oxygen sensor help 87 bmw 535i

I know i need an O2 sensor my brother is a mechanic and he told me he wants me to learn more about my car so he told me to find and install a new O2 sensor and he will check it
the car is a 1987 bmw 535i
where is the best place to get a cheap O2 sensor
Can i use a universal one
how to install
any info will be helpful ty

I think you need to buy the Bentley 5 series maintenance manual. It tells you everything you need to know to keep these cars running. As for the sensor, there are different types, 1-wire and 3-wire so you will need to know which one do you have to start with. They are screwed in the muffler under the car close to the catalitic converter and have the electrical plug part. They can get pretty tight if some anti-seizer wasn't used when it was installed so have plenty of PB blaster handy and let it soak preferably overnight.

ok so i know its a three wire do you reccomend getting a universal one cuz im budgeting 18 yrs old and no job but the question also is it hasnt had an o2 hooked to it for a few years any precautions need to be taken and reccomendation for the best results

There is suposed to be a universal Bosch unit that is cheaper than the $125.00 unit but I haven't had the need for one yet. The reason for it being disconnected is it probably is bad and it was causing the computer to go a little crazy. If you go with the universal, you will need to cut the wires and solder them. When you do this you have to make sure that the connections are water tight or you will have problems when going over puddles of water, etc. Use heat shrink tubing for this.

so if im not the most steady handed guy i should go with the oem model

Or ask your brother for some assistance! ;-)

preciate your help and thax for the quick responses

Just found this! http://www.oreillyauto.com/EW3/Produ...&currentPage=0

Originally Posted by jimoreno

Just found this! http://www.oreillyauto.com/EW3/Produ...&currentPage=0

I'm replacing my O2 sensor in my 528e right now, and I read at unofficialbmw.com that to get the O2 warning light to disappear there is a 100mA fuse behind the spedometer that needs to be replaced. Does anyone have any photos proving the existance of the fuse location or has anyone ever done it? I've tried pressing the white button on the little black gear housing box below the fuel economy gauge, but it doesn't seem to do anything which I thought might be some sort of reset.

My 86 528e auto trans does not have this fuse on back of cluster. But had this old cluster (yr/model??) around:

Thanks for the pictures Blue. I pulled mine and inspected it. I disassembled it and I don't quite know how these types of fuses function like where its breaking point is on it to see if it is blown. I tried just looping a paper clip and sticking it into where the fuse goes but nothing changes, same old sensor reading.

Okay I got the O2 sensor warning light to go out! So my car has 2 of those fuses on the back of the spedometer. Both have to be working, one of them isn't good enough. I don't know where to buy a replacement of those type of fuses, so I soldered a piece of a garbage bag metal twist tie to bridge the fuse terminals together on each fuse. That way when I did an ohm test it showed zero on the meter, and not infinity when you touch the ends together so you know it is bridged.... and that's it!

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pro...xygen%20Sensor

here's where I got mine....