iloveporsches

Ok, buddy...you sold them, whoop-de-doo! Have a long tenure at Autozone?

What, exactly, is different about them if you're sure god-damned sure?

They are different parts, obviously. One has the connector, one doesn't. That doesn't mean the sensor internals are any different. I highly doubt Porsche would have had Bosch make a "super-duper special O2" sensor for the 944 instead of just using an off-the-shelf Bosch sensor with the appropriate wiring.

TheStock

+1

iloveporsches

Well, I've never heard of ANYONE, other than you, having problems with the universal. Ever. And I've been around here a while.

If you guys feel like wasting money on what is essentially the same part, be my guest.

Make sure you fill up with 94 octane gas and "geniune Porsche OEM" air in your tires!

FRporscheman

Evan, if it is indeed $68 at the dealer, then I'd go for it... But last I checked it was over $100. Most of us 944 owners are smart enough to know when OEM is necessary, and the O2 sensor is not one of those cases. Many people here have used the universal sensor and spliced it in, and there have been no reports of damaged computers. If you do a search on this forum, you'll see most people recommend the universal one.

Brandon said it well.

FRporscheman

Even if there IS any doubt about the Porsche oxygen sensor being special, consider this: the 944 used countless VW/Audi parts off the shelf, to keep costs down and designs simple. It would not fit the scheme if the o2 sensor was special.

Buying the OEM unit is like buying a shirt at Nordstrom instead of Nordstrom Rack - just plain dumb. But it does give you the ability to brag about being a big spender.

Jfrahm

I have been using a Bosch Ford Taurus O2 sensor on my S2 for years. Works great, passed smog with flying colors. I think I picked the 1990 Taurus 3.0 v6. I had to splice on the OEM connector, but no big deal there.

-Joel.

Skip

way too "heated" (get it? - heated ) a discussion for me so I won't add my 2 cents, but I will suggest a search (you can use my username to narrow the search) for those in doubt about the universal being acceptable. The more debated issue is with the 3 types of plugs - OE, butt splice (giggle), or Bosch universal kit.

I say we stick it to the man and run with nothing. Damn you tree-huggin loafer-wearin glue-sniffin whale-kissin hippies all to hell.

Hey, wait... who's the man?

gtroth

If you haven't found this thread already, it will be worth the read. Bosch engineer talks about o2 sensors, starting at post 9:

o2 sensors

adrian_jaye

but I do that already, and I use "Porsche" petrol

lug nut

Alright you guys can argue about using oem parts all day. Here's a news flash. These high performance cars you speak of is a joke. A whopping 160 h.p. and its 20 years old. Lucky to get $3500 out of one. Old BMW 325's are going for more. Most of the early cars use a single wire oxygen sensor. Most of the late cars use the three wire oxygen sensor. All of these cars and almost every other car on earth right now uses 0 to 1.1v as a signal from the o2 sensor to the ecu. The sensors are all the same in material, construction, and how they work. Google how an oxygen sensor works. The only difference in part numbers is the different connector ends and the lenght of the wires. If you can't figure out how to solder a couple of wires then yes you should go buy the oem part and spend way to much money. If you can solder three wires, save your money buy the cheap unit and then go buy about 5 cases of beer for the money you saved. The universal will work just fine. By the way if you do mange to get the heater wires crossed (the two white ones) it will not mess up the ecu. The o2 sensor is fused on the late cars. It is on the same fuse as the fuel pump. I have been through this if you have any problems or questions pm me. I will gladly help you any way I can.

wi54545

True lug nut, but don't solder the wires! Crimps only, it needs reference air (don't know how that works) to operate properly. Also, I can get about 6 plus cases of linenkugels! I'm cheap! One of the places that aftermarket is okay in my opinion.

Jeremy Himsel

I've put non-OEM on a dozen or so of these cars over the last ten years and they work fine. Yes, I have checked it with a meter and I log it on my SMT-6. My 951 has had the same sensor in it for 7 years and it works great. I use the sensor from an 89 taurus with a 3.0L in it. It's about $40 at autozone.

dnwong

That makes no sense whether we soldier or crimp. As long as you have a solid connection and its well insulated, then I don't see any difference.

The DareDevil

Long story short, the oxygen sensor uses oxygen molecules as a reference to create oxygen gradients necessary for voltage generation (Zucker, 2002).

If you solder the wires the path for oxygen to travel between the strands of wire will be obstructed. If you crimp them, oxygen molecules will be able to travel through as normal.

See this thread:

dnwong

Where is O2 sensor located? When I was looking, I found some disconnected tubing / connectors.

See thread.
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ghlight=sensor