Sensors degrading over time?

**JoshieDoom** · 11-30-2008, 09:52 PM

Do all sensors degrade over time? I know that o2s do and I changed out my IAT sensor the other day and it raised my hot idle a bit and helped cold start and seemed to diminish the throttle cracker effect, all around the cars driveability seemed to improve?

I dont have Autotap
On down the road I plan on getting a new MAF and MAP sensor?

What other sensors have a great role on the engines performance?

MAF MAP IAT and ECT?

**richard head** · 12-01-2008, 11:25 AM

just the o2's from what i've heard... replacing ALL sensors is just an expensive waste of money

**JoshieDoom** · 12-01-2008, 08:53 PM

I talked to some engineers at work about this today. With current always going through them they do degrade slowly over time. Just like the brightness of a light bulb. So it was explained.. so with a lot of miles and age like mine i guess an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure

**0rion** · 12-01-2008, 09:40 PM

the biggest difference between a light bulb and a sensor though is the amount of voltage. A light bulb is a carbon coated filament that's running 110v. Something like a throttle position sensor is only 0-5v. I think the engineer's are over thinking it....imagine that.

Dirt and build up will effect a sensor more than use. O2's foul like a spark plug(kinda)over time. A MAF will get build up on it. You can't clean an O2 but you can clean your MAF with either a non-residue electrical cleaner or MAF cleaner from a parts store.

**JoshieDoom** · 12-01-2008, 09:52 PM

I clean my Maf often

**SS02** · 12-02-2008, 12:02 AM

Originally Posted by 0rion

the biggest difference between a light bulb and a sensor though is the amount of voltage. A light bulb is a carbon coated filament that's running 110v. Something like a throttle position sensor is only 0-5v. I think the engineer's are over thinking it....imagine that.

Dirt and build up will effect a sensor more than use. O2's foul like a spark plug(kinda)over time. A MAF will get build up on it. You can't clean an O2 but you can clean your MAF with either a non-residue electrical cleaner or MAF cleaner from a parts store.

I am not real strong on the car mod thing!

Yet, from my background... this is right on the money!
I had to peplace my O2's already, right before 25k.

**Orcus79** · 12-03-2008, 12:37 AM

Most sensors really won't waiver too much. but ones like the MAF ans especially the O2s can drift out of calibration over time. Any sensor will do this really. The problem is that tehy can't be recalabrated. replacing them is a good preventative measure more then anything to avoid grief later on.

The changes are so subtle that they don't really make much of differance, but on a high milage/older car it would be a good idea to replace as a tune up and possibly gain some performance and milage back.