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Fault code · OBD-II

P0137 Oxygen sensor after the converter - low voltage (bank 1, sensor 2)

P0137 means the oxygen sensor after the converter (bank 1, sensor 2) has been showing too low a voltage for a long time - as if there were a lot of oxygen in the exhaust. The fault usually lies in the sensor, its circuit or an exhaust leak before the sensor, not in the converter. Restoring the converter will not fix this code.

Does restoration help?

Most likely not the catalytic converter

Most likely not: the code points to the sensor or its circuit, not to the converter, and restoring the converter will not fix this fault. If P0420 or P0430 is present as well, we assess the converter only once the sensor and its circuit are in order.

A code shows where to look, but it is not a final diagnosis. We make the decision at the workshop after diagnostics and measurement.

Symptoms

  • Check Engine light on; the car usually drives as before.
  • As long as the sensor is not working properly, the control unit cannot correctly assess how the converter is working.
  • The code soon comes back after clearing until the cause is fixed.

Most common causes

  • A worn or contaminated sensor.
  • An exhaust leak before the sensor - the air drawn in pulls the signal down.
  • Wiring shorted to earth or a damaged connector.

Order of checks

What to do

  1. 1

    Read the codes and data

    During the computer diagnostic we look at all the codes and the live sensor signal to find out whether the fault is in the sensor, its circuit or somewhere else.

  2. 2

    Check the circuit

    Wiring, connector, fuse and heater circuit - the fault may be there rather than in the sensor itself.

  3. 3

    Then the sensor and the converter

    If the circuit is in order, the sensor most likely needs replacing. We assess the converter separately - only if P0420 or P0430 is present as well.

Yes. If air gets into the exhaust before the sensor, the sensor sees more oxygen and shows a low voltage. That is why the exhaust is checked before the sensor is replaced.

The car usually drives as before, because this sensor mainly monitors the converter rather than controlling the mixture. However, as long as it is not working properly, converter monitoring is not reliable, and for cars registered from 2012 an active fault means a grade 2 at the roadworthiness test.

P0137

Not sure what is wrong with your car?

Tick the symptoms or enter the fault code - in 30 seconds you get a first assessment of whether the part can be restored. If restoring is no longer worth it, we buy the old converter.

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