Electronic snag for lambda probe. What to do with a non-working lambda probe. Flashing the electronic control unit

Modern requirements for vehicle operation require the implementation of environmental safety measures. To achieve this, car manufacturers were required to install special devices when producing cars that could reduce the amount of hazardous chemicals released into the natural environment.

Most cars have catalysts that minimize the concentration of nitrogen and carbon in the exhaust gases by changing them chemical composition and burning. A mandatory element of the catalyst is a lambda probe or, as car enthusiasts like to call it, an oxygen sensor.

Thanks to its data, the car’s electronic control unit has completely taken control of the amount of fuel and air in the outgoing mixture, because the amount of harmful emissions depends on the degree of its combustion.

Today, the oxygen sensor is an integral part of the car. During long-term use vehicle The performance of the catalyst may deteriorate, resulting in the need to replace it with more expensive models. The most profitable solution in this case is to make a fake lambda probe.

• Open the engine compartment, find the catalyst and probe. Inspect its surface. If it is covered with soot or a light coating, this indicates poor quality work fuel system. In this case, the part must be completely replaced with diagnostics of important components of the vehicle.
• If the part is clean, check the accuracy of the oxygen sensor readings. Start the car with a gradual increase in speed up to 2500/min and lower it to 200. In operating condition, the sensor readings should fluctuate between 0.8-0.9 W. The absence of any response or incorrect data is evidence of a malfunction of the probe.

Reliable information about a malfunction of the catalyst or lambda probe can only be provided by diagnostics in a specialized center.

In order to save on the purchase of new equipment, we will consider the main options for emulators to make and install lambda snags yourself. Today there are a great many Internet resources that reflect emulator schemes. Car enthusiasts will only need knowledge and patience.

Types of trompe l'oeil

1. Mechanical.
2. Reflashing sensors.
3. Electronic.

Mechanical blende option

The part is made of high-quality heat-resistant steel or bronze. The dimensions of the part must be observed with extreme accuracy. Shapes and sizes are indicated in the diagram. According to the drawing, a hole is drilled in the inner part, which should be very thin. It is necessary for gases to escape through it.

Operating principle

As a result of the oxidation of gases with ceramic chips, there is a decrease in the levels of harmful substances that cause fluctuations in the sinusoids of the transmitted signal. Thanks to this, the control unit perceives the operation of the device as normal. This indicates that the emulator has fully confirmed its functionality.

Installation

Any car enthusiast can install the sensor. To do this, you need to find the lambda, unscrew it and screw the blende probe into this place. After approximately 30 minutes, remove the negative terminal from the battery, which will reset the system and disable CheckEngine on dashboard, After the manipulations, connect all the contacts back. Installation completed.

Flashing the oxygen sensor

This involves completely removing the oxygen sensor and making the necessary changes to the control program. In order to perform a flashing, certain knowledge and qualifications will be required, since doing it incorrectly can cause irreparable harm to the entire system.

The danger is that if the actions are performed incorrectly, it will be very difficult to restore the previous operation of the control unit. The original factory firmware is very expensive, and it will be very difficult to obtain. Therefore, it is better to immediately entrust this work to specialists.

Electronic lambda snag

One of the complex devices that is characterized by increased performance. The electronic sensor readings are the most accurate. This emulator, unlike others, is small in size and contains a microprocessor that converts incoming signals into a catalyst similar to the original working one.

For car enthusiasts with limited mechanical knowledge the best option is to purchase a finished structure and independently install it in place of the original one. When a signal arrives at the microprocessor, the device carries out an analysis by processing the signal from the first lambda probe. After the measures have been completed, an output signal is generated, which should be similar to a working catalyst.

Installing a lambda probe decoy

To do this you will need a soldering kit and a capacitor. The procedure is as follows:

1. Disconnect the negative terminal from the battery.
2. Find the signal wires to which the capacitor will be soldered (there is no voltage current in the signal wires).
3. Cut the blue wire, and strip the white wire, but leave it intact.
4. Solder the capacitor between the blue wires and the stripped white wires according to the drawing.
5. Connect the terminal to the battery and start the car.

