Universal splice type O2 Sensor?

[Vanagator]

86' 2.1L Manual:

I've been trying to fix my sluggish acceleration in first gear from a start. So far I've replaced plugs, wires, dizzy, rotor and I've cleaned all ground connections.

I was going to replace my O2 sensor now since its about 8 years old.
However, I'm in Mexico and can only find a "Duralast" universal splice type for my van. I've read that they don't work well on the Gowesty site. However, the one in my van is a splice type! (From the PO).
1) Any opinions on this type of O2 sensor?
(I have 900 miles to get back to Texas and would like to get her running better for the trip)

2) Any other things I could check that may fix my sluggish acceleration?

Regards,
KT

[newfisher]

Making a living and helping customers in the Automotive industy, I used a universal once and will never recommend them. O.E. design only. If I was in Mexico and the only thing available was a universal, I would install it and then replace it with an OE grade one when I got back.

[Vanagator]

Yeah thanks Newfish...this is the current plan....
KT

[djkeev]

Universals have proven themselves trouble prone to many users.......

Dave
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[insyncro]

Spring for one with the pigtail attach.
You will be happy that you did.

[Tom Powell]

[Wildthings]

In the states you can buy a Bosch O2 replacement sensor with a pigtail attached. Do a good job on the splice and you should have little chance of trouble. I would do some more trouble shooting before I condemned the O2 sensor though.

[Vanagator]

[atomatom]

the O2 sensor shouldn't kick in until the van is warmed up. is it sluggish when cold? likewise, is it less sluggish when hot? if it changes it, could be a faulty temp ii sensor.

are you certain it is electrical? maybe you have a clogged fuel line/filter/etc.

if i was 900 miles from home i would limp home. perhaps unplug the O2 sensor and see if that helps.
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84 Vanagon Westy, 1.9L, California raised but defected to Canada.

[Vanagator]

atomatom, It seems less sluggish when cold. I have brand new fuel filter and all fuel lines replaced 4-5 years ago. I will try unplugging the O2 sensor when I get up to temp on next drive to see if I notice any difference. Thanks for the input....

[Tom Powell]

[Vanagator]

[Vanagator]

Well I've come to find out that the Vanagators' 1st gear hesitation goes away after she's warmed up and with green wire of the O2 sensor unplugged. It runs better with it unplugged.
This would lead me to believe that my sensor is in fact bad. I will also wait until I can get a O2 snsr of better quality, with full harness, as I think after investigation that the splice type is inferior.

[MarkWard]

That the van runs better with the O2 sensor disconnected, may or may not be an indication of a bad sensor. The sensor is reading the mixture from all 4 cylinders combined. If one cylinder is running rich or lean, that will tilt the mixture average one way or the other. The ECU is not smart enough to know which cylinder is not running properly. So if it senses a lean condition, it will richen all 4 cylinders. If it senses a rich condition, it will lean all 4 cylinders.


In a perfect world, a proper tuned, running engine, should not need an 02 sensor. They are there for only when the mixture strays one way or the other from spec. If the van runs better, I would run it without the 02 sensor for now and see how it does. Pull the sparkplugs in a 1000 miles and compare them to each other. This is called "open loop" and should have no ill affect on the engine or the electronics.
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[atomatom]

the green wire from the ECU is shielded, like a cable TV wire. it is important that this shielding does not ground the inner wire that carries the (very weak) current. probably redundant, but just in case because it is an easy fix
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84 Vanagon Westy, 1.9L, California raised but defected to Canada.

[Vanagator]

Well I finally got back to the ol' USA and replaced the 02 sensor with a new Bosch sensor with harness (non-splice type), guess what? No change, I still have the hesitation. While cold, if I slightly tap the gas pedal it almost wants to stall, but that goes away after it warms up.
SO, I've unplugged my new sensor and it runs normally.

What are the dangers, if any, running my van with it unplugged, If it runs fine unplugged why not leave it off?

[newfisher]

Do have a cat? You wont for long if the O2 isn't monitoring correctly on most vehicles.

[MarkWard]

Glad you made it home. The oxygen sensor is trying to compensate for something it senses out of spec in the exhaust stream. So, the engine is either running too rich or too lean. You should probably figure out what it is trying to compensate for. A lean cylinder could run hot and melt something like a piston or lead to detonations in that particular sensor.

I would start with a compression check and at the same time compare the sparkplugs to each other while you have them out. See if they all look the same. One that differs from the others might indicate which cylinder might be the culprit.

As a rule, a cold engine needs more fuel than a hot engine. That is the job of the temp sensor. Not saying that is the problem, only that if the engine is hesitating, it might be because it wants more fuel and the oxygen sensor is saying you've had enough.
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[Vanagator]

I see what you are saying. I'll check out the plugs.
Thanks for the input.

[Spezialist]