Lambda sensor Roadsport 150

[diggerman]

My car is coming up 10 years old and has done 30,000 miles. It seems to eat lambda sensors, the third one has just failed!

Anyone else with similar experience? Whats the best price you have been quoted for a Bosch original. My local supplier has a GKN equivelant. Any experience of those?

Peter

 

 

 

 

[SM25T]

Curious rate of consumption. Wonder if something about your engine is contributing ? Andrew Revill advised me about any genetic Japanese lambda sensors on line .... let me tag him ....

[revilla]

Hi ...

Assuming the car has a standard (4-wire, narrow-band, Zirconia) lambda sensor, any similar sensor should be inferchangeable. They all read the same. You want a 4-wire one as this will have two heater wires as well as signal and earth. The only real difference between them is the plug on the end but these are easily changed.

I did indeed swap mine for a cheap "lambda sensor for Japanese cars" off eBay. I think it was in fact just a generic Denso sensor. Something like this: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F32401460r The main reason I swapped was because I had a custom 4-2-1 pipe made and they welded the lamba boss on exactly horizontal, leaving the standard sensor a bit tight on the side of the bodywork. The Denso sensor was a few mm shorter and also didn't have the fancy convoluted strain relief sleeve where the wires exited, allowing them to duck neatly under the chassis rail. So far I haven't had any issues at all.

I wouldn't have thought the GKN ones would have a particular quality issue. I suspect that something else is killing them. You may spend a lot of money in a Bosch only to see it go the same way. At least the above ones are cheap if you kill them.

Where in the system is your lambda sensor installed? You're not using an unsafe silicone sealant of joints ahead ilof it are you? Is the engine apparently running a sensible mixture and is the oil consumption OK?

[Tom_Arundel]

150s seem to suffer from lambda failure, I suspect fuel mixture is wrong. Does it `pop and bang` a lot?

[revilla]

Running lean of ideal raises the exhaust gas temperature quite a lot. If the Sigma default map is a bit leaner than I might be at points, and especially if the lambda sensor is close to the top end of the exhaust, it could be cooking the sensors to death.

[diggerman]

Thank for the various comments. It is a four lead sensor and my 150 is definitely a pop banger, I suspect its this aspect that is the destroying feature. I have read somewhere that the sensors can be cleaned by leaving them immersed in petrol. Mine has come off the car looking rather black which indicates the engine is running rich, but that may be due to the sensor having failed. Might try cleaning an old one, just out of curiosity. 

In answer to some of the questions, I have not noticed increased fuel consumption, the engine burns no oil and all the exhaust joints are free of sealant.

Will post if cleaning an old sensor miraculously restores it to life.

peter

[Domus]

My 150 used a couple very early in it’s life. A re-map by the 2 Steves sorted that and smoothed everything out. 

[Tom_Arundel]

The increased fuel consumption is probably the sensor not working. The throttles need balancing properly and the throttle pot resetting. Some 150s have badly matched throttle bodies and are almost impossible to balance properly. Take the air filter off and have a look at WOT are they both fully open?