O2 Sensor

[flars]

Just a note - I changed the O2 sensor on my 98 R1100RS Saturday before riding up to Astor, Fl for BikeTurkeyFest.

I bought the universal sensor that Beemerboneyard sells, which comes with a waterproof connector using PosiLock connectors. The RS has four wires, the replacement Sensor had four wires with the same colors, so it was 'cut to length, strip 3/8 inch, use the posilock' plug and play. I had to buy an O2 sensor socket from Autozone since there isn't a lot of room to wield a box wrench down there and had to lift the tank to get to the connector.

Results: I went from 41-42 mpg to getting 48 mpg on the 220 mile trip. No other changes were done to the bike, except maybe I mighta wiped off some dirt from the cylinder heads.

The bike has about 150,000 miles on it (but the odo only shows 148,000 because of speedo problems a while back).

[JoeR]

You didn't have different colors between the different sensors?

 

This thread:

 

http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=456272&Searchpage=6&Main=41889&Words=bosch+02&Search=true#Post456272

 

suggests they would be different. I've always contemplated replacing my O2 sensor (53k now) just as a preventative maintenance, but I've never been entirely clear on which wires would splice where, or how much work it would involve.

 

Edit: I commute 7 miles to work every day on the motorcycle and the gas mileage gets worse and worse until I go for a 100+ mile ride. Suggested to me that the 02 sensor has gotten lazy and that's why I was considering replacing.

[dirtrider]

Morning Joe

 

There are a multitude of different 02 sensors with not all having the same wire colors, or even the same wire colors doing the same things.

 

When installing a non OEM 02 sensor it is always a good idea to research wire colors vs 02 circuits to match to your OEM wire harness/circuits as sometimes the wire colors are somewhat the same but do different things.

 

As a rule (but not always) the 2 matching colors are the heater circuits then the two remaining wires are 02 output high and 02 low.

 

[dan cata]

Morning Joe

 

There are a multitude of different 02 sensors with not all having the same wire colors, or even the same wire colors doing the same things.

 

When installing a non OEM 02 sensor it is always a good idea to research wire colors vs 02 circuits to match to your OEM wire harness/circuits as sometimes the wire colors are somewhat the same but do different things.

 

As a rule (but not always) the 2 matching colors are the heater circuits then the two remaining wires are 02 output high and 02 low.

 

@dirtrider, are you suggesting that an O2 sensor only has 2 states of level? hi and low?

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Dan

 

Absolutely NOT. The standard narrow band 02 output is variable voltage.

 

I am saying that only 2 of the 4 wires going to the sensor are for the actual oxygen sensing the other two are for the sensor heating circuit.

 

Of the two sensor wires one is hi and one is low, or put another way one is voltage output and one is return or ground.

 

 

 

[dan cata]

[flars]

"...You didn't have different colors between the different sensors..."

Nope - two white (heater) wires, one grey and one black - just like on the bike.