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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:32 pm |
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Joined: Sep 03, 2010 Posts: 979
Trade Rating: +6
Location: Biggleswade
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anybody arond bedford/stevenage way got a diagnostics tool they can plug into my car, been driving with a faulty lambda sensor for 3months now and the engine man light is annoying me now ahah, i cant remember what sensor that garage said is misreading my thoughts are with the back 1 with the green plug but at £97 dont wanna buy the wrong one,
Cheers Dan
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:11 am |
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Joined: Aug 01, 2011 Posts: 390
Trade Rating: 0
Location: Bath UK
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You can check out lambda sensors manually with a simple multimeter, Have a read up, it's not difficult. Then you can check them again at any time
You can also buy universal lambda sensors for around £20 but you do need to be able to make good electrical connections as they are dealing with less than 1v
You don't say what car + year you have but if it's EOBD compliant then a simple fault code reader is around £25 and is a good investment
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:20 am |
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Joined: Nov 27, 2010 Posts: 11520
Trade Rating: +10
Location: What's it to you? ? ?
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Deckchair5 wrote: |
You can also buy universal lambda sensors for around £20 but you do need to be able to make good electrical connections as they are dealing with less than 1v
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There not worth a w**k & just a waste of money
Bosch or genuine Peugeot part ONLY!
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 3:19 am |
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Joined: Aug 01, 2011 Posts: 390
Trade Rating: 0
Location: Bath UK
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That's rubbish. It's more often the same sensor, the only difference is the electrical connector is already fitted. People more often are unable to make sufficiently good electrical connections and then they blame the sensor for their inadequacies. Plug in rolling road diagnostics after fitting and they respond exactly the same whether they are manufacturer or universal
If it has fast response and is flip flopping around every second then it's a good lambda sensor
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 3:57 am |
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Joined: Jun 19, 2010 Posts: 1600
Trade Rating: +4
Location: South Bucks
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No, the problem is that many OEM parts don't even have the same resistance .. compare NTK and Bosch. NTK 4 ohm, Bosch 8 ohm. Like plugging the wrong speakers into your hi-fi. Wrong way round and you can blow something!
Many cars have the same sensor ... the plug and length of wiring is different and this can also affects the way the lamdba works. I bought a Bosch universal for my Alfa last year and it comes with the wiring blacks, etc. Made a big difference to the car as it was running with an NTK and continually caused diag faults. Universal cost £58, which I bought from a Vauxhall on-line parts dealer!, and a proper fitting nearly £100! Going to do same with the CC when they need doing as it has two and they are the same as the one I put on my Alfa!
Fuel consumption has improved too!
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| Down to just the 1.4 HDi. Cayman Green 2.0i CC sold. | |
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:04 am |
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Joined: Aug 01, 2011 Posts: 390
Trade Rating: 0
Location: Bath UK
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A lambda doesn't work on resistance, it creates its own voltage, the internal resistance isn't important, it's the voltage output that the ECU works on. The length of wiring will also make no difference for the same reason. Wiring resistance is practically zero
If you had a bad lambda then you had a bad lambda and that's why your diagnostics triggered. If you have bad connections then the wiring resistance IS increased and that's more often what causes the problems
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:30 am |
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Joined: Jun 19, 2010 Posts: 1600
Trade Rating: +4
Location: South Bucks
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Beg to differ ... my Alfa was fitted with a Bosch lambda and later failed the MOT as after nearly 8 years of service, it had died. They do have a life of around 60000 miles .. mine had over 75000 on it so I thought that wasn't too bad.
Garage fitted a NTK Lamdba in its place as it was around £40 cheaper. From then on all I had were faults almost every day ... on the lambda. Nothing wrong with it as we could tell, but it did have a different resistance. (Which was also mentioned on the NTK website!)
Changed it to a Bosch (universal, with connection kit) and not faults ... and much better MPG too! The same Universal fits the PUG 206 as well (LS615) .. both if you have two!
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| Down to just the 1.4 HDi. Cayman Green 2.0i CC sold. | |
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Last edited by gazza82 on Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:57 am; edited 1 time in total
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:33 am |
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Joined: Apr 09, 2011 Posts: 445
Trade Rating: +1
Location: letchworth
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ive got a usb diagnostic tool for the laptop but the bits of software ive found are useless.
