What technology is the lambda sensor?

[whom]

I've been having lambda lights on and off (when I reset them..) for months. Swapped front to back and it fixed it for a while. But the lights are back complaining P0130 (Pre cat lambda). It's been running fine and I can see the voltage switching using an OBD adapter.

So I think it needs a new lambda sensor and I'm not paying £60 for one with a Renault plug on it when I can just solder the old plug onto a £15 genuine "universal" Bosch sensor.

So just to check, the sensor is a "Zirconia" right? The old fashioned standard.

Also, if anyone has one lying around new, could you measure the heater resistance for me? The two white wires.

 

[Chip-mk1]

Why not just buy a secondhand genuine one?

 

[whom]

Why not just buy a secondhand genuine one?

They are effectively consumables so I'd rather get one with it's full life remaining. As far as I am aware, most of them are "off the shelf" just with custom length wires and plugs on the end. There are a few different technologies, some that change resistance, some voltage and then wideband etc. I wanted to check with this thread if it was common knowledge that the Clio used something special or not.

 

[Chip-mk1]

As far as im aware it is indeed the same as a common 15 quid replacement one, but I havent personally tried to wire one in instead.

 

[whom]

I've tried with a new lambda sensor I had from another car, but it was red-white for the heater not white-white and 3.6ohms where my old Clio ones around around 10ohms. It ran fine with the other one for a couple of months but now the heater element has given up and is open loop, I suspect it was meant to have a lower voltage than my car was feeding it.

I'm not sure why it's kicking up the error at the moment, I can see the voltage switching and the car is running spot on, even when cold. Maybe it's just old and sluggish.

If I bite the bullet and buy the £15 I'll report back on here.

 

[The Fatty]

i'm going to assume its resistance as you can replace them with resistors when you have a decat.

 

[whom]

Didn't know that, what value resistors? I'm pretty sure it isn't a resistance based one since they operate between 0-5V with the current supplied by the ECU according to Wiki and not 0-1V like I've observed on mine.

 

[Chip-mk1]

i'm going to assume its resistance as you can replace them with resistors when you have a decat.

Only the second one, you would risk ruining the running of the engine if you did that to the first one.

 

[whom]

Update:

I bought the 15 quid one and have been running it since the last post. Fuel efficiency and performance spot on. The plug wiring uses a box that makes it a bit fiddly when plugging the Lambda back in above the subframe. Otherwise it's a doddle.

 

[mad in general]

Update:

I bought the 15 quid one and have been running it since the last post. Fuel efficiency and performance spot on. The plug wiring uses a box that makes it a bit fiddly when plugging the Lambda back in above the subframe. Otherwise it's a doddle.

Can anyone explain how to do this for me? Sounds like a great money saver!

 

[whom]

Can anyone explain how to do this for me? Sounds like a great money saver!

Buy generic bosch Lambda from eBay, cut plug off old Lambda sensor, follow instructions that come with generic Lambda sensor. Job done.

 

[The Fatty]

Only the second one, you would risk ruining the running of the engine if you did that to the first one.

didn't realise they were different! So you cant swap them over to test if the first one is broken then?

 

[whom]

didn't realise they were different! So you cant swap them over to test if the first one is broken then?

They are the same on a 182, but the first one is the only one that is important so what Chip was saying is that if you're going to put an incorrect lambda sensor in don't do it on the pre-cat one.