No O2 sensor

Yeah many the least of which is fuel economy!

When I finally replaced mine, I went from 22-24 MPG to 30-33. With gas prices these days, that's no more than a few fillups.

Did you get it over the net or local?

If you live in a state or province that requires emmission testing to renew your liscense, then you'll flunk it.

I also hear that it runs rich, with un-combusted fuel making its way through the exhaust system. This, I have been told, can ruin your cat converter. But I am not sure about this.

You are correct unburned fuel will burn in the cat causing it to overheat & melt. I have seen cases when the cats got soo hot that the steel actaully melted away.

Cut from this NG:

Had you gone to that lousy web site and punched in "13913" which is the cheapest Bosch 3-wire sensor, you'd have found it for $35-ish, substantially cheaper than the direct fit unit. NAPA sucks, and their counterfolk would not have a clue that there is such a thing as a "universal" Bosch sensor. What do you expect for $6/hr? FWIW, Autozone sells the 13913 for about the same money, and it's right up your alley, I think they still use some bricks in their buildings. If you need a 4-wire, it's a Bosch 13225. Single? 11025. A little knowledge, a few butt connectors and some heatshrink tubing can save a lot of dough. JPF

and

You can get the Ford O2 sensor, it's the same part # as the VW and is made by Bosch, for $40 instead of $120 for the VW. The ford sensor as a different connector, but all you have to do is a little modification to it and it works fine.

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So I took the advice of the NG and got the ford O2 sensor for $40, rather than the vw one for $175. Spliced it in, installed no prob. I had been noticing a noticeable lag at around 5200 rpm-- it felt like the ac compressor switched on. So this is now gone, and the car pulls strong(er) straight on up. I'm psyched, had to share. Something learned along the way: unplug the wiring harness first, thread wire through 12-pt wrench so it can then go on o2 sensor, thereby preventing the hex head on the sensor from getting rounded. Very simple, and it took me about an hour to figure it out (why is that always the case?) Thanks to the NG for saving me $135! mike

And if you're a 16V type:

Hey guys

an O2 sensor, here's how: go to your local autoparts store (NAPA, AutoPallace, PEP Boys or whatever) and ask for the O2 sensor for an Escort. They'll ask "what year?" You say: I don't care; whatever's cheapest and has three wires. Here's the difference between the VW one and the Escort: it's the connector and around $100...THAT'S ALL. Seriously, we've (a bunch of local racers in Boston) have been doing this for years. You can either change the connector on the O2 sensor by cutting off the one you're chucking or you can convert your harness to use the Escort one (gotta go to the junkyard.) The last time I bought some sensors (I use leaded race gas so I have to change my sensors quite often) they were $18 each. Then, you can send me half of what you saved and I'll be RICH!!!

YIKES !!!

The sensor for a '90 Digifant is Bosch 13913.

Running without a sensor will poison the catalyst in the convertor.

Darryl.

|> Is there a potential drawback to running with your O2 sensor |> unplugged. | |If you live in a state or province that requires emmission testing to renew |your liscense, then you'll flunk it.

Maybe, maybe not. I ran my 1.8 16V '87 through a TX inspection (the more stringent one for metropolitan areas) and it passed fine. Found out later that the O2 sensor was dead, FI was running full rich, and the cat was gutted. Rex in Fort Worth

Cat was gutted, no O2 sensor and you passed the more stringent inspection? In Canada, a fart can mean the difference between pass and fail. If your car did not fail, it's because neither part was bad or you knew the inspectors or TX is wholly responsible for the destruction of the ozone layer.

|>|> Is there a potential drawback to running with your O2 sensor |>|> unplugged. |>| |>|If you live in a state or province that requires emmission testing to renew |>|your liscense, then you'll flunk it. |>

|>Maybe, maybe not. |>I ran my 1.8 16V '87 through a TX inspection (the more stringent one for |>metropolitan areas) and it passed fine. |>Found out later that the O2 sensor was dead, FI was running full rich, and the |>cat was gutted. |>Rex in Fort Worth | |Cat was gutted, no O2 sensor and you passed the more stringent |inspection? In Canada, a fart can mean the difference between pass |and fail. If your car did not fail, it's because neither part was bad |or you knew the inspectors or TX is wholly responsible for the |destruction of the ozone layer.

Or it could mean that it was in a good enough state of tune otherwise that it ran relatively clean within the context of this test.

And I suspect both a completely plugged o2 sensor and a perfectly hoolow cat shell are both bad.

And the ozone layer loss is allegedly the result of CFCs, not tailpipe emissions.

Rex in Fort Worth