Oxygen Sensors

One of the most important sensors in your vehicle is an oxygen sensor. By measuring concentration of oxygen in the system, it helps the ECU fine tune the air-fuel mixture and lets your vehicle perform to its full potential. However, the oxygen sensor is most often overlooked. We don't even know that it is damaged until the car fails the emissions test. And JM Auto Racing offers you replacement oxygen sensors that are identical to the OE parts but cost much less.

The first oxygen sensor was developed by Robert Bosch in 1960s. Being standard equipment on all passenger cars and light trucks since 1981, today the O2 sensor is the most important device for reducing emissions. The amount of air the engine can suck in depends on factors such as air temperature, engine load, barometric pressure, etc, which means the on-board computer must constantly adjust the amount of fuel to ensure efficient combustion.

A modern vehicle is equipped with at least four sensors. You are sure to find two sensors that monitor efficiency of the catalytic converter, and those are located on each bank of the catcon. They say that these are rather catalytic converter monitors, and only the units that are screwed into the exhaust manifold downpipe (sometimes, between the manifold and catalytic converter) can be considered O2 sensors. The device produces a voltage signal that is proportional to the amount of oxygen in the exhaust stream. The question is how it operates. Well, it all boils down to the construction.

The technology that stands behind the oxygen sensor is quite tricky. In a word, the device operates thanks to two porous platinum electrodes with a ceramic electrolyte between them. Depending on the difference between the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gas and atmosphere, the sensor produces a voltage output - the larger the difference, the higher the output - that is transferred to the ECU, which calculates the air-fuel ratio and adjust the mix. There are surely various O2 sensor design types, such as thimble, wideband, and planar, that were developed to meet requirements of the car manufacturers. And there are also heated and unheated versions. Still, the basic operation principle remains the same in all of them.

A heated sensor normally lasts for up to 100,000 miles, while the unheated one has the lifetime of about 40,000 miles. However great those numbers sound, there are certain factors that can damage the unit. Leaded fuel and fuel contaminated with silicates or silicons, as well as leaks of oil are only a few things that cause loss of response. What you do need to know are the symptoms of a damaged component. If you experience a sudden decrease in fuel mileage or overall poor performance, if the check engine light is flashing, if the engine responses way too slowly, go to a trusted mechanic because chances are all that is caused by a dead sensor.

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Oxygen Sensors

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