Lambda Sensor - How many wires?

[Mike]

Just wondering how many wires the lambda sensor has for a 1.2 16v (2001 Y), managed to sort out the rear brake shoe size so thats not a prob now.

I know theres alot of posts on the forum about lambda sensors but I can't find one that states the number of wires.

Cheers

 

[Tom]

Find the lambda sensor and count the wires.

 

[Mike]

Found it Tom, bit of a bugger to see the connection where it is. Appears to be four wires though.

Cheers

 

[Tom]

Gray black white white?

 

[Mike]

Looks that way yeah, the one i bought only has the wires that are about 30cm long or maybe a bit shorter, comes with a crimping kit and shrinking outer casing.

Instructions say to cut the wires and crimp it together with the new sensor, and for best results use silver solder.

Does this sound right having to do it that way? or are there ones with the wire that actually goes to the four wire plug connector?

 

[Mike]

Sorry about being so thick and nagging but should I (and could I) have bought a lambda sensor that has the four pin connector already on the end as the one I bought has about 30cm of cable attached and I have to cut the original wires then join them together and crimp them on + solder then put a heat shrink sleeve on to waterproof it?

Any advice would be appreciated here as I don't want to do the wrong thing with it.

Cheers

 

[Tom]

The only one that will plug in directly is the fiat one.

Get a connector to mate with the one on your new sensor and crimp that to the end of the existing wire.

 

[Brian]

Just chop the connector off the old sensor giving yourself maybe 4ins of cable still remaining.

Try to stagger the cutting of the wires by about 1/2 inch each to minimise possible arcing later. That is, make the joints not all in the same place

Doing one at a time, slide a rubber insulating sleeve down a wire and then connect the new sensor to the old connector wires with a crimp connector. Then slide the insulating sleeve over the joint and heat to shrink the insulating sleeve into place.

Repeat for all 4 wires

 

[Mike]

Great stuff,

Cheers Tom & Brian, much appreciated. I'll do that today if I get time after fitting my rear brake shoes.

 

[Tom]

"Try to stagger the cutting of the wires by about 1/2 inch each to minimise possible arcing later. That is, make the joints not all in the same place"

Insulating the joins makes this pointness, unless your chosen insulation method is crap.

 

[Brian]

Crimps can leave sharp edges, wires especially there are subject to movement all the time. You can put your trust in 0.5mm thick insulation or you can go for bolts and braces

 

[Tom]

Use better crimps. Pre-insulated ones leave no sharp edges.

 

[Brian]

Preinsulated crimps let the rain and everything else in. That's not a good idea in an area stuck out front of the engine. The joint needs to be totally sealed against the weather. Heat shrink insulation forms a good weather seal, nor perfect but much better than just pre insulated crimps

 

[Tom]

In which case you should use adhesive lined heat shrink. Normal stuff leaks badly.

 

[Anonymous]

Does it matter which way you connect the white wires on the new one? or can it be any wite wire on the new sensor to any white wire going to the engine ( i know its a bad way of explaiing it but hopefully you get me )

 

[Brian]

No matter. Any white to any white. That's the heater

 

[Mike]

I think i'm going to go for the ones from maplin because the connection just sounds a whole lot better than what it came with originally.

"Heat-Shrinkable Cable Splicers"

To use, place the cable in the metallic barrel and crimp firmly, then shrink the plastic cover by heating in the usual way. An adhesive on the inside of the plastic cover bonds to the cable, securing and splash-proofing the connection. Made from tin-plated copper and heat-shrinkable PVC.

I think they should be good for the job (at least I hope they will).