The details of the installation of the electronic blende are described in the drawing.

Making a lambda probe with your own hands allows you to save the car owner from many unpleasant problems with the catalyst and save your budget. The choice of probe type depends entirely on your capabilities and desires.

Before installing any type of blende, you should familiarize yourself in detail with the possible consequences, since all work involves a certain risk.

Main types of possible malfunctions

• malfunctions of the power unit resulting from incorrect injection adjustment of the on-board computer
• Damage to electrical wiring resulting from improper soldering
• malfunctions of the on-board computer leading to incorrect data display
• sensor damage

Any inaccuracies in working with electronics can lead to the operation of the entire equipment. Therefore, you should not experiment and save on your car by buying lambda decoys through dubious Internet sites. Try to do everything yourself, strictly following the recommendations, and the device will thank you for it.

Lambda probe (also called oxygen controller, O2 sensor, DC) is an integral part of the exhaust system of vehicles that meet EURO-4 environmental standards and higher. This miniature device (usually 2 or more lambda probes are installed) monitors the O2 content in vehicle exhaust mixtures, thereby significantly reducing the emission of toxic waste into the atmosphere.

If the DC is not operating correctly or if the lambda probe is disconnected, the functioning of the power unit may be disrupted, causing the engine to go into emergency mode(the panel will light up Check Engine). To prevent this from happening, the car system can be outsmarted by installing a decoy.

Mechanical snag of the lambda probe (“screw-in”)

“Vvertysh” is a bushing made of bronze or heat-resistant steel. The inside of such a “spacer” and its cavities are filled with ceramic chips with a special catalytic coating. Due to this, the exhaust gases are burned faster, which, in turn, leads to different indicators of pulses 1 and 2 DC.

Important! Any snag is installed only on a working lambda probe.

A homemade lambda probe decoy, the diagram of which is presented below, is easy to manufacture. To do this you will need to prepare:

• workpiece;
• screwdriver;
• a set of keys.

The deception is done at the processing lathe. If there is none, then you can contact a specialist by providing him with a drawing.

The resulting part is compatible with most exhaust systems of both domestic and foreign cars.

Installation of the lambda probe blende is carried out as follows:

• Lift the car onto the overpass.
• Disconnect the negative terminal on the battery.
• Unscrew the first (upper) probe (if there are two of them, then remove the one located between the catalyst and the exhaust manifold).
• Screw the lambda probe into the spacer.
• Reinstall the "advanced" sensor.
• Connect the terminal to the battery.

Healthy! Typically, mechanical blending of the second lambda probe is not performed, since this DC is protected by a catalyst and only controls its condition. The most sensitive is the first sensor, which is installed closest to the collector.

After this, the “Check Engine” system error should disappear. If this method does not work, you can use a more expensive deception.

Electronic snag

Another way to eliminate problems with the DC is to use an electronic decoy of the lambda probe, the diagram of which is presented below. Since the oxygen sensor transmits a signal to the controller, a decoy circuit connected to the wiring from the sensor to the connector will “crude” the system. Thanks to this, in a situation where the lambda probe is faulty, power unit will continue to work correctly.

Healthy! The installation locations for such deception may differ depending on the PBX model. For example, it can be mounted in the central tunnel between the seats, in the dashboard or engine compartment.

The decoy circuit is a single-chip microprocessor that analyzes the processes in the catalyst, receives data from the first DC, processes it, converts it to the indicators of the second sensor and issues a corresponding signal to the car processor.

To install this type of snag, you will need a lambda probe connection diagram, which looks like this.

As you can see, there are different pinouts of the lambda probe (4 wires, three and two). The colors of the wires may also differ, most often there are products with 4 pins (2 black, white and blue).

To make a deception device, you will need:

• soldering iron with a fine tip and solder;
• rosin;
• non-polar capacitor with a capacity of 1 µF Y5V, +/- 20%;
• resistor (resistance) 1 mOhm, C1-4 imp, 0.25 W;
• knife and insulating tape.

