Essay Example on Why there should be technological advances on heated oxygen Sensors

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The topic for this essay is about why there should be technological advances on heated oxygen sensors There are two basic types of oxygen sensors heated and unheated The difference in uses is all based on location Typically heated sensors will be used in colder climate areas while unheated are used in warmer areas closer to the equator The heated oxygen sensors were created so the sensor as a whole to reach operating temperature more quickly versus unheated where it has to be heated by the exhaust Heated sensors can be placed in downstream locations on the exhaust system and will stay at the proper temperature for a longer period of time than unheated sensors All modern oxygen sensors employ a heater though the type and heat up times vary 1 1 2 The way the sensor actually heats up is with a positive thermal coefficient heater element The resistance in the heater element increases as the temperature increases in the exhaust

As the exhaust heats up it allows the heater to reach and maintain the optimum operating temperature of approximately 930 1100F 2 1 13 Now moving on to why the sensor is really needed and why it needs to be at its optimum operating temperature When the sensor is heated to optimum operating temperature and can maintain the correct sensor temperature at all times it allows the system to enter into closed loop operation sooner When heated and ran in long periods of extended idle the system can remain in closed loop operation When in Closed Loop operation the PCM monitors certain O2 sensor inputs along with other inputs like Mass Airflow Sensor Coolant Temperature sensor and the voltage sensor and adjusts the injector pulse width accordingly 2 1 15 Joel from autorepairinstructions com said Oxygen sensors fail for a number of reasons one of the most common failures in modern sensors is the built in heater failing 3 1 6 He goes on by saying that when the heater fails the sensor depends on the exhaust to heat it up before it begins working When the sensor needs the exhaust heat it up it will cause the engine to run inefficiently until the sensor heats up fully 3 1 6 When your sensor goes out it can do way more damage than you think For any car the first signs of failure will be the Check Engine Light Next if the oxygen sensor is going bad the fuel delivery and fuel combustion systems will be thrown off If a bad oxygen sensor misreads the air to fuel ratio mixture the PCM may inject too much fuel into the engine in turn making your vehicle's gas mileage reduce 4 1 2

Finally the worst thing that can happen from your oxygen sensor going bad is you may notice your vehicle is running rough misfiring or running irregularly while idling A bad sensor can disrupt important engine functions engine timing combustion intervals and the air to fuel ratio causing a rough or irregular engine idle 4 1 3 Misfiring is very bad for your engine While driving you may be able to hear one or more misfiring cylinders in your engine The the most common sounds of a misfiring cylinder are popping Backfiring is another sound that a misfiring engine can make but destroys and could explode your exhaust Not only will an engine make noises a misfiring engine can also make a very memorable smell The strongest smell you will sometimes notice is gas but it can also be accompanied by the smell of coolant or engine oil These are signs that you have a serious problem such as damaged cylinder walls that could have been created by the next damaging sign of misfiring Although not a big deal to many a loss of power could be another sign of a misfiring engine The loss of power is experienced by vibration in the vehicle which can cause even more damage Typically if there is a misfire the vibrations could be the internal parts of the engine rotating unevenly

When these said parts are unevenly rotating they can cause increased wear on themselves A misfiring engine can also produce clouds of black smoke If you notice the exhaust of your vehicle has changed in appearance or it has a blue tinge this means there is an internal problem in your engine that needs to be fixed Driving with a misfiring engine may not be dangerous right away it could just seem like the car doesn't like the weather but over time if not checked it will wear on your engine and you can potentially damage the vehicle 5 1 2 One little sensor can do a lot of damage on your car just because the heating element inside went bad and the ECU PCM throws a check engine light in turn creating engine problems That s why there should be technological advances on heated oxygen sensors like making the heater a complete separate electrical component so that the sensor is still usable by the PCM and problems like misfire wont be created

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