Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2001 10:23:13 -0800
Reply-To: Tom Young <tomyoung1@HOME.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tom Young <tomyoung1@HOME.COM>
Subject: Re: more o2 trouble
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
I'd try to figure out what's the matter here, since the car was designed to run *with* the O2 sensor.
It sounds like the car is running way too rich with the O2 sensor hooked up, so the first thing I'd do is just test the basic functioning of the O2 sensor itself with a voltmeter. Also, somewhere in the archives is a long article written by hugie@lindy.stanford.edu entitled "1981 Van running rich, FI problems SOLVED." The problem, if I remember correctly, was that the coaxial shielding wire for the O2 sensor was grounding out at the large black ECU connector. You might want to try and find that article.
Not having a catalytic converter installed shouldn't affect the functioning of the O2 sensor. But, why run without it?
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Tom Young tomyoung1@home.com
Lafayette, CA 94549 '81 Vanagon
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----- Original Message -----
From: Schmidt
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2001 9:03 AM
Subject: more o2 trouble
Since the o2 senser is in the news here lately, I am wondering if anything would be hurt(other than ozone) by permanently disconnecting the booger. My 84 frequently had the famed symptoms until I dc'd the o2 senser and then they cleared up. Bus depot sent me a brand new one which I installed per the instructions, but the problem resurfaced. Again, said symptoms are :
frequent loss of power on the highway, whereupon the van won't get over 60 mph or pass anything even when florred,
very rough idle
very poor response to the accel pedal,
horrible gas mileage
***DOES THE O2 SENSER READ WRONG AND FOUL THINGS IF THE CAT HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A STRAIGHT PIPE? THE CAT IS DISTAL TO IT, BUT PERHAPS A CHANGE IN FLOW IS SCREWING UP THESIGNAL TO THE "BRAIN."
Again, without the senser, the van ran wonderfully for several days and I'm thinking it's better to run with the exhaust a little dirty than to get 10 mpg and have NO power.
Can I just disconnect this for good?
Jay in Windiana
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