2004 TOYOTA COROLLA - P0133

Hello, I recently had my Check Engine light come on in my 2004 Toyota Corolla. It was on for about two days and I didn't notice anything odd about my car. Someone then suggested to me to check to see if my fuel cap was on right, so I did, and I it was on a bit loose & crooked & when I put it on correctly, the Check Engine light turned off, that was yesterday. A friend of mine has one of those little computer thingys to check the codes and he checked today and this is what the computer said:

"P0133 O2 Sensor Circuit Slow Response (Bank 1 Sensor 1)"

He said that I need to replace my 02 sensor. Is this true? Did my Check Engine light come on because of the sensor, or because of my fuel cap being screwed on incorrectly.

Please Advise b/c I don't feel like spending money on car parts if I don't need to.

Thanks.

Although I am not an expert, I have been having issues with the same code and can tell you what I have learned.

First off, it can be your gas cap, but it probably isn't. I had my check engine light coming for 2 or 3 days at a time for a year or so. I would put in some additive, fool with the gas cap, or dance in a circle around my truck and wouldn't you know it....the light turned off. Of course, the light would come on again a month later.

After getting the code read (and buying my own code reader), I found that I had the same code as you P0133. My mechanic (who is a very trustworthy guy) read the code for free then just pulled out the O2 sensor and cleaned it with some carbureator cleaner. After that I didn't have the light come on for about 6 months. It probably just needs another cleaning now.

So, to answer your question: no, you probably don't need a new O2 sensor, but it is probably the root of the problem. It could just be dirty or maybe the plug is loose. Those things are easily fixed and will repair the problem. If those things all check out, you may need to get a new one because it could be a bad sensor or bad wire from the sensor. Depending on the vehicle, the part can run anywhere from 60 to over 100 dollars.

Also, you may need to check and see if you have a leak in your exhaust system. That can cause the O2 sensor to work incorrectly.

I hope this helps, it is just what I have dug up in my research.

Rich

finally i found this helpful thread coz im having problem with my toyota engine light..i check all the car parts such as my toyota truck bumpers, the exhaust system, the sensors.. fortunately my car engineer said that the main reason of the problem is in the sensors.. so he decided to clean and repair the plug.. but thanks for this i will try to solve the problem next time on my own..

What? Your post makes no sense! Are you trying to repair your car?