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Date:         Tue, 6 Mar 2001 13:27:20 -0500
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <busdepot@EMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <busdepot@EMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: O2 Sensors
In-Reply-To:  <3AA45D08.1CDBBF0A@islandnet.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> I had a Bosch generic three wire O2 sensor go bad after it was a month > old. The Bosch representative said it was the wrong generic three wire > sensor. Well I emailed the list with this bit of trivia, and heard back > that the Bus Depot $40 Bosch three wire sensor I purchased was > "functionally identical" to the Bosch $120 Cdn generic three wire > sensor.

It is. I have it in writing from our U.S. Bosch distributor, and it is confirmed by the fact that literally hundreds of other listmembers and customers are using them as I write this (including myself in my own '89 Westy). This is why listmembers responded to you that it is indeed functionally identical. The reason that the representative said that it is the "wrong" sensor is that it has a Ford-style connector on the end - so he thinks it's a sensor for a Ford. He probably looked in his books, saw this Ford application and no VW application, and concluded that it was the "wrong" one for a VW. But as per our Bosch distributor, if you disregard the shape of the connector, electrically it's the same as the VW one.

> My would only act up at first during wet conditions. I even had the little splash shield > installed.

Sounds likely that water was getting into the circuit, perhaps at the splice. This would have royally screwed up the 02 sensor's readings.

> My only guess is that the Bosch generic three wire sensor listed for the > Vanagon, incorporates some type of waterproofing or corrosion resistance > due to the sensor's placement on the vehicle.

Actually, no. Only the shape of the connecting plug is different; no difference in water-resistance.

> The Vanagon specific Bosch generic three wire sensor part number is > 21-156-8300. I paid $126 CDN, or approx. $85 US.

According to the Bosch distributor, that is not a Bosch part number at all. In fact it's not even in the numbering format that Bosch uses for 02 sensors as a category. Nor is it a VW part number. Perhaps it is the unique stock number of the particular dealer from whom you bought the part.

I think you're reading too much into your experience. My guess is that somehow moisture got trapped into the electrical connection to your 02 sensor, causing either premature failure or a false reading. The more expensive unit that the Canadian dealer sold you is probably a suitable replacement, so it solved your problem. But replacing it with another $39 sensor and repairing the connection would also have solved your problem. In fact, repairing the connection and reinstalling the same sensor might even have worked, as it is possible that the unit would have operated properly once the source of the moisture was eliminated.

- Ron Salmon The Bus Depot, Inc. www.busdepot.com (215) 234-VWVW


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