fueling issues (updated from old forum)

Well guys today I put a new NGK NTK oxygen sensor in my 85 Turbo. I had to remove the whole 02 sensor housing to get the old unit out since there isn't much room. Previously I had problems with my car running super rich and sort of misfiring. I suspected the 02 sensor after playing around with disconnecting the water temp sensor and also the 02 sensor harness.

Spencer wrote this about oxygen sensors on the CA18ET on the old forum "Engine performence well down, engine idles perfect, engine hesitates bad under full thottle but is better at 3/4, engine misfires under load intermittently (can go days without) - occasional backfires, occasionally performs really well, eats spark plugs, CO test shows nothing wrong, self diagnosis (Mode 1? the O2 sensor feedback test) on ECU is a little slow - In my case turned out to be O2 sensor despite it having done less that 10,000 miles, fitted an NTK performance one and problems gone and good performance restored"

My old bosch oxygen sensor only lasted about 6,500 miles or so and looking at the design of it i can see why. The probe on the new NTK sensor is much better designed as it has many holes in it while the bosch (aka crap) had 3 tiny little slits. So basically if you ever have a problem like mine don't rule out the 02 sensor. Especially if the car runs fine with it disconnected (although quite a bit richer and slower).

you know what ... I'm starting to think my problems might be entirely o2 sensor related. Well, my new problem *lol*

The car lost about 1/2 of its power for no apparent reason. It was still boosting to 10 psi, just not going like it did the night before.

heh, it literally was like night and day.

Can't be the det sensor, as it is not connected. The motor didn't seem to be running bad like it was broken or misfiring, just slow and was backfiring something fierce when off the throttle.

Not until I read (I guess reread ... Spencer come back!!!) this post did I even remember. My car ran like a bag of crap for a little while, tons and tons of smoke. Never really sussed out why. I replaced the coil, changed the broken battery ground, and all the smoke cleared up.

Then I rembered the 02 sensor I put in was used, I pulled it out of a junkyard turbo I had in the trunk.

Well, ordered a new one, we'll see.

Yeah try disconnecting your oxygen sensor wiring harness. It will run a bit rich that way but it should clear up the problem some. In my case disconnecting either the temp sensor or the 02 harness worked. The reason being I guess is because the temp sensor is used to switch from open to closed loop or whatever that is called. My car wouldn't run right at all with the bad 02 sensor and it would just misfire drowning in it's own fuel. Worth a shot to try disconnecting the harness until you get your new unit.