Healthy! Before installation, it is best to place the circuit in a plastic case and fill it with epoxy.

• Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery.
• “Dissect” the wire that goes from the DC itself to the connector.
• Cut the blue wire and connect it back through the resistor.
• Solder a non-polar capacitor between the white and blue wires.
• Insulate connections.

Below is a do-it-yourself diagram of a lambda probe for pinout into 4 wires.

At the final stage, the following should happen.

Such manipulations should not be performed if you do not have the proper experience. Today, stores offer ready-made decoy circuits that even a novice driver can easily install.

Reflashing the controller

Some particularly sophisticated car owners decide to reflash the control unit, which blocks the processing of signals from the second oxygen sensor. However, it must be taken into account that any changes to the system operation algorithm can lead to irreversible consequences, since returning the factory settings will be almost impossible and costly. Therefore, it is not recommended to perform such manipulations yourself. The same applies to ready-made firmware that is sold on the Internet.

Healthy! When flashing the lambda probes, they are removed.

If you still want to flash the system, then contact a competent specialist who can disable receiving DC data using specialized equipment.

It is also worth considering that almost any intervention in the operation of systems can lead to not the most pleasant consequences.

What are the consequences after installing decoys?

You need to understand that any deception is installed at the risk of the car owner. If the installation was carried out incorrectly, you may encounter the following problems:

• Because of on-board computer cannot regulate liquid injection, engine malfunction may occur.
• If the circuit is not properly soldered, it may damage the wiring.
• In the process of installing the decoy, you can damage the oxygen sensors, after which you will not even know about their malfunction (since you will already have the decoy installed).
• After such interventions (not only during flashing), the on-board computer may fail.

Any inaccuracy will lead to disastrous consequences, so it is better to install a safer ready-made emulator. Unlike deception, it does not “deceive” the control unit, but only ensures its correct operation by converting the DC signal. A microprocessor is also installed inside the emulator (as in a homemade electronic decoy), which is capable of assessing exhaust gases and analyzing the situation.

In custody

Many car owners install homemade decoys on their cars to save on the purchase of new oxygen sensors. However, in such a pursuit of profit, you may well face large financial costs if a homemade device affects the operation of “vital” systems. Therefore, it is recommended to install decoys only if you understand such work.

Flexibly adjusts the composition of the fuel-air mixture, as a result of which it is possible to achieve the necessary environmental friendliness and efficiency of the engine.

In this case, the lambda probe can fail for various reasons, and the catalyst often also turns out to be problematic. One way or another, in this case the engine will work unstably and there will be a loss of power, it is noted increased consumption fuel, etc.

To make the engine work normally, the solution is to trick the lambda. Next, we will look at what a catalytic converter is, how it works, and what are the pros and cons of installing an oxygen sensor blende.

Read in this article

Why do you need a lambda probe snag?

So, if the catalyst or lambda probe has failed, the blende allows you to normalize the operation. Naturally, the toxicity of the exhaust in this case fades into the background. In fact, the lambda probe decoy is a device that corrects the signal of the second oxygen sensor. This allows you to deceive the ECU by replacing data about the real state of the catalyst.

• mechanical blende of the oxygen sensor;
• electronic decoy of lambda probe;

The first type is a metal spacer, while the second is a separate electronic unit (signal emulator). In any case, a catalyst blende or a lambda probe blende is often installed if there are problems with the catalyst.

Over time, the catalytic converter can become damaged, melt, become clogged with soot, dirt, etc. In this case, the second lambda probe sends a signal that the catalyst is not working properly, and a “check” lights up on the instrument panel.

The engine ECU often puts the engine into limp mode. This leads to loss of power, rev restrictions, increased fuel consumption, etc. By the way, it also happens that the sensor itself fails, and not the catalyst. So, if the lambda sensor has failed, it is not advisable to install false ones; it is easier to change the lambda.

