Oxygen Sensor Question

[Joe Goebbel]

Has anyone replaced their oxygen sensors from a lower grade (like a 2 wire) to a better grade (like a 4 wire)? I know a 4 wire oxygen sensor is supposed to be the most accurate out there. I'm just wondering how big a difference it made.

[Sleeper]

No, a 4 wire O2S is a heated type sensor. Your front O2 sensors should be 4 wire. The point of the heated O2s is to get the temp of them up into their operating range quickly so that the the engine can go into closed loop sooner. I believe anything made within the last decade would have heated O2 sensors (HO2S)...


Are you sure you aren't thinking of narrowband and wideband O2s?

[CaptCrunch]

I assume you are talking about switching from a 2 wire to a wideband O2 setup. I'm not sure if you can swap in a WB02 for what you have now with a stock ecm... I have swapped in some 3 wire (heated) O2's with header installs, but the widebands real on a whole new scale which I think would cause your ecm some major mind boggles. Also most widebands like the LSU4 are 5 wires.

What exactly are your trying to do with this swap? What is your objective?

[CaptCrunch]

Actually now that I read Mike's post... isn't the fourth wire simply a ground for the info instead of grounding through the exhaust pipe like a 3 wire? If that is the case I wouldn't see a problem... just if he wanted to go to a WBO2

[Sleeper]

I believe it's power, ground, signal, heater....and that the three wire would be power, ground, signal....


I dunno...you're hurting my brain....

[theduckylittle]

1 Wire = Signal (Black)
2 Wire = Doesn't exist!?!? I've never seen one in existant.
3 Wire = Signal (Black), Heat (Grey), Heat (Grey)
4 Wire = Signal (Black), Ground (White -- obnoxious), Heat (Grey), Heat (Grey)

I know the two that are the same color are heaters... because it basically generates a low volatage electrical short. The 4-wire may be White for signal, but I can't remember right now... 4 Rum and Cokes will do things to one's memory.

-Duck

[theduckylittle]

Mikey's right, the 4 wire is just a 3 wire with a ground, so that it's not grounded through the manifold. I wouldn't recommend it as the 3-wires tend to fail less than the 4 wires do. Heat exposed to the wire causes them to fail at an earlier juncture.

The Wideband O2 does NOT work on a factory ECU you need special hardware (most notably the heater) to even RUN the WB02. Plus the signal from a WB02 is ENTIRELY different than that of a standard O2 sensor.

-Duck

[CaptCrunch]

yuppers... I dunno.... if you wanted to go to a heated setup... it could give you some improved drivability depending on your setup/mods... like if you have headers they work well. I think a lot of times people swap them out and the car performes better because the old sensor was malinfuctioning. The older ones don't have a real long lifespan when they are at their peak perforamnce.

[Joe Goebbel]

I was doing to much reading on the internet. Thats what brought this question to mind. I'm not going to change anything. I'm just trying to get background on everything dealing with the exhaust and A/F ratio. Next winter the exhaust is getting taken off! Thanks for the replys.

What did Ron (Yellow Mustang) do with his oxygen sensors? Put on MIL eliminators?

[93SVT]

I think Rons are turned off with the tune he has, not sure thoe

[Sweet35th]

because it basically generates a low volatage electrical short.

B+ voltage, LOW CURRENT short.