2">`Rock Auto`_ is also a good source <a class="simple-footnote-back" href="#sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-2-back">↩</a></li><li id="sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-3">You may have some slight burning smell for a little
while as the WD-40 and/or the anti-seize grease excess burns
off <a class="simple-footnote-back" href="#sf-replacing-the-upstream-oxygen-o2-sensor-in-a-honda-civic-2005-3-back">↩</a></li></ol>