Wideband Lambda location?

[Julian Thompson]

I have a new innovate motorsport wide band lambda system - looks excellent - but I don't know if I should weld the slug into the exhaust manifold near ONE cylinder or if I should put it at the collection of the 4 pipes further down the system?

 

I guess it's response time vs how similar the 4 pots are going to be burning?

 

Then again I suppose that if you have an "average" reading of all 4 pots how do you know that one isn't lean anyway ? You could have one rich and one lean...

 

...and no - I'm not buying 4 sensors !! 😬

 

Any advice on this gratefully received!

[Mr Locust]

Julian,

 

not tried the single header position, but I can confirm the catalyst can location on an SLR exhaust has worked well on my car.

 

Testing the injectors are balanced and a collector location seems to make more sense using a single probe.

 

Be prepared to play with the damping settings in the probe and/or ecu as well

 

Ian

 

Green and Silver Roadsport 😬

[Dobuy]

Yeah you need to measure the average AFR, as measuring just one could give you an incorrect picture of the whole engine. Most seem to place them after the 4-1 or 4-2-1 part of the manifold

[Julian Thompson]

Gotcha - understood.

 

Sods law dictated that because someone has already fitted a thread point in the manifold from cylinder 1

 

Ah well, where's the welder? 😬

[dannylt]

Dave Walker said it doesn't matter much - it's not like the cylinders have radically different ports etc., but I imagine after the collector is safer. I have one too, yet too fit it!

[philwaters]

My boss welded in place 😬

 

Phil Waters

[Peter Carmichael]

Don't know about the Innovate, but it is worth bearing in mind that most wideband lambda sensors are not deisgned for day-in day-out use. They are set up tools. Most people use them to tune up an engine and then swap to a narrowband to handle closed loop control.

 

To get the whole picturem I like to run the wideband at the collector and then run the long-term narrowband from #4.

[Julian Thompson]

Peter

 

From what I can see in the manual the innovate is sold as a day in day out product:

 

Normally aspirated daily driver:

- Calibrate before installation of new sensor

- Calibrate new sensor again after 3 month of use

- Thereafter calibrate once a year or every 20,000 miles, whichever comes first

Turbo car, daily driver (tuned rich):

- Calibrate before installation of new sensor

- Calibrate new sensor again after 3 month of use

- Thereafter calibrate twice a year or every 10,000 miles, whichever comes first

Race car

- Calibrate before first installation of new sensor

- Calibrate once per race weekend

Dyno use

- Calibrate a new sensor

- Calibrate every 2-3 days, depending on usage

---

 

Would you therefore say it would be OK in #4?

[Tony Whitley]

I thought they were being fitted to production cars as part of a closed-loop system to ensure minimum emissions over the life of the car? As in this case. May not apply to "fancy Dan" race sensors of course. As for position

Install the sensor in a minimum of 10 deg upward position to avoid the trapping of condensation in it. It should be placed close to the engine to improve reaction speed for close loop control applications, but after a turbo, since the change in exhaust gas pressure will alter the reading. Also place it before any catalytic converter. Make sure it does not exceed the internal thermal limits

...and I think they look outside the bodywork.

 

Edited by - Tony Whitley on 16 Nov 2007 11:08:48

[Julian Thompson]

Right.

 

Taking bets to see if the thread on the sensor is the same as already welded into the pipe

 

[Mr Locust]

M18x1.5 IIRC

 

The Innovate is supplied with a Bosch sensor and the literature cross refers a Bosch number to a VAG part number. By implication it is going to be a permanent installation on a VW production car?

 

Ian

 

Green and Silver Roadsport 😬

[dannylt]

I'm sure it mentions in the manual you can kill it with prolonged dodgy rich mixtures though, which might be reason enough to not leave it installed full time?

[Mr Locust]

prolonged dodgy rich mixtures

 

Isn't avoiding this condition why you would fit such an item?

 

Ian

 

Green and Silver Roadsport 😬

[Julian Thompson]

I guess that makes sense.

 

Will be trying to keep things sensible !

[Mr Locust]

There is a recent LC-1 firmware update on the website if you didn't spot it already

 

Ian

 

Green and Silver Roadsport 😬

[Julian Thompson]

Excellent - thanks - I'll check that out!