I know most use a Wideband Lambda setup etc to check the AFR.

But I want to use a basic quick method.

I've read somewhere that you could use a basic Lambda and a Voltmeter to check the AFR with the voltage output.

What Lambda should I get. ??

thanks

A basic narrow band sensor will tell you only if you engine is running rich or lean, you won't know by how much so it's not a very useful tuning tool.

I don't want a large expense at the moment, so would a ColorTune do nearly the same thing.

thxs

Narrow band lambda is better than nothing and with a bit of patience and common sense it's possible to get the engine running within safe limits. Dave Walkers book on engine management covers using a multi meter , suspect he knows a thing or two about tuning.

You're right - its basic, but it will give you a broad idea of whats going on.

Any 4 wire lambda will do you - vauxhall astras etc have donated their lambdas to my cause but BMWs often have 4 wires. Check at lambdasensor.com for part no.s

I prefer the 4 wire type since its placement in the exhaust isnt as crucial - it has a heater as part of the cell and so you can put it further away from the exhaust valves and still get a pretty reliable reading.

The website above gives you wiring diagrams for each sensor type, its basically 12v, earth, signal and another earth. When you connect your multimeter to the output wire "anything under 930-950mV at full throttle should be considered lean" thanks to A Graham Bell's forced induction performance tuning so bear in mind thats for a blown engine so you could perhaps drop a little lower for a N/A engine but not much since the sensors response isnt linear.

Geoff

All lambda sensors are the same output-wise. It's just a matter of whether they have a heater or not and whether they have a ground wire. 4-wire are best as they have a heater and don't rely on grounding through the exhaust.

Just connect the heater wires to 12v. And a voltmeter across the other two.

(around) 0v will be leaner than 14.7:1 AFR, (around)1v will be richer. You won't read anything in between as narrowband sensors switch very rapidly from one extreme to the other.

You should use an analogue meter (with a needle) if posible as digital meters have a slow response time and will not show the rapid swinging between 0-1v when you are close to 14.7:1.

[Edited on 12/8/08 by matt_claydon]

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Originally posted by matt_claydon
All lambda sensors are the same output-wise.

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If all lambda sensors are the same why would the controllers and ECUs have calibration graphs?

A colortune is a reasonable place to start. It'll give you a good idea of what's going on inside the engine.

A wideband lambda gives you a much better idea because you can see what is happening under load etc etc (whereas a colortune is only on zero load).... but it costs. Then again, a colortune is £20-25 quid whereas a wideband lamda sensor and controller can be had new from triggerwheels.com for about £120. then you just need a laptop or garage-based desktop to plug it into.....

I went down the colortune route and it was good enough to get me through SVA.

In retrospect I should have bought a wideband.....

quote:

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Originally posted by MikeRJ
Titania based sensors change resistance around the stoichiometric point. These are used on some Vauxhalls, almost all E36 BMWs, many of the Land Rover/Range Rover V8s, and a handful of Nissans and Volvos.

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Ive got a narrow band lambda sensor and simple gauge that i dont use any more. Willing to sell. Gauge is a simple box with lights.

Let me know if interested. £25 posted should cover it.

a handy website.

http://www.gendan.co.uk/

[Edited on 12/8/08 by meany]

Thanks for all your replies.

Been reading some gen on various sites and it seems that the diesel 02 sensor is a wideband.

If this so, could they be used if they have a wideband that everyone mentions??