Needing input from everybody with O2 sims.

[Ttop34]

Reason I'm asking is because I put mine on before I did anything to my cat and it would give me a SES light. Guys at Thunder Racing said they have never tested them with a cat still on there and should work fine with the cat off or else they will replace it. Now that I did something to my cat, the light came on again. I'm going to the dealership tomorrow to find out exactly what is making it come on but have a hunch that it's the O2 sim since that's the only thing I've changed recently.

So anyways, getting to the questions for everybody.

1. Do you get SES lights with your o2 sim?

2. Where did you get it from?

3. Do you still have a cat on your car? Gutted? High flow?

Just anouther little thing, will Thunder Racing expect me to send them the part and then they will send me one back? Or will they send me one and then I'll send it back? Just wondering if should just plug in the o2 sensor and have it dangle from the car? Not sure if outside air has less o2 than the pre cat sensor? Maybe wrapping something around the sensor so it won't read o2? I'm rather clueless on exactly how this works or what it reads.

[RedbirdV6]

Well the sim does not read anything, it sends an eletronicly simulated signal to the pcm telling it o2 levels are fine and it is one constant signal. So no wrapping it up with something will not help, and don't let it dangle cause it will rub the ground and melt it!!!

1. did you reset your PCM?
2. having the cat on or off should not effect weither the sim works or not

I bought mine from a board member. If you did not reset your PCM do that and see if the light comes back on. If it does either your simm is bad or something else is wrong. Get the codes run and find the culprate. Oh yeah one more thing, you did replace the one post cat didn't ya, the one behind the cat towards the rear of the car [img]graemlins/dunce.gif[/img] :D [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[ April 02, 2002: Message edited by: RedbirdV6 ]</p>

[Ttop34]

The post cat sensor was the one that I replaced with the sim. It is pretty much dangling from the plug that it plugs into with the black box part zip tied to the wires and basically just folding it over to make it shorter. Should I zip tie it to something else? Didn't really see much else to attach it to.

When I said let it dangle or wrap something around it, I was talking about the original o2 sensor, I kept it just incase or possibly can sale it.

[Jason McCallister]

My SES light also came on with my new O2 sim...

Can't remember the SES code number but it said the O2 sensor voltage was too high.

I put my original O2 sensor back in after doing some "fabricating" to it to eliminate the annoying rattle and SES light. ;)

[ April 02, 2002: Message edited by: Jason McCallister ]</p>

[98Wicked6]

A few days ago I put on my o2 sim from thunder racing and I didn't get an ses light with my cat still on. I now have my 3" pre-cat exhaust dump and the light is still off, so my vote is you have a faulty sim.

[Ttop34]

98Wicked6, mine will also go a few days without seeing any lights. But then, for no reason it will appear. I can be decelorating, cruising or just sitting at a red light and it will come on.

Jason McCallister, I'm puzzled why you even had a o2 sim. In your sig you don't say anything about doing anything to your cat. What exactly do you mean by "fabricating"?

Thanks for everybody's replies so far.

[Jason McCallister]

I haven't done anything to my cat, YET! :D

I'm always sure the alternatives work before I go about doing something. For example, I was going to cut my cat off, put flanges on it and the custom S-pipe (not made yet), and also an off-road pipe with flanges. I was making sure the O2 sim was going to work with my application since they're listed as working for 95-97 V6. Since it wasn't listed for the 2000 V6, I thought I'd give it a shot first. Now that I see it trips an SES light, I'll reconcider further exhaust mods until I figure out how to create my own O2 sim that keeps the PCM happy! :D

As far as fabricating is concerned.... there's a ring on the O2 sensor that keeps the wire loom at bay on the end of the sensor. That ring tends to vibrate and causes a rattle throughout my exhaust system. I simply soldered the ring to the sensor casing with pipe solder. That sucker doesn't vibrate any more! :D

[ April 02, 2002: Message edited by: Jason McCallister ]</p>

[Ttop34]

Maybe that's why I've noticed less rattling with my exhaust, my o2 sensor is laying in the floor of my bedroom. I haven't taken a dip in town yet that always used to make my exhaust rattle. I'll take that on the way home from school in a bit.

[Ttop34]

Come on now, I know there's a lot more of ya'll out there.

[RedbirdV6]

You have heard everything there is to hear on this subject what else do ya need to know [img]graemlins/dunce.gif[/img] :D

[Ttop34]

Mainly wanting to hear about if others have had problems with theirs. Redbird, what exactly is your exhaust set up? Do you know where your o2 sim came from? What company? Thunderracing or what? What's up with this Voltage too high stuff? I've read on here something about different voltage of o2 sensors, could that be the problem? Is a V8 the same voltage as a V6? Are all V6 o2 sensors the same voltage?

Sorry, I'm full of questions. I went to the dealership today and said I just wanted to know the code, not fix the problem and they started getting all suspisious. Curious, what would happen if the dealership found out that you had a gutted cat or something like that? Fines envolved? I'm just voiding the exhaust warrantee right? Not the whole car warrantee unless it caused the problem?

[Backfire]

You might be in a gray area with something like an O2 sim because they can alter other settings in the motor. Not that it should cause an engine failure, but a dealer may stick his noise up if he knows about it. I have heard of work denied for less so who knows.

And to add to what has been said, the type of exhaust system should not change the performance of an O2 sim at all. It does not do any reading like an actual sensor. Have you tried replacing the original sensor to see if the SES light comes back on?