Hello

I have a question on the theme of 02 sensor grounds.

I just redid mine (2.1).  It seemed like a recipe for a bad connection to
have the nut bearing down on the ground also be bearing down on the plastic
(what is that black plastic tower? a vent?), because tightening the nut down
only crushed the plastic.

So I tightened one nut down sufficiently to hold the plastic tower, then
tightened down a 2nd nut against the first, with a toothed washer and the
ground between.

Seems like a better way to go.  Am I missing something, or did I just add
unnecessary complexity?  Or somehow make thngs worse?

I can't tell anything from the running of the engine, since it was doing
okay before, and hasn't changed.  The ground was just on the list of things
to make sure about.

As often, I bow to the wisdom of the list.

Raymond

On 4/27/07, Mark Drillock <drillock@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> Keep the O2 sensor ground separate and on the engine!  Connecting it's
> ground to other grounds creates the possibility that voltage returning
> to ground from one of the other sensors will contaminate the O2 ground.
> When grounds are bundled together at a single point there is danger that
> some or all will start to float together away from the true ground. When
> this happens, and it very often does in automotive life, the current
> flowing through one or more sensors can raise the voltage at the
> floating point and thus ruin the ground reference that the more
> sensitive sensors rely on. The o2 sensor needs a clean and true ground
> or it will mislead the ECU into misadjusting the mixture.
>
> Mark
>
> Todd Last wrote:
>
> > Does it make any sence to have the O2 sensor, ECU and any other critical
> sensor gounds all ground at the same point?  Or are you risking a ground
> loop by doing this?
> >
> > With the problems with the ECU and O2 sencor and grounds, I was
> wondering if making an alternate ground path that both are tied to would be
> a good idea or not?
> >
> > In my Van, the DPO crimped on an extra ground which is simply screwed
> into the sheet metal under the seat.
> >
> >
> > Todd
> > '88 Westy
> >
>