Save the 02's?

**GottaHaveLS1** · 03-06-2006, 05:43 PM

I've heard that ceramic coated headers could damage the front 02 sensors when they break in. Something about how the coating flakes off and kills the sensor. I want to get pacesetters... would they do such a thing? Would it be worth it to simply drive without any 02 sensors until it's done breaking in?

**keliente** · 03-06-2006, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by GottaHaveLS1

I've heard that ceramic coated headers could damage the front 02 sensors when they break in. Something about how the coating flakes off and kills the sensor. I want to get pacesetters... would they do such a thing? Would it be worth it to simply drive without any 02 sensors until it's done breaking in?

Depends. Got tuning software or a friend who has it?

It's almost inevitable that you will foul out a set of o2's within the first week or two. It happened to my car as well.

You can do a couple things...

1) Flash the car to stay in open loop...thus it does not take readings from the sensors. Install the stock o2's, but cut the wires going to them (they won't reach anyway). You can drive like that for a couple weeks until the coating has 'settled' if you will.

2) Buy a set of o2's with a warranty. The Bosch o2's I bought from Autozone (rear sensors for a corvette are long enough) have a year long warranty...so if they take a shit I can get new ones.

**GottaHaveLS1** · 03-06-2006, 06:11 PM

Oh yea, thats right. I needed new 02's about a month after i bought the car back in the summer and they are the Bosch's with the one year warranty. So basically i should just hook them up and replace them after everythings settled. Thanks for the reminder!

**Baluchitherium** · 03-06-2006, 08:03 PM

Hmmmm....I have never read anything about this.

Not doubting it,just wow!I guess you learn something every day heh???

Hmmmm,another thing to look at when I finally get to my Pacesetters....

**keliente** · 03-06-2006, 08:08 PM

Buying used pacesetters would lessen the problem.

We do a lot of dynotuning, and the pacesetters are very popular. I've seen people show up thinking a tune would fix the problem, when really the problem lies in the o2.

On my own car, it drove fine for 2-3 weeks. Then out of NOWHERE it ran like absolute crap. Misfires on all cylinders, would barely get out of its own way. However it didn't happen until after a couple minutes of driving (i.e. closed loop) so I knew what it was right away. I looked at it with a scanner and saw the o2's moving quite sluggishly...hence the gross misfiring. However I never saw an o2 SES light until many many miles later...