[Tifosi]

K, so I got a little bored with my single wire (per spec) O2 sensor taking just short of a couple miles to get up to temperature and begin working, then watching it cool right off again at every stoplight in the world. (headers will do both of those things to ya)

After some searching and seeking, I stumbled across the Bosch universal heated narrowband (0-.9V per L-jet and Motronic spec) sensor.

It's a 3 wire job that after hooking up the single sensor lead requires nothing more than 1 of the two remaning wires to a key controlled 12V source and the other to a convenient chassis ground.

It's got a couple feet of harness already on it, (comes with one of those goofy splice & plug thingies loose in the box), so if you tap to the existing O2 wire, you'll have plenty of slack to get it away from all the scary pinchy/burny stuff.

The other two leads can be tapped on with as long a set of wires as you like to get it somewhere easy to work or deal with.


Bosch part # on the box is 15726 and the long Bosch # is 0258005726D09

The point of all this?

The standard Bosch replacement for the S3 runs around $100-$110+ and the heated one for the S4 starts at around $120-$140 and both go up from there.

This one off the shelf at the local Advance Auto: $63, and it works darn well I might add.

 

[jclark]

Thanks for posting! I've been meaning to research this for some time now, and, well, suddenly, *you* did it ( for me )!

Again, thanks,

jeff

 

[Elio Comello]

Tifosi, I found that the Bosch Premium Oxygen Sensor 15735, 3 wire universal works great on my 87 Quad (3 years now) Bosch # F00HL00083D09

Another Bosch substitute sucess posted on the board recently was #13953

Bus Depot or any VW parts sites are good candidates I got my best price from The Parts Bin

 

[Tifosi]

Sweet.

You don't happen to remember the price(s) do you?

The more we can find that work and that don't cost a bagajillion dollars just because they fall under the 'Alfa specific' clause, the better.

 

[Elio Comello]

Parts Bin Price for the Bosch Premium Universal #15735 was $52.95, that included free UPS shipping (Nov. 11 04)

Best regards, Elio

 

[Gary Knox]

IF you do a search for "oxygen sensor" on eBay, you can frequently pick up these universal Bosch 3 wire sensors new in the box for $20-$30. I have used them on my Porsche 928 S4's and GTS, and currently have a couple in spare inventory

 

[Munchen]

Parts Bin Price for the Bosch Premium Universal #15735 was $52.95, that included free UPS shipping (Nov. 11 04)

Best regards, Elio

Elio;

What is the URL for Parts Bin?

Steve

 

[Elio Comello]

The Parts Bin
92 Youngs Rd
Hamilton NJ 08619 1013
888 628-3247
[email protected]

If you get the Bosch 15735 all you need to do is re:use the old sensor connector ends. It will come with some sad a** connector/splice thingies, but I soldered mine and used heat shrink. They ship free if order over $50.

Best regards Elio

 

[paulbinct]

go with one with proper length cable

I picked up a Beck Arnley part for my S4 Spider off of ebay for some absurdly low price, do not recall how much now. It was a universal piece with a maybe 12" or so pigtail and then those crimp connectors. I too soldered mine since I could not crimp them securely and then used heat shrink tape. If I had to do it all over again, which i should not have to do for many years, I would be tempted to look around for the best price on one with the proper length cable and save my self a LOT of time and aggravation with trying to use the crrimp connectors, having them come apart, threading the wire through, doing the soldering, etc. Maybe I am just incompetent, but I found the aggravation not worth the $$ saved. I think you can get non-Bosch with the long connector for a reasonable price. just my two cents!

 

[Elio Comello]

You won't get long AND complete with correct connector. TIMEA...
Also the Bosch Premium is a superior performer (read lifespan).

Elio

 

[paulbinct]

I did not know that the long wire would not come with the proper connector. But if that is the case at least the splice would be in a much easier area to monitor.

 

[RedSpider]

Update

Interesting prices...

Advance Auto:
Bosch 13101 Direct Replacement $128.99
Bosch 15735 Universal $103.99
Bosch 15726 $62.98

Auto Zone:
Bosch 13101 Direct Replacement $128.99
Bosch 15735 Universal $124.99

NAPA:
BSH 13101 OE Type $189
BSH 15735 Universal Replacement $104

 

[Elio Comello]

Bosch Premium Oxygen Sensor #15735 $86.16, free shipping, in stock.
ThePartsBin 1-888-628-3247.
ALTERNATE:
Tifosi indicated sucess with Bosch #15726 also in stock $57.12, Free shipping
Best regards, Elio

 

[Tifosi]

It's been in for a couple weeks now and working nicely.

A/F mixture meter indicates that it is heating up within 2 minutes of startup, even if it's left idling.

Once there' it stays up to temperature under all the driving conditions I go through regularly. (sedate Sunday idleputt cruise through screaming the pee out of it)

Of course next season after it's been stored all winter would likely tell more, but for now, I'm a happy camper.

 

[RedSpider]

Mr. Slacker you ain't. Thanks for the tip on the BCH-15726. At half the cost of all the others I'll try it out on my '93

I don't know how you found that one, but it should work. I wonder why it is isn't mentioned in any cross-reference?

A nag I have is that most of the online parts stores want a Year/Vehicle/Model/Engine before you can search for a part. I guess the search engine then goes to some standardized database everyone has purchased for their web site as they all point to the same parts.

 

[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