Originally Posted by
Obstruction
Two lessons re-learned this weekend.
Decided to stop ignoring the Check engine light (P0132 upstream drivers side o2 sensor) on the beater 02 Dakota. Changing that o2 sensor is a right whore of a job but I thought I'd tackle it before the snow flies here.
Lesson number one -- Be very careful about what you buy from Autozone. In my defense I do know better but the store is close and it was kind of a spur of the moment decision to dive into this mess.
Trip off to the store on Sunday around noon and buy the part after having to quote the part number to the kid behind the counter where i can find an O2 sensor wrench. He points to the tool section where it ain't. After he verifies that he tells me the store in the neighboring town has one. Fine and off I go. So far not so different from most AZone visits.
Lesson Number Two - Check the Part before you leave the store
Yeah goes without saying but ...
After a hour plus of contortions cursing and a bunch of extensions and knuckles I free up the O2 sensor, then I start in on the plug which sits on top of the fucking transmission with the release facing inboard and no room for the hand of any human regardless of age. Finally I romance it off and figure I'm on the home stretch. Open the box (bosch) and the fucking thing is a returned item with the plastic torn up, copper anti-seize missing and already smeared on the threads. Well screw that I'm not installing an electrical component that someone else has fuct with and returned.
Back to the store Explain that the part ain't new and the anti-seize is missing and they say Oh hmmnh, let me check another one. No anti seize there either, like its not supposed to be there. I take it and clearly its been returned as well. Then the genius tells me he checked five boxes and none of them have anti-seize. At this point I'm thinking that this place is the fucking REI of parts stores and I'm going to return everything here. They check with the store in the neighboring town and they indicate that they have one, new and complete in the original packaging. I head over and pick it up and get to complete this pig of a job as the sun sets.
The moral of the story - remember to check the part before you leave the store and Fuck Autozone.