How To Install A Wideband O2 Sensor
We provide you the critical tips you need to increase your Introduce's O2 sensor life, including placement, tuning, and gratuitous air scale.
When tuners shape the air/fuel curve for maximum horsepower and torque, an engine calibration is only as good as the data streaming into their data logger. While wideband oxygen sensors make it possible to precisely monitor an engine's air/fuel ratio, properly positioning and calibrating the sensor is essential to optimizing accuracy and maximizing sensor longevity. Fortunately, post-obit a few simple guidelines goes a long fashion to getting the most out of your O2 sensor.
Positioning
Ideally, the O2 sensor should be placed at least 24 inches downstream from the cylinder head exhaust ports. This ensures that the O2 sensor takes its measurements after the frazzle gas from each principal merges into a common collector. In turbocharged applications, the sensor should be placed at least 24 inches downstream of the turbo.
Positioning the sensor too close to the exhaust ports can expose it to high exhaust gas temperature (EGT) equally well as over-cooling from the loftier-velocity exhaust gas flowing over the sensor. Besides, if an engine runs excessively rich, an oxygen sensor that's positioned farther downstream is less prone to fouling. Although these extreme weather aren't a business in most street applications, placing the sensor further downwards the exhaust tract is rarely detrimental.
In 5- and horizontally opposed engines that have two banks of cylinders, the O2 sensor should still be placed at least 24 inches from exhaust ports, simply before the H- or X-pipe. "Since nigh street cars are tuned with a built-in margin of safe, it's perfectly fine to read the air/fuel ratio off just i bank of cylinders. In race applications where you are competing for every final horsepower, then it becomes more than disquisitional to read the air/fuel ratio off both banks of cylinders with one of our dual-channel wideband O2 sensor kits," Felipe Saez of Innovate Motorsports explains.
While rail-but cars equipped with exhaust dumps, cut-outs or open-header exhaust systems tin can experience false-lean readings at idle and function-throttle, it'due south seldom an result since these applications operate primarily at wide-open throttle. "With these types of competition exhaust systems, gratuitous air coming in through the exhaust outlet at idle and part-throttle tin can contaminate the air/fuel readings. When exhaust pressure increases at WOT, the readings will exist authentic once again," Saez elaborates.
In one case establishing how far downstream in the exhaust arrangement to position the wideband O2 sensor, the bung should be mounted between 9 o'clock and three o'clock. Condensation buildup tin destroy a sensor very quickly, so mounting the sensor between 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock protects it from h2o build-up at the lesser of the frazzle pipage. If there is sufficient space between the tiptop of the exhaust pipe and floorboard, mounting the sensor at 12 o'clock is ideal.
(Left) To properly calibrate the O2 sensors, they must be hooked upward and left in a fresh air surroundings. (Right) The sensors will toggle to a "CAL" on screen during calibration and then display the current air/fuel ratio.
Gratuitous Air Calibrating the O2 Sensors
Since cars are driven in wide variety of climates and altitudes, calibrating a wideband O2 sensor to free air is the simply style to ensure accuracy. The Bosch LSU four.2 and LSU 4.nine wideband O2 sensors utilized in Innovate'southward wideband systems rely on a resistor located in the connector to provide proper calibration. Bosch sets these calibrations under lab conditions that simulate 14.7 psi of atmospheric pressure at 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
In order for the factory Bosch calibration to perform at optimal accuracy, a car must be driven at sea level on a 68-degree twenty-four hour period. Obviously, the vast majority of performance vehicles operate exterior this tiny window, which is why Introduce adult a patented digital wideband sensor controller that allows each and every stop user to free-air calibrate their O2 sensors to the actual surround that their cars are driven in.
In addition to the furnishings of atmospheric force per unit area variations, O2 sensors wear out over time and become less accurate. According to Bosch'due south published exam data, its wideband O2 sensors are accurate to .15 of a point when new, only that margin for error increases to .29 later on 500 hours of use, and increases even more to .59 afterwards two,000 hours. In other words, after ii,000 hours of operation, when an O2 sensor reports an 11.76:1 air/fuel ratio, the actual air/fuel ratio in the engine tin can be as lean as 12.35:i or every bit rich every bit 11.17:1.
Keep in mind that Bosch conducts its tests under strictly controlled lab atmospheric condition. In the existent world, O2 sensors wear out much more speedily in performance applications due to elevated EGTs and richer air/fuel ratios. Detergents and additives commonly establish in pump fuel accelerate sensor wear equally well. Only similar Innovate'southward digital wideband sensor controller can compensate for altitude through gratis-air scale, this aforementioned applied science can be used to recoup for sensor wear by periodically re-calibrating the sensor as follows.
| Naturally aspirated street car | Calibrate immediately subsequently installing new sensor. Re-calibrate after outset 3 months. Thereafter, calibrate once per yr or every 20,000 miles. |
| Forced consecration street car | Calibrate immediately after installing new sensor. Re-calibrate later on first iii months. Thereafter, calibrate twice per yr or every x,000 miles |
| Race motorcar running leaded fuel | Calibrate immediately after installing new sensor. Re-calibrate every race weekend. |
| Dyno use | Calibrate immediately after installing new sensor. Re-calibrate every 2-3 days. |
| Altitude changes | If vehicle experiences distance alter of 5,000 feet or more, re-calibrate sensor before contest utilise. |
Getting the Maximum Life Out of your O2 Sensor
Naturally, O2 sensors are designed to live in an environment full of exhaust fumes. The nigh common ingredients of tailpipe emissions include nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor with a hint of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides mixed in. In contrast, when anything other than exhaust gas enters the exhaust system, it can dramatically reduce an O2 sensor's lifespan.
The virtually common culprits—in descending guild of importance—include overly rich air/fuel mixtures, improper sensor placement, leaded fuel, oil consumption, coolant, loftier-zinc race motor oil, and elevated EGTs. In the event of catastrophic engine failure, where a volatile mix of oil, coolant, fuel and shrapnel can shoot through the exhaust system, an O2 sensor's lifespan can decline in a hurry.
In high-performance street and race applications, information technology's just not practical to completely isolate O2 sensors from all the diverse elements detrimental to their health. Many loftier-pinch and loftier-boost motors require leaded race fuel, and elevated EGTs are the norm for turbocharged, rotary, and diesel engines. Likewise, high-zinc motor oils are essential to valvetrain durability in many loftier performance pushrod applications.
Nevertheless, maintaining a healthy engine with good ring seal and a proper tune is the best way to not only extend the operation and durability of the engine itself, but the longevity of the O2 sensors as well. "The main things to focus on are proper sensor placement and the engine tune. Everything else is secondary," says Saez.
Source: https://blog.innovatemotorsports.com/important-tips-to-get-the-maximum-life-out-of-your-o2-sensor/
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