wideband innovate sensor ?? how long it lasts
 

hi guys ya i have a innnovative wideband and i think my sensor is going bad..

i have tuned about 8 times with it..

and it shows innaccurate afr way too lean like 16's 17's when idling.. and throws sensor timming errorrs sometimes... then i just reset it and re calibrate it its fine but now it dosent want to go awway as of now its working no code 8(sensor timming error) but shows too lean... could it mean the sensor is bad and its time for a new one..
let me know thanks.. 8)

Re: wideband innovate sensor ?? how long it lasts
 

it should last forever, i think it is a stock part on some vw and audi's.
when you use it did you have it pointing up? apparently if you do that water accumulates and kills it pretty good

Re: wideband innovate sensor ?? how long it lasts
 

Ypu probably overheated it.

If you have done a heater and free air calibration, and it still throws a code, then the sensor should be replaced.

I have only killed one sensor in the past 2.5 years.

Did you unplug the sensor from the controller and power it up to initiate a fresh heater calibration?

Re: wideband innovate sensor ?? how long it lasts
 

pretty much all these popular widebands uses the same vw/audi o2 sensors, I am on my third one. they don't last for ----.
I recently learned that you have to warm up the sensor before you start the car, or else it will shorten the life of it. I am using that concept to see how long my third sensor will last. I am using a zeitronix wideband and it have a sensor warmup period when you turn on the ignition, about 30 seconds. so I will see how long.

Re: wideband innovate sensor ?? how long it lasts
 

wow thanks for the input guys..
first off my sensor is mounted in the 12'O clock possiton means pointing down so no water can get in and destroy it..
yes i did the calibrations and reset it completley by revoming the sensor from the lc_1 and powering it up for 10 seconds and see the light flash code2
now it just is gay when i go to use it it shows verry lean 16 17 at idel and boosting 13's i tuned my car and it was running 11.2-11.9 when i tuned it but i will try to do the warm up before i fire up the car next time i use it once i get a new sensor..

and about that its a stock part on vw and audi it is.. but they dont dump as much fuel as we do on custom turbo hondas.. they have egr and add that into the mix and it reduces egt temp so they can actually run leaner under boost and not melt down... maybe that has something to do wiht the life.. and placement of the sensor..

btw my brother and sister own turbo 1.8t wv one is a gti and other is a jetta i shouild go see where the wideband is on those cars.. and my sensor is like 16'' inches of pipe awway from the turbo..

Re: wideband innovate sensor ?? how long it lasts
 

are you tuning with leaded fuel?

Re: wideband innovate sensor ?? how long it lasts
 

Care to divulge your source?

I find this hard to believe considering this is an O.E.M sensor.

Re: wideband innovate sensor ?? how long it lasts
 

ok that heat up thing is a lie, heating it up and then starting the car is what KILLS it.

if you heat it up first and the fuckers hot and then you start your car and all kinds of relatively cool water vapor hits it, it says specifically in the manual not do do that.

Re: wideband innovate sensor ?? how long it lasts
 

Turbo4life- When you calibrated did you pull it out of the exhaust and make sure it is getting fresh air.

Innovate has it in the owners manual for the LM-1 in their web site. www.innovatemotorsports.co

They say the water vapor only affects the sensor if it is placed too low in the exhaust (like below 3 or 9 o-clock).

It is a pdf somewhere.

Re: wideband innovate sensor ?? how long it lasts
 

those are 2 different things.

having it below 3 or 9 will ruin it fast from water vapors running down and settling in it

heating it up before you start the car will give it a blast of cool water vapor like said above. you ever mist water on a hot light bulb? same type of thing

both will kill a sensor faster

edit: leaving it on without the engine running will also ruin the sensor. the heater element relies on the engien to keep it at temperature, and the heater just fine tunes it. with the engine off, the heating element runs constant to try and keep it warm.