wideband A/F guage

[sutie]

i heard yesterday that if i have a wideband 02 sensor, that i cannot run it all the time. that i should only have the sensor plugged into the exhaust when im tunning. is this true? why cant i just leave the sensor in all the time so i can constantly moniter the stotiometric ratio?

[shady milkman]

i heard yesterday that if i have a wideband 02 sensor, that i cannot run it all the time. that i should only have the sensor plugged into the exhaust when im tunning. is this true? why cant i just leave the sensor in all the time so i can constantly moniter the stotiometric ratio?

i believe it is due to the how quickly they go bad..along with them being much more sensitive to elements etc..however ..you can run wideband all the time..most due when they have their wideband a/f gauge on.

[sutie]

so if i do run it all the time like i want to, whats the life expectancy of the sensor?

[shady milkman]

that i can not tell you..there are a lot of factors ..i just wouldn't expect oem life out of them

[Too Fast]

i heard yesterday that if i have a wideband 02 sensor, that i cannot run it all the time. that i should only have the sensor plugged into the exhaust when im tunning. is this true? why cant i just leave the sensor in all the time so i can constantly moniter the stotiometric ratio?

I wonder if what you heard was about the temporary widebands that are put in the tailpipe when on the dyno for fuel/air tuning.

Otherwise, I've never heard you can't leave them in.

[sutie]

well neither have i untill i spoke with another guy yesterday who had that told to him by a shop after he bought his guage.

[Firebirdjones]

I use the LM-1 which is a portable unit I can move from car to car. I was never interested in a perminant install for many reasons, one being,,,once the AFR is set there is no need to monitor it. It stays there unless something drastic changes like altitude, DA, or something goes wrong with the car. I simply hook it back up and see what's going on, but for the most part once the tuning is done I don't have a need for it.

As far as the sensor lasting any length of time on a perminant install is hard to say. Others use them all the time on a perminant install, I just wonder how many of those cars are driven every day???

One possible problem I see is,,,,,

It takes a minute or more for the sensor to heat up and work properly. During that time I only turn the key on, but don't run the engine. Most cars cold run a bit richer too, increasing the chance of fouling the sensor. I don't believe the people using a perminant wideband are going to wait for the sensor to heat up everytime they jump in the car, especially a daily driver. Most want to hit the key and drive.
With that said I can only wonder how long they last. Tuning my fathers car once, he started the engine before I had the chance to tell him to let the sensor warm up. That thing came out as black as night. It cleaned back up after a tuning session but still,,,doing that day in and day out makes me wonder on the life expectancy.
Many people here use them though. Maybe someone will chime in with a daily driver with say,,,,30,000 miles after a wideband install and see how the sensor has faired???

[sutie]

well good to know, great information. im curious to see what happens.

[sutie]

how long does it take for them to heat up before you start?

[Firebirdjones]

My LM-1 takes about 1 minute to maybe 1 minute and 30 seconds or so if it's completely cold.
After being used on tuning sessions and I shut the car off for 30 minutes or so to make changes,,,then it warms up in about 20-30 seconds.

[sutie]

well thats not so bad, i think i can manage.

[Firebirdjones]

I wonder if what you heard was about the temporary widebands that are put in the tailpipe when on the dyno for fuel/air tuning.

Otherwise, I've never heard you can't leave them in.

Maybe, the problem with the tailpipe style, is if there is any moisture still laying in the exhaust system, mufflers etc....that when the car goes to wide open throttle and blows any water on the sensor, it kills the sensor.
Car and exhaust system has to be thoroughly warmed up.

I use the screw in sensor that is placed up close to the header collector, where there is more heat quickly and not so much of a moisture problem. Just have to weld in a bung. And that should be welded above the center line of the pipe, preferably in the 10 or 2 o'clock position to lessen the chance of any moisture getting to the sensor.

[sutie]

should it be welded in the header portion of the pipes or the Y. i have LT's.

[shady milkman]

headers portion ..they need to get warmed up..and the further away..especially with LTs ..the cooler it gets

[sutie]

got it

[Ed Blown Vert]

Mine is always in, and I think they will last as long as a normal 02 sensor.

[shady milkman]

Mine is always in, and I think they will last as long as a normal 02 sensor.

yea but you've only put .2 miles on your car the past year

[sutie]

haha, well mine is a daily driver, so ill let you know how it goes.

[Firebirdjones]

should it be welded in the header portion of the pipes or the Y. i have LT's.

Anywhere that is convenient and allows you to weld the bung in the mannor I mentioned. Depends on floor clearance and easy access etc...the closer to the engine the better.

I have mine after the long tube header collectors on all my classic cars,,,and in the Y-pipes on the 4th gens. Makes it much easier for me to simply lay on the floor and screw the sensor in without jacking the car. I've found this to work just fine.

No need to worry about the header pipes warming it up,,,,the 02 sensor has it's own heater,,,which is why I mentioned the warm up time in my other post.

[Firebirdjones]

Mine is always in, and I think they will last as long as a normal 02 sensor.

You don't count,,,the car has to be running and driving on a regular basis