97 explorer 5.0 delete cats and 02 sensors

[lemaedward41]

97 Ford explorer 5.0
both front 02 sensors are bad. I want to cut the pipe on both sides and hang cherry bombs on the pipe rite after the header. Can I do this without delete kit or do I need a computer re-write

 

[C420sailor]

Front sensors are your upstreams. They provide A/F ratio adjustment in closed loop operation.

If you ditch them, the truck will run in open loop only.

 

[allmyEXes]

You need to keep your front 02 sensors. Stock, the Explorers came with 4 that are near identical. Look on the internet to see how to test 4-wire o2 sensors. You can use original rear sensors in the front, but the connector "key" needs trimmed off for the rear o2 sensor to plug into the front connectors. Replacement o2 sensors may not have the front/rear key tabs. They will fit in either.
@410Fortune Re-tune? Yes, if you want your check engine light to stay off. Deleting CATS and rear o2 sensors will make the light come on because of the deletes.
OL (open loop), that is for cold start-up. When the engine warms up, the pcm knows this from multiple sensor readings and switches it to CL, closed loop. 1997 Explorer pcms are an oddball year. If they are tunable internally, someone tell me how to do it. A forum member here does have a 1997 5.0 altered (tune) program but it is so altered that it is for manual transmission application. So, it is only usable for such. The 1997 pcms have to have a programmed J3 chip installed to the pcms J3 port to carry, store or hold the tune because the 97 internal eeprom chip is not flash programmable. This is a unique situation with the 1997 year pcms only.
However, if you want to switch to a manual transmission, you are in luck!

 

[410Fortune]

Yep you need to keep the oxygen sensors

you will need a computer tune if you want to remove the cat converters and downstream sensors / cat monitors

It is easy to make an exhaust that includes converters and sensors and still flows well and sounds good