Infobit: inexpensive BOSCH heated O2 sensor

[Tifosi]

Yeah, you gotta definitely avoid that 'what's your car' stuff, especially with ours.

Much easier to search in the generic performance/upgrade stuff rather than vehicle specific items.

For that sensor, I think I just searched 'heated sensor' or 'heated oxygen sensor', with mabe 'show all' if it was an option and it brought up a list of around a dozen 3 and 4 wire jobs to pick through.

BTW, the only difference between 3 wire and 4 wire is that the 4th wire is present so that you can ground to the chassis via the wire thus ensuring that the sensor is grounded in situations where trusting it to ground itself via the exhasut system proper might be an iffy proposition.

BTW2: The same search method works for finding all those bulbs that they never seem to carry when you look be vehicle, but they have piles of on the shelf anyway.

[Elio Comello]

Tifosi, if you go to ThePartsBin website they will list about 25 Oxygen Sensors under the Alfa Romeo Search. Their site will allow you to pick and choose from a list of lots of stuff for our cars.
It would be great to know what is the difference between all the Bosch #'s for Oxygen Sensors. There is a #15725 that also is supposed to be a candidate to the #15726 you identified. My "find", the 15735, is labelled as a "Premium" ? does it have more platinum in the element?
Where can we find tech literature for the Bosch Oxygen Sensors?

Best regards, Elio

[Tifosi]

Excellent question, and I don't have a clue.

I know for sure that the Bosch USA site is about as worthess as tits on a boar hog for that stuff though.



If it has any bearing, the box the one I listed also has 'premium' in several locations in nice large font block letters.

I think it has to do more with Bosch pimping the general overall quality of thier stuff rather than any real difference in the actual contents inside the package. (as in, they are convinced thier stuff is of premium quality when compared to other brands, not that what's in the box is more premium than another item of the same type they sell)

All I can offer beyond that is the cheap heated one I listed was by all outward appearances identical in size and shape as the horrifically expensive (more than 2x $) Alfa specific single wire one I pulled out.

[Slash]

I think that the differences between the various universal sensors may be in the heater performance - IOW what their wattage ratings are. From what I have been able to find doing a little research, #13275 has a 27-watt heater, for instance.

[Tifosi]

So what would be considered a high end heating element then? Or is there not a whole lot of difference across the spectrum?

I mean if they're talking 5-10 watts, it's no big whoop in my book but 20-30 watts, well then it might be worth gettign into, provided there's actually a need for the extra heat. (currently the 15726 takes less than 20 feet down the road to start doing it's thing)


I mean I'm happy with any kind of heater at this point as I pulled off a 1 year old spec unheated single wire, which may or may not have worked fairly well with a stock exhaust, but with a header it was 'off' more than it was 'on' unless I was cruising down the highway, and even then it's output was a bit on the slow side. (at least in comparision to this new one)

Heck, my exhaust soot is even starting to turn a lighter color

[Slash]

Good questions, but I don't know what the various heater specs are. As you've indicated, the Bosch website is nearly useless.

However, it seems to me that, since the function of the heater is to get the sensor up and running, if the sensor is functioning as soon as you say it is, it must have the right one! (Wow, am I supposed to have that many dependent clauses?)

I also found that the shield around the tip can be different between the various models. I don't know if that will make much difference either - especially since your application did not originally call for a heated sensor.

[Tifosi]

Mine might be (prolly is) working that quick because it's all shiny and spanking new. We're talking under 1000 miles as of now.

We'll see what happens next year after it's sat laid up all winter, or had the rest of this season to get all sooted up.


However on a somewhat relevant note, I'd imagine that if the element were too high a wattage it might be prone to burning itself out prematurely.

Granted it likely wouldn't effect the actual sensor operation/output, but it certainly would change the timeframe at which that output started occuring.

[Duke58]

Please tell me if the O2 sensor mentioned above will work on an '86 Spider?

Thanks,

Duke

[Elio Comello]

The 15735 is the Universal, direct Bosch recommended equivalent to the OEM. It is $86.16 (free shipping), The 15726 is $57.12 it works for Tifiosi and should work for you. The question is whether you want to spend the extra $29.
(prices are current from ThePartsBin)

There is no authoritative info from Bosch available (technical info).

From their (Bosch) website you will see they make 3 types of O2 Sensors. There is no info to indicate what the two above are, if they are different.

I have had the 15735 in my quad for 3 years, I had to use the old connectors.

Don't know if that answers your question.

Elio

[WopJob]

Notre that some part number also have to do with the type of connector used.
I bought a bosh 13957 made for an 89 maily because it was cheaper than one made for an 87. the difference escaped me at the time, why would they be different? I though it may have been a type by the seller. the picture looked right. When I got it the connecor was a MALE which did not fit the male connector of the harness. So in the end I had to cut if off and use the one from the old bad sensor. I should have bought a General Purpose one from the start!

Now the question for the '89 spider owners - what sex is your herness connector?

[Tifosi]

@Duke:

Yes, it'll work in/with your system.


@Elio:

Quote:

From their (Bosch) website you will see they make 3 types of O2 Sensors

[RedSpider]

Tifosi,
I just purchased yours from Auto Zone for $58.99 plus tax. I just finished installing it on my '93 Spider. We (il_formaggio and I) clipped the wires on the old one and connected the new one via the rub goldberg connectors that came with it. The dude at the emissions station said not to solder the connections as it can affect the emissions readout--he didn't know why, but he said that is why they include that rub goldberg connectior affair. Anyway, the directions that came with the sensor do not say to solder or not to solder. On my car it was a very simple install. The oxygen sensor is located on the passenger side of the CAT and is parallel to the ground. We did not need to remove or even loosen the CAT to remove the old sensor and install the new one.

The one piece of advice I can give to people is to make sure they do not round off "nut" on the old sensor (it was 22mm) and use anti-seize on the new one (the sensor you recommended came with anti-seize already on it).

The old sensor was loaded with black soot.

Again, Sir Tifosi, I thank you.

[Tifosi]

Cool.

I trust you passed the test then.


Me, I'm big on soldering (I even solder crimp conectors after they've been crimped) but then again, I don't like it when things corrode a little bit then the connections start getting all intermittant.

I can't even fathom how soldering would create issues actually.

Now granted, the sensor wire itself is a steel core, so a good flux and a slightly higher silver content might be in order to get the ultimate ideal, but even thew most generic flux core solder you can buy is a better/more electrically efficient connection that the crimp or push lock stuff.

Ah well, potato, tomato. As long as it does it's job the way it should, it's all good I guess

[dabigboy]

Please don't use crimp connectors or other such dodgy splicing techniques on your car......egads!

Solder and heat-shrink wherever possible.

[Munchen]

Got this number from IAP #16993 and in stock for the O2 sensor. Same connections as my existing sensor, but don't know yet if the length is exact. Price is $93.50.