Re: Oxygen Sensor Solutions

On May 26, 3:08 pm, Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelati...@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
hhc...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
All quite true.

No. nonsense.

Replacement oxygen sensors for most vehicles are
available on eBay, and trivial to replace since they generally screw
in to some location on the exhaust manifold or exhaust pipe, with snap-
on electrical connectors.

So they don't regulate 'oxygen flow' to the engine AT ALL.  They control the
richness of the mixture by examining the oxygen content in the exhaust which
is another thing entirely. Also called Lamda sensors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen_sensor

The air flow INTO the engine is measured by the *air mass meter*.

Graham

So Graham, as I previously posted, how does a layman mechanic discover
if it is the oxygen sensor (which is indeed located in the exhaust
system) or if if the "air mass meter" (which has a different name here
in the US) , or which other of the other 10 or so sensors is
malfunctioning?

Again, if your engine is performing poorly and the cause is a sensor,
how does a layman identify which sensor is the cause. To me, this
seems like a rather trivial question.

Would it help if I pulled out my dealer shop manual, and listed what
all of these various sensors do, other than contribut to the cost of
maintenance of an automobile.

Now I really have to share something rather nasty done by me in years
past. I know most of you know what and EGR valve is, but fewer still
understand what controls. it. Now here is one of my nasty little home
mechanic fixes. The EGR valve on my 1980 Chevy Malibu was creating
problems. The car stalled whenever it came to a stop. The quick
soluton, was to remove the vacuum tube that controlled the operation
of the EGR valve, and shove a spent .22 cal rifle shell into the hose
as a plug. Damn car ran fine after that simple fix, and passed
emissions inspections two years in a row before I sold it.

Honestly, I did not ever figure out the control functions that were
supposed to turn the EGR valve to open and close. and I seriously
doubt that anyone reading here knows either. If they do, I am all
ears.

Just as a simple tip, no suburban mechanic should be without a roll of
duct tape, several empty .22 Cal rifle shells, and a set of vise-grip
pliers when attempting to repair a car. Other useful things to keep
on hand are a package of 3-Ton Epoxy, a jar of Vasoline, a spare
gallon or two of gas. Nobody should drive without a bottle of
"Fixavlat", and those little and inexpensive 12-volt air compressors
can frequently get you out of an inconvenient jam.

Still, waiting for someone to tell me how to detect which of the many
sensors in my car is malfunctioning.


Harry C.



Harry C.

.

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