> I am curious to know your thoughts on the O2 sensor. I have just read Ken > Wilford's post on "cheapy 3-wire universal sensors." I would rather spend > $100 and solve my occasional "stumbling" problem than spend $30 and keep > struggling with poor performance. What would you say to Ken's question? Is >is there really a difference between the $100 and the $30 units?
I sell both the Bosch generic sensor and the version with the VW plug, but personally do not recommend to my customers that they spend the extra money. Yes, any interference with the signal can affect the way it reads on a small level. Yes, a poor splice of a generic sensor could create a variation from spec, and of course a poor splice should definately be avoided. But a tiny bit of dirt or corrosion in the connection from the factory sensor to the wiring harness could do the same thing. Or a tiny exhaust leak that affected how the sensor read in the first place. Or a slight increase in resistance due to a bad ground somewhere. Etc. etc. etc. Minute differences really aren't a concern because the sensor just isn't that incredibly sensitive in the first place. This is a fuel injection system, not molecular engineering. Tolerances are just not that tight, least of all on a 15 year old van. Even two identical 02 sensors will have slightly different readings. Yes, it is very important to make a good splice. But in my opinion, as long as your splice is decent, the difference between a good splice and no splice at all will be inconsequential. It is quite common to splice wires in an electrical system as they age or corrode. It is not neccessary to replace an entire electrical wiring harness because a splice was required. Similarly, as long as this splice is done correctly, it will not have any impact on performance. Of course, since both are readily available, the choice is entirely yours. - Ron Salmon The Bus Depot, Inc. http://www.busdepot.com |
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