However, the situation with the catalytic converter is different. The cost of this element is extremely high. On old premium cars only catalytic converter the cost can reach up to 1/8 of the total price of such a car on the secondary market.

Let us also add that the catalyst is not always removed precisely because it breaks down. Some owners deliberately remove the catalyst as part of tuning to get more power. The catalyst itself is a filter that somewhat reduces the efficiency of exhaust gases. In turn, its removal, especially in combination with other work, makes it possible to increase the power of the internal combustion engine.

As you can see, installing a catalyst to replace the old one is quite an expensive solution. Naturally, with this opportunity it is cheaper to deceive the ECU than to replace the catalyst. Also, the blende allows the engine to operate normally if the catalyst has been removed, that is, this filter is removed intentionally by the owner.

Oxygen sensor decoy: what is it and how does it work

To understand how the snag works, you must first consider the lambda probe and the operating principle of the oxygen sensor. Simply put, this sensor determines the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gases by comparing the composition of the exhaust with a reference clean air outside. The signal is then sent to the ECU, which adjusts the fuel-air mixture by changing the fuel-to-air ratio.

The lambda probe device includes several components, but the basis is a galvanic element with solid electrolyte(ceramics made of zirconium dioxide ZrO2). In fact, the sensor has two electrodes. One interacts with hot exhaust gases, while the second is in contact with the outside air.

By the way, the ability of the sensor to measure the composition of the exhaust appears only after heating to 350-400 degrees Celsius (the zirconium electrolyte becomes conductive and the galvanic cell becomes operational). To speed up the warming up of the lambda probe, on many cars the sensor has a heater to reduce exhaust emissions at idle when the engine is warming up.

Let's move on. At first there was only one oxygen sensor, but over time, and also taking into account the tightening of environmental standards to the level of Euro-3 and higher, cars began to be equipped with at least two oxygen sensors.

The first lambda probe is located before the catalyst and is responsible for adjusting the air-fuel mixture. The second oxygen sensor is located behind the catalyst and determines the amount of oxygen in the exhaust that has passed through the catalyst.

The ECU compares data from two sensors; deviations from the specified norm cause an error to light up and the engine goes into emergency mode. It turns out that if the catalyst is clogged or cut out, the controller will generate an error. To get rid of this, you can restore the system, reflash the ECU, or install a fake one. Let's consider all three methods.

• The mechanical snag of the lambda probe is a steel spacer into which the catalytic element is pressed. As a rule, mechanical decoys are installed on most cars without problems. The main thing is to choose a blende for the car so that the result complies with one or another Euro standard.

In short, this decoy is a small catalyst that filters the exhaust only near the oxygen sensor. Wherein most of the exhaust is not cleaned and enters the atmosphere.

As a result, exhaust gases arrive at the oxygen sensor with such a level of CO, CHX, and NOX that the system does not see any deviations and does not put the engine into emergency mode.

There are also “hollow” blendes; they clean the exhaust minimally, but are suitable for cars no higher than Euro -3. In practice, it is cheaper to buy lambda probe decoys of this type than more “advanced” analogues.

The installation of a mechanical lambda probe on a car is quite simple. If you need a lambda probe snag, you can install the element yourself quickly and easily. You need to unscrew the oxygen sensor, screw the blende in its place, and then screw the sensor back into the housing of the blende.

• Electronic lambda probe decoy ( electronic emulator lambda probe) is actually an electronic unit with a capacitor and resistor, which is soldered into the gap of the sensor. This block allows you to completely remove readings from the standard oxygen sensor.

On the one hand, the data can be completely replaced, but the more complex the microcircuit turns out to be, the higher the likelihood of breakdowns of the unit itself and problems arising in terms of compatibility with a particular car.

• Chipping a car's ECU (reflashing the ECU) is also an affordable method for some cars. It is not suitable for all cars (usually not higher than Euro-3), but in this way it is possible to programmatically disable the lower lambda probe sensor.

