I plan on putting either an AEM or INNOVATE wideband A/F ratio gauge in my car at some point. I ended up having to order the bung and plug for the sensor hole, I was going to put it in the end of the downpipe but don't want to **** with it right now, I want to get my car running first. But I have a Pettit hi-flow cat that I'll put on some day, I wonder if I could put the wideband sensor at the front of that cat instead of in the end of the downpipe?
Searching around it looks like a lot of people put them in the front of mid-pipes, so...I can't see it being a problem.

 

how accurate do you want the meter???

 

That will work fine, in fact the further from the engine the better (less chance of the sensor overheating) but not after the cat.

 

Gadd, do you have one of these in your Fd? I'm getting an Innovative unit (was supposed to be here last week). I've already got the bung installed but am wondering where to wire in the "heater" circuit for the sensor. I've never used one of these devices and could use some help...
Bajaman, I put mine in front of the cat, I also have a highflow. My understanding is you do not want the sensor at the bottom of the pipe where it may accumulate moisture. Also make sure you put it in a place where you can easily install and un-install the sensor. I think mine may interfer with the cross-brace aluminum support. Oops..

 

I have the LM-1 unit that I mount temporarily for testing. I've put the bung at the end of the D/P in about the 2 oclock position. Try to keep it above 3 to 9 oclock position. Like you said, condensation can kill the sensor. Also I made a heat sinc out of some copper sheet, I have some scrap around here you could have if you'd like to make one for yours.

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/more-fun-lm-1-wideband-410922/

 

I was going to post a question asking if anyone has made thier own heat sink. The link on the inovative page wasn't much help, but i did find a place on line that would sell me a 5 x 5 square for $36 bucks. Kind of steep but worth the comfort. I can't remember the thickness. I just got my LM-1 yesturday and I plan I posting the results of my project soon.

Terry7

 

Um, not to sound dumb, but if the sensor is mounted downstream like ours, why is the heatsink necessary? Also, does anybody have a picture of one installed?

 

You'll probably be fine without it, but after reading the following from Innovate's FAQ I thought it would be cheap insurance.

"The Bosch LSU4.2 wide-band O2 sensor (shipped as part of the LM-1 kit) is rated to operate at an exhaust gas temperature of < 1300 degrees (F), and a sensor housing temperature of < 900 degrees (measured at the bung) for maximum accuracy and control. When either of these operating temperature ranges is exceeded, the sensor can no longer be accurately controlled. Further, operating at or over these temperatures for any length of time can significantly reduce the lifetime of the sensor. The LM-1 is designed to display an error message under these conditions (currently 08- Sensor Timing Error) rather than provide inaccurate readings. For some turbo vehicles, rotary engines, and other setups, this error message can be encountered with annoying frequency."

 

ok, sounds like a good idea. Thanks!

 

if hooking up the Innovative LC-1 as a standalone with the XD-1 the red wire of the LC-1 needs to be hooked up to a GOOD 12V switched source. the blue wire to a GOOD ground. white and green to a different ground than the blue wire. I could not get a good swithed 12V source so I had to wire them direct to the battery along with a relay and switch. the XD-1 is quite simple, red is switched power source and black is a ground. You can actually connect the ground of the XD-1 to the green and white wires of the LC-1.

I am pretty sure that this is correct. I urge you to go to there forum.....its really informative. hope this helps

 

if you order the innovative LC-1 and ID-1 combo it comes with a bung. don't buy it unless you've already done so.

 

Why is everybody welding bungs into their exhaust, the stock location seemed to work fine for me both, with the NTK Sensor and the Bosh one I had.

I have an EGT gauge just above the stock location and I'll see short burts of 1400-1500 f and that was when it was on the dyno, and the wideband on the car and the dyno, didn't deviate from eachother.

There was a deviation from the tailpipe by .1 - .2 AFR due to the fact that the Midpipe muffler etc... were in-between, but that offset remained constant....

-DC

 

Thanks for the help.

I've been wondering, isn't there an open switched circuit coming off of the inside fuseblock? How about the cig. lighter? Not enough current handling capacity?

 

Not sure, if there is i'm sure you could use it with no problems. but if you get no response on your guage (just a number 8) then you know its not getting enough juice.



read up on the inoovative forum that someone tried that and it did not work. do not have any first had experiance with it so i can't answer your question.

 

Is it necessary to swap-out your wideband when you're not tuning to save its longevity?

 

Wideband is supposedly good for 20-30k Mi.... spending $160 I think for the bosh, or $400 for NTK. to keep an eye out for lean spots, was worth it to me..... I kept it in even when I didn't have the gauge connected, so that the heater would keep it functonal... with no I'll effects for 12K mi...

 

Check out my thread I started about the AEM UEGO Gauge

I highly HIGHLY! suggest you mount it in the midpipe/high-flow cat location instead of the downpipe. It was such a hassle to remove the downpipe, weld boss, then remount downpipe. Plus, my HKS downpipe barely made the min 36" requirement, I wasted a lot of time by mounting to the DP when I coulda done it in half the time by mounting to the Midpipe.

 

Glad I found this post... this is now the plan for my LC-1

 

Let me tell you guys from experience... the Innovate is more sensitive to exhaust temperatures than any other system. Yes it uses the same basic sensor as the AEM and most other widebands (Bosch LSU) but for whatever reason, maybe the way the heater is controlled, the Innovate is the most likely to burn up sensors.

If you are paying $140 for a Bosch LSU 4.2 you are getting ripped off. You can buy them from an auto parts store, they are off-the-shelf parts for a number of German cars. The Innovate uses the LSU with a VW/Audi connector and the AEM uses an LSU with a GM connector.

 

AEM is now selling an install kit that calls for no welding on the bung. I'm planning to try it out.

 

Why are you all going through the trouble of taking off your downpipe? The shop I went to left the downpipe on, and it is still in good position.

 

I mounted mine on top of the downpipe. There was really no way to get a proper weld all the way around the bung from under the car with the dp still installed.

Mounting the sensor on the front cat piping is fine, but that puts one more connection before the sensor which could skew the readings if there was ever an exhaust leak there. My prefered location is end of downpipe. Stock location may work for some, but I've seen sensors burn up prematurely from being too close.

 

I agree with Dudemaaan 100%, which is why I put mine a few inches upstream from the lower end of the DP (at about a 10 o'clock position). There is plenty of room. (One Caveat: I wouldn't put it right at the end of the DP, as negative pulsing can and will draw air up into the DP in the event of a leak. A couple inches or more upstream in the DP should be okay.)