Is your car using a lot of gas and the check engine light is on? A bad oxygen monitor could be to blame! Find out why this small monitor is important and how to tell if one is broken.
Your car’s engine is made up of spark plugs, fuel, and air. The oxygen monitor, on the other hand, is there but not heard. This hero who goes unnoticed is very important for keeping your car running well. But it can break down like any other car part. The world of oxygen sensors, how they work, and what happens when they break down will be talked about in this piece.
What is an Oxygen Sensor?
An oxygen sensor, sometimes written as an O2 sensor, is a small computer part of a car’s exhaust system. An important job of this part is to check the exhaust fumes for oxygen and send that information to the engine control unit (ECU).
In most cars, they are found along the exhaust pipe, both before and after the catalytic converter. This placing lets them check the oxygen levels before and after combustion, which gives the ECU useful information.
Oxygen Sensors Working Principle
An electrochemical potential is what makes the oxygen monitor work. It checks how much oxygen is different in the waste stream compared to the air outside. In order for it to work, there must be a change in oxygen levels between the exhaust and the air outside. There is less oxygen in the exhaust when the fuel mixture is rich, which causes the voltage output to be higher. On the other hand, a lean mixture leads to a smaller voltage.
In simpler terms, here’s what it means:
- Rich Mixture: If the sensor finds a lot of unburned fuel (rich mixture), it tells the engine computer (ECU) through a low voltage signal.
- Lean Mixture: On the other hand, if there is too much air in the mixture, it causes the monitor to send a high voltage signal.
The ECU changes the amount of air and fuel in the engine based on the data from the oxygen sensor. This feedback loop makes sure that the fuel burns perfectly, which improves engine speed and lowers harmful emissions.
