Innovate LC-1 WB O2 sensor Installed
 

Well I got a LC-1 sensor to go along with my Megasquirt computer that I still haven't quite got figured out yet. But when I read the instructions with ithe LC-1 I found out that it can simulate a normal narrow band sensor output. The only difference is it does not have to center on 14.5:1 AFR. So everyone that is playing with the voltages of their narrowband O2 trying to get the car to lean out at best could maybe get 14.8:1 reliably out of their oxygen sensor. With this one it could be set to read at any range you want from 7.5:1 to 22:1. So even if you don't plan on swapping your stock computer it could still be a way to lean the mixture out without the computer having a fit and throwing codes :)

Me I plan on getting that Megasquirt working well one of these days and using the wideband as a proper wideband. But for now the factory computer will think it is trying to keep the air at 14.5 and I really have it set as 15.5 so it would run leaner than normal, except for the fact that the computer in my car is already so far out of tune from the mods I have done the leanest the computer can get it to is 12.1:1. :eek: So that explains why if I let the car sit and idle for a long time I get a black spot on the ground behind the car. The wideband cost me 210 bucks so it is a bit expensive but it is pretty much the only option for really knowing what your air fuel ratio really is, a narrowband just doesn't have a useful range.

On a side note I am not going to enter in my last tank because it must have been badly miscalculated It shows as 71mpg and I know it isn't possible due to the brake still dragging so my gaslog is going to go a while longer before another update.

Might as well enter it in, it'll get ironed out in the next fill.

How much did you spend on the wideband? Going to become a tuner and make some dough?

I was very intrigured to see your post. I am considering such a thing. I kill my Saturn by shutting off the fuel pump. Often it gets a small surge of acceleration as it leans out and dies.

Do the instructions with this truly show it replacing both oxygen sensors. My car has two.

Thanks, Ernie

Ernie: I don't know if the 89-94 Suzukicones have 2 oxygen sensors, but my 98 does (have 2 - one in the exhaust downpipe from the manifold, one after the cat).

Coyote: I'm with SVOboy: you might as well enter your 71 mpg tank - if it was off, it'll all average out in the next tank. You might be short changing yourself by omitting it.

It can replace one sensor so if you have a v6/8 with a sensor on either side you could either put the sensor at the y pipe and wire it to both inputs or just measure one side with it and wire it to both sides. If you are talking about the sensor after the catalytic converter then you just ignore it since it only is for smog use and does not change anything about the air fuel ratio, it just makes a check engine light come on if the computer isn't happy with it's readings. The one after the cat is easier to just do away with and build a small O2 sensor simulator circuit if it gives you trouble. I did that on my Camaro and it kept it from complaining about not having working cats.

My undertstanding is that all OBD2 cars (after 1996) have 2 O2 sensors. The one before the cat is the one that the ECU uses to adjust the mixture in closed mode. The one after the cat is there to check if the cat is working.

yep the back one is not much use for anything and can be done away with when you build a simulator circuit. Putting a wideband sensor after the cat won't give you readings that mean anything :)

That should read "at least two" ;)

Sensor after the cat.
 

Thanks everyone for the clarification on the sensor after the cat. Obviously I had not looked into that system very much :o. I may need to drop the $200 for one of these wide band sensor kits. I have been thinking about it for a month or so.

Ernie

update:
Just ordered the LC1 kit. Now I can do some damage ;) April, 15, 2007

well I drove around some today in the car with the sensor set at 15.5:1 at lambda and since the car never was able to get that lean it turned on the check engine light thinking the O2 sensor was bad. I adjusted the slope of the AFR curve to let the sensor vary it's voltage some and it made the light go off. I had a laptop in the car the whole time and the highest ratio I could actually get was 13.6:1. I think it is pretty much pointless on the car the way it is currently running since the computer can't compensate enough already to even reach 14.5:1 but it is kind of nice knowing exactly what ratio I am running. A stock engine would not have these issues, or a car that the fuel pressure could be adjusted to get the car back into the proper range of operation. Either way it explains why all the head work I did to the car didn't change the mileage much at all, the car just ran rich and didn't adjust itself to the new conditions.

This setup will do for now until I have time to get the megasquirt computer running good enough to swap it out with my factory computer permanently then I can run it at 18 to 20:1 at light throttle cruising and get hopefully real good mileage :cool: I will probably also run it super lean anywhere on the fuel map I can get away with it. if I am lucky it will make a big difference, just going to be a few weeks probably till I get time to tune the megasquirt well enough to start using it. I don't think the LC-1 will change my mileage this tank though due to the other problems but on a normal car there is no reason to think it won't give a good boost to the mileage.