Oxygen Sensor |
Every modern vehicle and most of the cars manufactured after 1980
feature an oxygen sensor. It is a spark plug shaped mechanism that’s
designed to do a very critical job in your automobile even in the
harshest of environments. A significant component in the vehicle’s
emissions control system, oxygen sensor measures the oxygen content of
the exhaust after passing through the catalytic converter. This
electronic device feeds data to the engine management computer after
accurately checking the exhaust hundreds of times per minute.
Basically, the oxygen sensor’s tasks are to help the engine achieve an
efficient performance and to make sure that vehicles produce few and
safer emissions.
Oxygen sensors, especially on modern vehicles are positioned
in the engine’s exhaust manifold to detect whether the mixture of
gasoline and air going to the engine is lean or rich. Rich mixture has
too much fuel and is hazardous to the environment as unburned fuel
causes pollution. If there’s a rich mixture, there is also a lean
mixture. This mixture has too little fuel and tends to generate more
nitrogen-oxide pollutants and worse, it could sometimes cause poor
engine performance and even engine problems.
Once the oxygen sensor detected that the mixture is lean or
rich, it will send a voltage signal to the engine management ECU
computer, which in turn issues a command to the mixture control
solenoid found in the carburetor to adjust the mixture before it enters
the engine. This procedure assures that the engine will be given not
just the best possible fuel economy but the lowest possible exhaust
emissions as well.
Among the types of oxygen sensors used in vehicles are the
single wire oxygen sensor and the heated oxygen sensor. The latter type
of sensor features a heating ingredient to help in the warm up which
leads to proper operating temperature and to keep up that temperature.
For your oxygen sensor to run properly, there are four fundamental
conditions that should be considered. First, your vehicle should have
good electrical connections. The reason for this is that the oxygen
sensor creates low currents and it requires clean and excellent
electrical connections. The oxygen sensor also needs outside air supply
that must flow through the internal section of the sensor. The next
factor that should be given consideration is the proper operating
temperature. It is because the automobile’s ECU will not recognize the
voltage signals until the sensor arrives at approximately 600 degrees
Fahrenheit. Also, remember to use non-leaded fuel all the time because
leaded gasoline can damage the sensor rapidly.
When the oxygen sensor in your car starts to fail or
malfunction, the computer can no longer determine the ratio of the air
and fuel and thus, it will end up guessing. If this happens, your car
will start to perform poorly and will demand more fuel than it needs
before. It is in this situation that replacement oxygen sensors are
really needed. Replacement oxygen sensors are designed to take the
place and do the job of your vehicle’s existing oxygen sensor. They are
usually made as efficient as the original ones so that engine
performance, gas mileage and vehicle exhaust will not be compromised. |
|
