Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 08:33:38 -0800
Reply-To: Tom Young <tomyoung1@HOME.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tom Young <tomyoung1@HOME.COM>
Subject: Re: Engine o2 out of spec
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
From: "Dennis Bergey" <dbergey2@HOME.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2000 8:34 PM
Subject: Engine o2 out of spec
> My mechanic and I have been working on my engine temp problem which
I
> didn't have by the way until I installed my CHT gauge.
Well, there you go! Remove the gauge and your problems are solved!
:-)
> Suspecting that maybe my engine was running to lean and therefore
hot
> we started checking and found with the o2 sensor connected the
system
> was to lean at 2000 plus rpm.
I've looked all through my Bentley and I can't find a "spec" for 2000+
rpm. What is that?
> Disconnected it is much richer and almost out of spec. Here is my
> mechanics explanation who is by the way a very reputable mechanic in
my
> opinion here in Santa Barbara County:
So you're saying that with the O2 sensor connected the engine's
running too lean at 2000+, but with it disconnected it's almost too
rich? Then it sounds like the O2 senor needs replacement,
particularly if everything else (ignition, other FI components) are
checking out OK, which you say they do.
> I have herd of other shops installing a resister in the o2
> wire connector to bring the co back to spec with all systems
operating. We
> need some leads on the resister or if this is due to something in
the
> electronics we may be missing.
I'd say "installing a resister in the O2 wire" strikes me as some sort
of jury-rigged setup that's a Band-Aid fix for some other problem. If
you intend to keep and drive the car, find out what's wrong and fix
it. Since the O2 sensor is a form of battery that puts out voltage in
response to the ratio of O2 in the exhaust to O2 in the ambient air, I
can't see how installing any form of resistor in the line can help
anything. People have discussed installing a variable resistor (a
potentiometer) in line with the Temp II sensor to send a false signal
to the ECU about the engine's temperature, altering fuel/air ratio
that way, and maybe that's what you're thinking of.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
Tom Young tomyoung1@home.com
Lafayette, CA 94549 '81 Vanagon
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
