Will driving your car with the o2 sensor disconnected cause damage to car?

[RSXFMCJWR]

Will driving your car with the o2 sensor disconnected cause damage to car? I just need to drive to the dealership and back.

Thanks

 

[jonas]

your car will most likely run like crap and pig rich. Try not to go past 2000 rpm (how far is yur dealer?

I wondnt drive more than a couple miles and only if its an emergency

 

[toofast4u]

In open loop it will be fine, but if the system goes into closed loop it will run pig rich. I don't know if the PCM will register that as a failure and keep the system in open loop or not.

 

[jmimac351]

Originally posted by RSXFMCJWR
Will driving your car with the o2 sensor disconnected cause damage to car? I just need to drive to the dealership and back.

Thanks

No.

Jim

 

[Shadowgray03]

In the case of a failed sensor the car will run off preset tables. It likely wont be ideal wunning conditions but shouldnt hurt anything.

In closed loop it will be fine, but if the system goes into open loop it will run pig rich. I don't know if the PCM will register that as a failure and keep the system in close loop or not.

In open loop the car doesnt use the O2 sensors anyway, so one would assume it would actually run better at WOT or open loop than closed loop where the car rely's on O2 info to control fuel to the engine.

 

[A's Cobra]

no, but it will ruin the sensor if it's not heated up

 

[RSXFMCJWR]

Originally posted by A's Cobra
no, but it will ruin the sensor if it's not heated up

What do you mean "heated up"?

 

[Cobra'03]

Originally posted by Shadowgray03
In the case of a failed sensor the car will run off preset tables. It likely wont be ideal wunning conditions but shouldnt hurt anything.

In open loop the car doesnt use the O2 sensors anyway, so one would assume it would actually run better at WOT or open loop than closed loop where the car rely's on O2 info to control fuel to the engine.

You got it mostly right, but I do not agree with the last part. The reason the car does not run closed loop immediately is that the oxygen sensor technology available today does not become accurate until it reaches a certain temperature. It is not because it is a good modus operandi.

With no O2 sensors in place during closed loop, you are right that the PCM does its best to provide decent A/F based on the sensor inputs available to it, as well as read maps in memory. But it is almost always making the wrong decision compared to closed loop with O2 sensors functionally correctly.

 

[A's Cobra]

When I installed a wideband on a buddy's car, there was a warning about running without it hooked up causing damage. I was able to find this link online about the sensor itself, I'm not sure that our's has a heater, It may not, it may only be this type http://www.techedge.com.au/vehicle/wbo2/wbsumi.htm

 

[bassin247]

I did it for 2 weeks until my auto tap came in. I didn't have any drivability problems other than the annoying "Service Engine Soon" light.

 

[RSXFMCJWR]

I wish I could say that I disconnected it on purpose, but in reality I just dropped a tool on it and broke part of the connector.:rollseyes

 

[bassin247]

Originally posted by RSXFMCJWR
I wish I could say that I disconnected it on purpose, but in reality I just dropped a tool on it and broke part of the connector.:rollseyes

Oh well, shit happens. It could of been a lot worse. You could of had your car jacked like nate.