I had an electrical problem with my car (see http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=298468) that I have determined to be either the wire or the actual heating element in my passenge side O2 sensor. I have detached that wire from the circuit until I can figure out the problem, however I won't have time for a couple of weeks to get under the car.

I drove the car for about 2 hours yesterday and continuted to monitor my scanmaster for any problems. Block learn values are good and they are quite similar for each bank. I remain in closed look and it looks like each O2 sensor is fluctuating at the same speed. I am also not getting any timing retard or knock.

My Question is... can I continue to drive like this or am I doing any damage to the car or loosing any performance?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

Just as an update... I got the 02 Sensor replaced... and the fuse still pops.. so I probably have a short in the wire leading to it.

But if someone can answer my question about the Heating of the O2, that would be great as I won't have time to fix anything else this week, and I wanted to take the car to the track this weekend.

I assume that once the car is started that the heating of the O2 is more important then when the car runs for a while... and it will read properly after the cars runs for a while and heats it with exhaust gases.

It may take longer for the car to go in to closed loop but once there, the O2 will read like normal.

What do u guys think?

 

93s had non heated o2 sensors. You are probably OK with the wire disconnected (maybe even better to have both o2 heat wires disconnected) but I would try to locate the short anyway.

 

I was thinking about the 93's, but they came unheated while my O2 is designed to be heated and isn't.... so I just wanted to get confirmation from the guys here that it's ok.

I will be scanning my Scanmaster for Block Learn values, O2 sensor fluctuations and if I get any timing retard...if I don't I'm pretty sure it will run OK.

 

Right... the heater is there just to speed up the process a little bit so without it, they will take a little slower until your PCM switches to closed loop. I have a 93 with the non heated o2s in long tube headers (even further away) and they still heat up to operating temperature.