It would seem that this solution to the problem of catalyst error is simple and affordable, but the cost of the service from experienced specialists is quite high. In turn, inexperienced chipmakers can make a number of mistakes, which leads to problems with the operation of the ECU and the engine itself.

It turns out that it makes sense to programmatically disable the oxygen sensor only when complex engine tuning is specifically performed (), the exhaust system is being modified, etc.

As you can see, the catalyst error may be real problem for the owner, while a large sum is required to replace the catalyst on the car.

Of course, you can install a lambda trick, but you should remember that this solution is not always possible to integrate well, especially on “fresh” cars. For this reason, it is advisable to follow certain rules to increase the service life of the catalyst.

First of all, it is important to understand that bad fuel can damage the catalyst. You should only refuel at proven gas stations, and also fill in gasoline of the brand recommended by the car manufacturer itself (for example, you cannot pour cheaper AI-92 gasoline into a car where the use of AI-95 or AI-98 fuel is allowed.)

Secondly, you should not actively fill the tank with different products, especially from little-known manufacturers. The effect may be questionable, and the damage to the catalyst may be great.

Third, any mechanical impact on the catalyst should be avoided (during car repairs and when operating the car). The fact is that the ceramic honeycomb of the catalyst is very fragile and can crumble even during aggressive off-road driving.

You also need to drive through puddles and snow piles carefully, since in this case the highly heated catalyst quickly cools. Such temperature changes can quickly destroy the fragile honeycomb of the catalyst.

Let's sum it up

Taking into account the above information, it becomes clear that the catalyst and lambda probe directly affect the efficiency of the engine. For this reason, problems with these elements prevent normal operation of the car and require a professional solution.

Finally, we note that even taking into account the availability of several methods for solving catalyst errors, it is optimal to strive to maximize the service life of the existing converter and oxygen sensors. If possible, it is better to replace the failed catalyst.

This approach reduces the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere and also eliminates odor exhaust gases, which will be present if the blende is installed and the catalyst is removed.

Read also

When you sharply press the gas pedal, the engine jerks, jerks and dips appear, the car does not pick up speed: the main causes of the malfunction and diagnostics.

The lambda probe is an integral element of the exhaust system of any modern car. It is a sensor for the level of oxygen in the exhaust of a car. The lambda probe transmits the received information to the on-board computer, which, in turn, after processing it, regulates the enrichment of the mixture supplied to the cylinders.

Most cars are equipped with two sensors. One of them is installed before the catalyst, the second - after it. It is the latter that fails most often. When this happens, the system generates an error and the engine begins to operate in emergency mode.

In order not to bother with buying a new lambda probe, which is not cheap at all, and setting it up, our craftsmen figured out how to deceive the computer, spending pennies on it. The name of this invention is decoy.

There are three ways to deceive your car's computer:

• reflash the computer;
• install mechanical blende;
• install an electronic type snag.

Flashing the electronic control unit

The essence of this method is to log into the car's computer, disable the oxygen sensor electronically, and make changes to the software. To do this, of course, you will need to contact specialists with certain skills and appropriate equipment.

Mechanical snag

The mechanical blende of the lambda probe is a metal spacer (bushing) between exhaust pipe and the sensor itself.

Any person who has the slightest idea about turning can make such a bushing. Most often, bronze or heat-resistant steel is used for these purposes.

Below is a drawing of a spacer for the second lambda probe with dimensions.

The principle of this method is quite simple: using a bushing with a hole with a diameter of 2 mm, we move the sensor away from the exhaust gas flow.

Installing the spacer yourself is easy. We drive the car into a pit or overpass, disconnect the negative terminal, find the sensor and unscrew it.

Connect the negative terminal and start the engine. If the electronic control unit generates an error again, repeat the procedure with removing the terminal again.

