Nah Joel, I asked the list about this before doing the replacement.  the
sensor came with "factory antiseize" and I added none.
As for the other points you mentioned, wouldnt the van still run poorly even
with the 02 sensor disconnected if there was a problem elsewhere? My
symptoms would show up every twenty miles or so and clear right up when I
stopped, shut off the motor, then restarted.  When I dc'd the 02 sensor the
van ran very well for 1000 miles-though idled slower and I had to keep one
foot on the gas pedal when I'd come to a stop.  FWIW, the idle stabilizer is
brand new, and I cleaned the AFM as per the archives. (THANKS SAM!)  I
appreciate your response and your thoughts on this as I'm still rather new
to this water cooled business.
Jay

>p.s. you didn't by any chance put some anti-seize compound on the
>oxygen sensor? if you did, and it's not the safe kind, you've pretty
>much destroyed the oxygen sensor. :(
>you can only use the 'safe' kind that says 'safe for use with oxygen
>sensors' ... if you use the regular/normal kind, the chemicals in it
>cause the oxygen sensor to die after a few days. and it won't work
>anymore. only thing you can do is clean the anti-seize out of the
>threads on the exhaust pipe and install a new oxygen sensor. :(
>
>good luck!
>joel
>
>