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| if it dont scuff the ruff it aint low enuf | |
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:02 am |
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Joined: Jun 19, 2010 Posts: 1600
Trade Rating: +4
Location: South Bucks
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If it's a pre-2001 petrol, you will struggle. You really need to get hold of the PlanetPeugeot s/w and a Lexia 3 interface cable .. but they ain't cheap!
If it's a pre-2004 diesel, it's even worse.
If it's after Sept 2001, or Sept 2004 for a diesel, then it should work with a standard EODB diagnostic. But NOT ODBII.
I've got an expensive box of tricks that seems to work on most cars but it was the best part of £220 and still has trouble with Peugeots and old Alfa Romeos!! Both of which sit on my driveway!
Still it soon pays for itself, when it's nearly £100 a pop to get a garage to read the codes!
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| Down to just the 1.4 HDi. Cayman Green 2.0i CC sold. | |
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:10 am |
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Joined: Feb 07, 2010 Posts: 13077
Trade Rating: +65
Location: England
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Try spending nearly £1200 on diagnostic stuff and still been limited to some models
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:23 pm |
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Joined: Aug 01, 2011 Posts: 390
Trade Rating: 0
Location: Bath UK
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gazza82 wrote: |
Beg to differ ... my Alfa was fitted with a Bosch lambda and later failed the MOT as after nearly 8 years of service, it had died. They do have a life of around 60000 miles .. mine had over 75000 on it so I thought that wasn't too bad.
Garage fitted a NTK Lamdba in its place as it was around £40 cheaper. From then on all I had were faults almost every day ... on the lambda. Nothing wrong with it as we could tell, but it did have a different resistance. (Which was also mentioned on the NTK website!)
Changed it to a Bosch (universal, with connection kit) and not faults ... and much better MPG too! The same Universal fits the PUG 206 as well (LS615) .. both if you have two! |
"Universal" is a confusing name, it has to be a compatible universal and not all universals are the same. The only thing the ECU reads is the output voltage and so the sensor internal resistance isn't important, that will change dramatically as the sensor heats up to around 400C, it simply creates a potential difference from neg to pos output. The first "universal" they tried was most likely not a compatible one
For diagnostics on your Alfa try FiatEcuScan as that will connect very nicely to most older Pre OBD2 Alfas and Fiats. The software is free to try and is a brilliant bit of kit. I've used it many times
FiatEcuScan click here
(On some cars, if I haven't got much time, then it's quicker to back probe the lambda connectors and check them out with nothing more than a simple multimeter, really quite easy once you know what you're looking for)
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Last edited by Deckchair5 on Thu Sep 15, 2011 1:26 pm; edited 7 times in total
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:25 pm |
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Joined: Feb 07, 2010 Posts: 13077
Trade Rating: +65
Location: England
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There are three adapters you need for that as well.
I have the paid version
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:29 am |
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Joined: Jun 19, 2010 Posts: 1600
Trade Rating: +4
Location: South Bucks
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Deckchair5 wrote: |
"Universal" is a confusing name, it has to be a compatible universal and not all universals are the same. The only thing the ECU reads is the output voltage and so the sensor internal resistance isn't important, that will change dramatically as the sensor heats up to around 400C, it simply creates a potential difference from neg to pos output. The first "universal" they tried was most likely not a compatible one
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Trouble is people waste a lot of money buying universals of enay and other places onlt to find out a bit later they should have bought a Bosch, etc.
Deckchair5 wrote: |
For diagnostics on your Alfa try FiatEcuScan as that will connect very nicely to most older Pre OBD2 Alfas and Fiats. The software is free to try and is a brilliant bit of kit. I've used it many times
FiatEcuScan click here
(On some cars, if I haven't got much time, then it's quicker to back probe the lambda connectors and check them out with nothing more than a simple multimeter, really quite easy once you know what you're looking for) |
Got FES, and been using AlfaDiag since 2001. Also tried a few others but these are the best. Been pretty lucky with mine and not too many electrical issues.
I may have to try the probe idea. At least now I know where the connectors are .. located them yesterday.
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| Down to just the 1.4 HDi. Cayman Green 2.0i CC sold. | |
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 10:55 am |
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Joined: Aug 01, 2011 Posts: 390
Trade Rating: 0
Location: Bath UK
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Back probing the connector is a very quick way of checking the O2 sensor output and its heater element functioning so I tend to do that before sending a car off for MOT and the emissions check then you know at least its working properly. With pre OBD2 cars then it saves a lot of hassle trying to connect up to them with diagnostic software and it's quicker to "go commando" and dive straight in
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