Tbi and long tube headers

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Itali83

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Any of you guys have a tbi motor with long tubes? Mostly I’m wondering what o2 sensor you’re using. I’m worried about not having enough heat for a single wire o2 sensor at the collector. Should I go with a heated o2? Is it as simple as running an ignition power source to the heater circuit in a heated o2?
thanks

ben
 

bucket

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I have run headers on a TBI motor for a long time. Originally I ran the original O2 sensor and it worked fine. I later switched to a heated O2 and saw basically no difference. It did go into closed loop faster in the wintertime though.
 

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Is the reason long tube headers dont heat as much because they are thinner(not cast iron) and are shaped to expel the exhaust more easily, thus keeping it in the pipe less time.
 

Itali83

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I have run headers on a TBI motor for a long time. Originally I ran the original O2 sensor and it worked fine. I later switched to a heated O2 and saw basically no difference. It did go into closed loop faster in the wintertime though.

what did you use for a heated o2 sensor? And did you just run ignition power to it for the heater element? This truck will be used in the winter time and I’d like to have it in closed loop as much as possible.

thanks

ben
 

bucket

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what did you use for a heated o2 sensor? And did you just run ignition power to it for the heater element? This truck will be used in the winter time and I’d like to have it in closed loop as much as possible.

thanks

ben

I just used some random GM sensor. I believe I ordered it for a 3.4 Grand Am or something. It's a 4-wire unit. Two of the wires are a ground, then the sensing wire and 12v wire. I ran the 12v wire to an ignition source along with an inline fuse holder. GM also used a 3-wire unit for some applications and they have just one ground wire.

I should say that in winter time, the stock sensor would stay in closed loop once it was warmed up. The heated sensor only got to closed loop faster. And that's with a 180* stat too.
 

Itali83

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I just used some random GM sensor. I believe I ordered it for a 3.4 Grand Am or something. It's a 4-wire unit. Two of the wires are a ground, then the sensing wire and 12v wire. I ran the 12v wire to an ignition source along with an inline fuse holder. GM also used a 3-wire unit for some applications and they have just one ground wire.

I should say that in winter time, the stock sensor would stay in closed loop once it was warmed up. The heated sensor only got to closed loop faster. And that's with a 180* stat too.


Thank you very much. How did you figure out which wires were ground positive and signal?

ben
 

bucket

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Thank you very much. How did you figure out which wires were ground positive and signal?

ben

Haha, that's actually kind of a funny one. I figured it out after a small electrical fire, because I trusted my memory about which wire was which.

The colors can vary between makers. The signal wire is usually purple. The ground on mine is black, iirc. The two wires that are the same color (white on mine, iirc) are both for the heater circuit. So one will be 12v and one will be the ground wire, it doesn't matter which.
 

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Thanks
 

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