What kills o2 sensors?
06-23-2010, 09:44 AM
#6
The problem with long tubes is they change the location of the o2 sensor from the engine bay (where there is a higher ambient temperature) to underneath the car (where fresh air is constantly flowing over them).
The issue with this is that it requires making the internal heater to work that much harder to maintain the necessary internal temperature to keep the car in closed loop. As such your car often remains in open loop and like in start up, runs a rich air/fuel setting trying to increase the temperature. This can lead to burning out that heating element, effectively killing your o2 sensor or wearing it out, providing the dreaded slow voltage reading (given it is having trouble making up internal temp, making it hard to accurately give a voltage).
The thing is, given this situation, you should really find a place, or invest in a tool that tests your o2 sensor. It may not be burnt out. If it just can't hold the internal temperature, odds are it may be fine, but it won't let your car enter closed loop, which gives the problems a rich leaning car would.
Most people seem to have better luck running either the denso brand, or the bosch corvette plugs, though a few still have recurring issues here too.
You may also wish to have your coolant temperature sensor checked as with out this, the pcm will not allow the car to enter closed loop in some instances which could then simulate a bad o2 sensor.
Other issues could be a fouled tip which is indicitive of excessive carbon or other material on the sensor tip in general. That however can be seen in most cases with removal.
06-23-2010, 10:44 AM
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^^^^
In summary, the farther away the sensors are form the motor, the cooler the exhaust will be when it gets to the sensors. If the exhaust isn't hot enough, the o2 sensors are telling the computer you just turned the car on. When that happens, the car won't enter closed loop and the computer will continue to run with an off air/fuel ratio.
Thats my understanding of it anyway.
In summary, the farther away the sensors are form the motor, the cooler the exhaust will be when it gets to the sensors. If the exhaust isn't hot enough, the o2 sensors are telling the computer you just turned the car on. When that happens, the car won't enter closed loop and the computer will continue to run with an off air/fuel ratio.
Thats my understanding of it anyway.
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06-23-2010, 12:06 PM
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I have also heard numerous times that the coating from coated headers will kill o2 sensors during the first few start ups because the burnt coating is harmful to the sensors. Any truth to this?
06-23-2010, 12:14 PM
#10
That'd only kill the first pair though in most cases and shouldn't persist two, three, a year later as a lot of people have had happen. Not unless the coating was just that well baked on anyways.
10-18-2019, 11:08 AM
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Incorrect information Normally i wouldnt necro an old thread but this one came up in my google search and the info is wrong.
These sensors dont need heat to generate a voltage, the voltage is supplied by the power source when you plug it in. They do need to be about 600C to operate (the catalytic components and the crystal membrane seperating the micro gas chambers wont work unless HOT), but the internal heater supplies this energy, again when you plug it in. They do need exposure to reference (atmospheric) oxygen, because the supplied voltage pushes an ion pump against the normal oxygen pressure of air, and the resulting current gives the oxygen concentration in the exhaust. So dont wrap the exposed part of the probe in tape or insulation.
Otherwise they generally fail due to catalytic poisoning. Anything that will kill a Pt catalytic converter will kill this probe.
These sensors dont need heat to generate a voltage, the voltage is supplied by the power source when you plug it in. They do need to be about 600C to operate (the catalytic components and the crystal membrane seperating the micro gas chambers wont work unless HOT), but the internal heater supplies this energy, again when you plug it in. They do need exposure to reference (atmospheric) oxygen, because the supplied voltage pushes an ion pump against the normal oxygen pressure of air, and the resulting current gives the oxygen concentration in the exhaust. So dont wrap the exposed part of the probe in tape or insulation.
Otherwise they generally fail due to catalytic poisoning. Anything that will kill a Pt catalytic converter will kill this probe.
10-18-2019, 05:09 PM
#12
Normally i wouldnt necro an old thread but this one came up in my google search and the info is wrong.
These sensors dont need heat to generate a voltage, the voltage is supplied by the power source when you plug it in. They do need to be about 600C to operate (the catalytic components and the crystal membrane seperating the micro gas chambers wont work unless HOT), but the internal heater supplies this energy, again when you plug it in. They do need exposure to reference (atmospheric) oxygen, because the supplied voltage pushes an ion pump against the normal oxygen pressure of air, and the resulting current gives the oxygen concentration in the exhaust. So dont wrap the exposed part of the probe in tape or insulation.
Otherwise they generally fail due to catalytic poisoning. Anything that will kill a Pt catalytic converter will kill this probe.
These sensors dont need heat to generate a voltage, the voltage is supplied by the power source when you plug it in. They do need to be about 600C to operate (the catalytic components and the crystal membrane seperating the micro gas chambers wont work unless HOT), but the internal heater supplies this energy, again when you plug it in. They do need exposure to reference (atmospheric) oxygen, because the supplied voltage pushes an ion pump against the normal oxygen pressure of air, and the resulting current gives the oxygen concentration in the exhaust. So dont wrap the exposed part of the probe in tape or insulation.
Otherwise they generally fail due to catalytic poisoning. Anything that will kill a Pt catalytic converter will kill this probe.
Explain to me how a one wire 02 sensor works.....
10-19-2019, 09:18 PM
#15
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10-20-2019, 12:22 AM
#19
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10-20-2019, 12:25 AM
#20
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