Electronic snag

This method is more suitable for those car owners who are comfortable with a soldering iron. Everything you need for the simplest electronic decoy, This:

• capacitor (non-polar) with a capacity of 1 µF;
• resistor (resistance) 1 Mohm;
• soldering iron;
• solder, rosin;

This type of blende is installed directly on the wires running from the sensor to the connector. In some cars this connector is located in the central tunnel between the driver and passenger seats, in others - in the engine compartment, in others - under the dashboard.

It is clear that, in response to the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gases, it produces a voltage of 0.1 - 0.2 V (lean mixture) or 0.8-0.9 V (rich mixture). The electronic unit The engine control unit (ECU) constantly changes the amount of fuel injected - it enriches the lean mixture, and leans the rich mixture. In this way, the optimum is maintained, and the signal on the Lambda probe looks (can be viewed with an oscilloscope) as a series of pulses of equal duration, almost rectangular (important!) in shape, with a swing from 0.1 - 0.2V to 0.8-0.9V .
This is how everything works as long as the auto-regulation circuit is closed, which includes the engine with body kit, ECU and Lambda Probe. The chain begins to work poorly if you are concerned about savings and the environment and install gas equipment (LPG).
For an engine with single injection, a simple ejector system is quite sufficient. Only this one is yellow Check light The engine starts to burn constantly, and when driving on gasoline, a significant overconsumption appears.

There is an opinion that the gas is to blame. Allegedly, the Lambda Probe is “accustomed” to gasoline, but “on gas it goes crazy.”
In fact, everything is much simpler. The Lambda Probe does not care what kind of fuel is burned. It continues to respond just as regularly to the amount of oxygen in the exhaust. But its reaction does not affect the operation of the engine in any way - after all, the auto-regulation circuit is broken. If earlier, in response to a signal about a rich mixture, the ECU reduced the supply of gasoline (turning on the injector for a shorter time), and in response to a signal about a lean mixture, it enriched it, maintaining a stoichiometric mixture, then when working with gas, the ECU cannot in any way affect the ejector system of the LPG system.
Seeing that there is no reaction, the ECU lights up the Check Engine light and switches to “emergency” operation mode. When driving on gas, this does not affect its consumption in any way, since it is determined by the LPG setting. But when switching to gasoline, consumption will increase sharply because the “emergency mode” remains in the ECU memory.
For normal operation of the engine on gas, a Lambda Probe Emulator is precisely what is needed. Its task is to deceive the ECU, when operating on gas, to show that everything is in order. It does this very simply: it produces a signal similar to the reaction of a real Lambda probe when normal operation.
The emulator will output 0.1V, the ECU will begin to enrich the mixture, the emulator will output 0.9V. The ECU will begin to lean the mixture, as it happens when running on gasoline. Thus, the Check Engine light does not light up, and the ECU does not go into emergency mode.
You can buy a ready-made emulator, or you can make it yourself using a simple scheme, the main thing is to connect it correctly.

A simple diagram of a Lambda Probe Emulator

The lambda probe emulator is built on the most popular chip. Resistor R1 sets the pulse frequency (1-2 per second), the LED indicates the operation of the device. During normal operation, the voltage on it does not exceed 1.8V. Resistor R6 will have exactly half, i.e. 0.9V or 0V.

The circuit receives power from the HBO switch, the relay is activated and connects the output of the device (K2) to the input of the ECU (K3).
When the HBO is turned off, the relay releases and the ECU input is connected to the lambda probe (K1), that is, the device is connected to the break in the wire from the Lambda probe to the ECU.
There are many options available for sale. Some manufacturers are introducing an additional two or three LEDs that indicate the quality of the mixture.
This is not difficult to do, because the Lambda probe continues to perform its functions in terms of issuing a signal. This means that if you connect two threshold devices to the Lambda probe - one at 0.1V, the other at 0.9V, then they will light up the corresponding LEDs at the appropriate moments.
In this way, it is possible to determine, to a first approximation, the quality of the mixture when running on gas.
So, if you decide to install an ejector HBO on an engine with “mono-injection”, you cannot do without a Lambda Probe Emulator.
In all other cases (replacement faulty L-Z or something similar) it is absolutely useless.