Date:         Fri, 26 Jul 1996 12:14:00 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         farchmir@milwaukee.tec.wi.us (Randy Farchmin)
Subject:      Re: O2 sensors: 1-wire to replace 3-wire?

>> 1. Is it possible/practicable to use a 1-wire to replace the 3-wire?
>> Ignorantly Yours,
>> Randy

>The qualified answer is that either will work *if* the single-wire one gets
up >to temperature.  I suspect that the Vanagon placement in the catalytic
converter >gets *mighty* warm -- about like hell on a good day (or Redbluff
in the middle >of the night)...[snip]...Ask at your local parts-place if
they have a universal >three-wire....[snip]...I'd put the three-wire type in.
>malcolm

Thanks, Malcolm.  My '86 has the sensor located in the pipe that feeds into
the catalytic connvertor, so it might not be heating up real fast under
normal conditions. I also seem to remember Dennis Haynes mentioning that the
Digifants are more sensitive to the outputs of the various sensors than the
previous system
[Digijet?].  It sounds like the 3-wire would be the best bet.

Hey, maybe the VW engineers changed to the 3-wire for a good reason -- like
it works better :)  [I was sort of suspicious that the bean counters in the
parts division cooked up the change to raise revenues.}

I ran into 1-wire universals being mentioned pretty often on the list, but
couldn't recall any mention of a 3-wire universal.  I was beginning to wonder if
there wasn't a reasonably priced substitute.

Now there new questions:
   a) Did I miss all the previous posts about this in the archives?
   b) If not, do all the 2.1 L bricks except mine have immortal O2 sensors?
   c) If not, are all 2.1 owners (except me) so flush with cash that they
      don't mind paying through the nose for that VW logo on the part?
   d) If not, do all 2.1 owners truly believe that a VW logo on a Bosch part
makes the part work better, so they always buy them at the dealer?
   e) If not, are all 2.1 owners just too white-collar to be seen in a
FLAPS, so       they'd rather go to the VW parts dept, where they can
pretend they're            really there for their Audi mudflaps, key fob and
steering wheel cover?

I sure hope the answer is "a" or I might have to trade up to an earlier
model so I won't feel out of place :)

Frugally (Scrooge-ly?) Yours,
Randy
84 Wolf &86 GL




Randy Farchmin    --->            farchmir@milwaukee.tec.wi.us
Dept of Natural(?) Sciences
Milwaukee Area Technical College