I have a 02 montero sport. Last month my CEL came on, no noticeable problems but I immediately took it to a local franchised auto mechanic shop to have it checked out. This place has always been good to me in the past although I have never taken my truck there for any real problem, only oil changes, rotations, etc. They called me and told me 2 of my o2 sensors were bad (CODE PO154) and that was what is causing my CEL. Having no previous problems with them at the time and not knowing anything about o2 sensors, I agreed to have them fix it along with a couple other things all totaling $650.

I picked the truck up and as soon as I drove out of the parking lot the CEL came back on so I took it back to them immediately to see what the problem was (I should have known right then that they never fixed the real problem) but they told me it was due to the fuel injection service they just did and not to be worried. They reset the light and I was on my way.

I talked to a mechanic a couple days later and told him the story and he said I bet you $100 that light comes back on. Very rarely do the o2 sensors go bad and that the problem is most likely an air leak or vacuum leak somewhere.

Sure enough 2 weeks later the light comes back on. I immediately start doing research on o2 sensors and causes, talk to mechanics, etc. I go back to the auto mechanic where I had the work done and explained to him that their initial fix costing $650 didn’t fix anything and that the original problem still exists. They pull the truck back in, rescan it and get 3 new codes, PO107, PO102, PO113. After talking to their mechanic who worked on my truck, I learned that he is still not sure what the problem is and all he can do is start replacing the parts that the codes indicate. At this point I am furious that they are just guessing at things and charging me for it. Having done my research, I explained to him how all those codes are related and there is no way I am paying for them to start guessing at my problem and in fact that I want my money back for the initial job since I paid them $650 for something that is not fixed and even more so, my truck is running like crap now (it idles and shuts off when I start it and I’m only getting 10 mpg which all sound like an air flow/leak problem). They refused to give me my money back because they insist that I had bad o2 sensors and that the PO154 code is completely unrelated to my current problem. They did tell me that if I can give them proof that they are in fact related that they would refund my money. And that is where I’m at right now. I’m just trying to build my case.

The mechanic I know (who is very far from where I live) is positive that they missed the real problem and should not have replaced the o2 sensors. He sent me an estimate from his shop stating the following “The codes that you have, … code 154, code 107, code 102, code 113 indicate a volume air flow sensor or an air leak or an open or short in the wiring. They need to check for air leaks or wiring from the PCM to sensor. The o2 sensor did not need replaced… Air flow was the problem not the sensors. OTC PO113 is an intake air temp sensor is all incorporated.”

Basically I’m just looking for a little more ammunition before I go back to the auto shop. I would love to hear anyone’s advise, thoughts, recommendations, concerns, etc.

PS. Sorry for the long post, I’m just trying to get this situation resolved best I can and get my trunk fixed as quick as I can before it causes any more problems. I’m not even sure if this is the best place to post something like this, if not, please let me know.

Thanks Michael

 

My '03 Montero Sport just pulled the 3 exact same codes (P0113, P0102 & P0107). Did you ever figure out what was wrong? My car will hiccup or hesitate while driving & sometimes it stalls when I touch the gas to accelerate. It's at the shop again - they won't replace anything because they don't want to just guess, but it's driving me nuts!

 

3 year old thread.....

 

Thanks, I can read. I was hoping that this person would still get the email from this page and answer my question. You must really be bored to have actually replied to my post.

 

Yes I get email anytime anyone replies to any post I reply to..Just sayn. Now I had the same problem with my sensors just like you and the same code. I was so pissed off that I put my truck on jackstands and let it idle while I used a creeper to investigate the problem....
What I found was that I had to I think they were bolts that were rotted so bad I can't tell if they were bolts or not... In the exhaust Right under one of the oxy sensors. I removed the rest of the rotted bolts and replaced them with SS bolts. And low and behold all back to normal. So I had an air leak and now all sealed up. I ran awful ****ty too. Now it's like new again.

 

unfortunately you have to go through the URL type of Pic's or I would have dropped and dragged one here for ya... good luck.

 

Thanks for your update. Mine seems to be fixed. The mech. used my car like his own for a few days and it threw a new code which pointed directly to the MAF sensor. They replaced it and it's been running like a champ since Tuesday....fingers crossed!

 

Well ain't you just a bright ray of sunshine.