If you are concerned about the poor gas mileage you have been getting from your vehicle lately, one of the components that you should check to improve your miles per gallon is your Ford Focus oxygen sensor. You will find your oxygen sensor mounted near your exhaust manifold, where it serves as part of a network of sensors that monitor the oxygen content of your engine’s exhaust. What does this have to do with your gas mileage? Your engine uses a mixture of oxygen and fuel to generate power, and the optimal oxygen-to-fuel ratio is 14.7 parts oxygen to one part fuel.

The information your Focus oxygen sensor sends to your vehicle’s onboard computer allows it to determine how much fuel should be injected into your cylinders in order to achieve this ratio. When your oxygen sensor is not working, your engine must rely on data from the other sensors in the network--none of which are located in the direct path of your exhaust.

With this estimated information, your vehicle’s computer will inject too much fuel rather than too little, since not enough fuel will cause damage to your engine. This means a faulty Ford Focus oxygen sensor wastes gas and drops your engine’s fuel efficiency. Additionally, the excess fuel that runs through your exhaust system as a result of a bad Focus oxygen sensor can damage your catalytic converter over time, leading to even more expensive repairs. Making sure that your Ford Focus oxygen sensor is in good shape saves you money. You should replace your Focus oxygen sensor every 100,000 miles, or whenever you have other exhaust work done.Find a great selection of oxygen sensors in our extensive online catalogue, easy to search by your vehicle’s year, make, and model.