O2 Sensor needs replacement
 

2000 Boxster

DME said that an O2 sensor is bad.

How long can I drive with a bad O2 sensor? What bad could it do to the car?

no; there is a pad wear light on the dash for that purpose. if your check engine light is on, you have another issue. get the codes read and post them here.

The engine light was on due to a O2 sensor issue.

After resetting the engine light, the mechanic said that I should drive around for a while because they sometimes tend to act funny(sensitive). I have been driving it for about 50 miles so far and no light, no problems!

thanks,

The CEL doesn't come on for nothing. If it came on for an o2 sensor issue,it will come back in time,it's just a matter of how long.

They aren't that much,$100/each & 1-2 hours to install all four.

It looks easier than that from what I can see. Unplug the old the old at one end, unscrew the other and it's out. I would say 20 min tops for 4 sensors, but maybe there is more to it than it looks.

20minutes if you have access to a lift,I don't. I always add another 30-45minutes to get the jacks,jack stands & all my other tool crap together and cleaned up.

It's funny because I called the dealership to ask how much the O2 sensor cost, and they quoted me $348(for the part only). They didn't mention that there were 4 of them.

How can I identify which one it is?

And why the hell would there ever be 4 on any car?

There are four of them on a car because there are two on either side. The exhaust comes out of both sides of the engine, so there are two paths to the muffler. An 02 sensor is placed before the catalytic converter, and one after, on either side.

You can get adequate aftermarket O2 sensors for much cheaper than the Porsche OEM units. Search around, several people have replaced them.

Usually the specific code you get from the DME will be specific to which O2 sensor is problematic.

O2 sensors ARE wear items - just like tires, they have a useful life, and need to be replaced eventually. How many miles on your car?

I just did all four of mine. I got Walkers from oxygensensors.com for $113.00 each and free shipping. I wanted to take pictures of the process, but I had another car on the lift, so I did it with a floor jack and stands. That made picture taking more difficult. The job took about 30 minutes. The hardest part was stopping the bleeding. There's lots of sharp stuff between your wrist and the plugs for the sensors.