Looking for suggestions on Civic VX O2 sensor problem...

[feret]

I just recently purchased a 1992 Civic VX with about 156k miles. Long story short (and why I'm posting on this thread), the CEL was lit when I bought the car which turned out to be code 48 (LAF).

I tried cleaning the sensor by soaking it in Seafoam for about 12 hours but that didn't do anything. However, I was able to find one at a pull-it-yourself junkyard that happened to get a 1994 VX in that day. I'm not sure of the mileage on that car as someone pulled the dashboard cluster.

Well, after physically comparing the sensors, I swapped them. Unfortunately, the CEL is still lit but it's no longer code 48. Upon jumpering, the CEL blinks on for 1 second, off for 3 seconds, ad infinitum. There are no short blinks. I tried clearing the ECU by pulling the backup 7.5A fuse twice to verify. According to the repair manual I have (1st Ed, 9/91), code 1 (if that's what it interprets to) indicates the Oxygen Sensor for D15B8, D15B7 & D16Z1 engines. My engine is etched with D15Z1.

So I took a closer look at the two sensors. Both sensors look exactly the same: 5 colored wires going to the same plug slots. The only difference is my original one had no markings on the sensor itself but the "new" one only says "L1H1" & "Made in Japan."

Before I dished out the fortune required to buy a new one, I wanted to check with those more experienced than I for any other things I could try.

Thanks!

-Jeff

P.S. I noticed in a forum about the O2 sensor socket being a pricey item. I found that my local Harbor Freight had both a deep socket version & a crows foot version for $5/each, the latter of which was on sale for $4. It works like a champ.