Wideband Noob!

[84BuickGNYorkPA]

Well I unpackaged my gauge pods today and picked up my downpipe with the bung welded in. Hopefully I will be able to start my install tomorrow and add some new pics of the progress being made.
Id like a little insight into 84BuickGNYorkPA's comment regarding the problem with interference from the plug wires and coil pack. Is this a common problem? Should I invest in some wrap for the wiring to the sensor to shield it from electrical interference? Im stuck with the bung location for now and would like to take any precaution necessary to keep from burning up the unit.
Thanks
Brian

Your not stuck with that location, just get another bung(put a plug in the 1st one, threads right in), most muffler shop should have O2 bungs in stock, they are a very common size, also very common O2 sensor. http://www.amazon.com/01-06-Oxygen-Sensor-06A906262BC-Beetle/dp/B001KEL8H4

Chuck

 

[boosted3]

It was just a figure of speech. :biggrin: I guess im just a little bit frustrated by all of this! I posted up and got multiple answers and after I made the decision on where to install it, i get negatives about the decision i made! I work on a pretty tight budget. I actually refinanced my car loan just so i could do this work and be able to drive my car this season. So if I burn up the unit, i cant just go out and buy a new one to replace it. Thus my concern. I guess I will install it where its at for now and hope that everything works out!
I plan on doing the install on the wideband and the rest of the gauges tomorrow and will hopefully fire the car up by monday.
Pics to follow soon!
Thanks!

 

[jasjamz]

Mount the controller up on the heater box near the blower motor.

 

[turboc87gn]

It was just a figure of speech. :biggrin: I guess im just a little bit frustrated by all of this! I posted up and got multiple answers and after I made the decision on where to install it, i get negatives about the decision i made! I work on a pretty tight budget. I actually refinanced my car loan just so i could do this work and be able to drive my car this season. So if I burn up the unit, i cant just go out and buy a new one to replace it. Thus my concern. I guess I will install it where its at for now and hope that everything works out!
I plan on doing the install on the wideband and the rest of the gauges tomorrow and will hopefully fire the car up by monday.
Pics to follow soon!
Thanks!

Idk man im following this thread close cause a got the same one new in the box and have yet to install it...Sounds to me like an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in your case...Especially since your unit is new and you dont have the $ to replace it..Id spend the extra couple $ now while the pipe is off everything is new and easy to get to ,to change the location of the bung..take a spark plug knock the porcelin out of it and have it welded shut..that way you can add a egt or somethin later if u want..

Instead of knowingly putting it in a bad spot then having it go bad and having to replace it (which is out of budget) and having to take all that stuff apart again to get it moved....Rushing in all the exitement to get things done never helps anything take ur time and youll be a lot better off...

 

[INEEDAGN]

Your not stuck with that location, just get another bung(put a plug in the 1st one, threads right in), most muffler shop should have O2 bungs in stock, they are a very common size, also very common O2 sensor. Amazon.com: 01-06 VW Bosch Oxygen Sensor 06A906262BC 17085 Jetta Golf Beetle 01 02 03 04 05 06: Automotive

Chuck

Are you sure that part number will work? Because it's different than the numbers I have. I'm pretty sure I got my numbers either off the Innovate website or out of my instructions from my LM-1. Not saying it won't work I'd just like to eliminate confusion.

FWIW my numbers are

VW: 021-906-262-B
Bosch: 17014
Last I checked they were 80 or so from innovate or full throttle.


Also has anyone tried the heat sink bung extender that full throttle sells? Not cheap but if it saves the sensor more than once...

 

[INEEDAGN]

OR. While i'm at it has anyone tried to make a heat sink using the el cheapo method mentioned in the innovate FAQ section? They say you can cut a 5" square section of copper sheet and make a hole in it, then thread it on the sensor before installing, making a heat sink to keep heat out of the body.

Support :: Innovate Motorsports

You guys must be leaving the sensor in full time?

 

[84BuickGNYorkPA]

Are you sure that part number will work? Because it's different than the numbers I have. I'm pretty sure I got my numbers either off the Innovate website or out of my instructions from my LM-1. Not saying it won't work I'd just like to eliminate confusion.

FWIW my numbers are

VW: 021-906-262-B
Bosch: 17014
Last I checked they were 80 or so from innovate or full throttle.


Also has anyone tried the heat sink bung extender that full throttle sells? Not cheap but if it saves the sensor more than once...

Go with your number, I know that they are common VW motor company uses them on some of there cars. I made a heat sink out of aluminum, never had a problem with the sensor, just the "black box".

Chuck

 

[incubus2432]

My wideband sensor is in the same spot as yours and I've had no issues with it (since the '08). When I went to install mine I asked the same question and got the same variation of answers with each side having reasons why the other was the "worst possible".

You can see where mine is installed in this pic.......

 

[boosted3]

My wideband sensor is in the same spot as yours and I've had no issues with it (since the '08). When I went to install mine I asked the same question and got the same variation of answers with each side having reasons why the other was the "worst possible".

You can see where mine is installed in this pic.......

This is why I made the decision to leave it! Thanks for your concern turboc87gn, but my problem since the beginning is there are sound arguments for both sides! The problem of clean air and moisture down low is a problem and the air being too hot and electrical interference at the top is a problem! Ive seen people with both locations now that are doing fine! I have a friend with a FAST XFI and his is in almost the same location as mine and that was installed professionally! As far as i can see, either way you could run into problems based on peoples past experiences. Im going to leave it where its at for now, and take extra precautions to keep the wiring and black box away from the spark plug wires and coil pack just for a little safety measure! I hate to be the guinea pig on this but I guess i will be the deciding factor on where to install the Wideband sensor on a buick! Stay tuned to find out how i make out!

 

[boosted3]

OR. While i'm at it has anyone tried to make a heat sink using the el cheapo method mentioned in the innovate FAQ section? They say you can cut a 5" square section of copper sheet and make a hole in it, then thread it on the sensor before installing, making a heat sink to keep heat out of the body.

Support :: Innovate Motorsports

You guys must be leaving the sensor in full time?

I wish i had the extra cash! I would definitely buy one of these for a little safety net!

 

[boosted3]

Well I got my gauges mounted in the gauge pods and as expected everything is top quality, and fit! A+ to Gbody and GNS Performance! The paint matches my interior very well and was well done! Now down to my first problem.
I prefer mechanical gauges over the electric and this has in turn caused my problem. The mechanical water temp, oil pressure, and boost all have long adapters to attach the lines to the gauge. This creates very tight conditions on the back of the gauges where the pods mount. I am worried that I may kink the lines if i try to make the pods fit perfectly. The top hole on the GNS pod is the only one that will fit so i went ahead and ordered 2 90 degree adapters made by autometer #3272 . Hopefully they will be here by tuesday and I can continue my install.

 

[boosted3]

Go with your number, I know that they are common VW motor company uses them on some of there cars. I made a heat sink out of aluminum, never had a problem with the sensor, just the "black box".

Chuck

Could you post a picture of your homemade heat sink? I read that DIY on Innovate's website and I just want to make sure that I do it right before i install it! Thanks!

 

[TurboDave]

Here's a tid bit of info you may or may not find interesting. While redoing my gauges into my new GNS gauge pod, I did some searching in the service manual for a better place to get the gauges illuminated, instead of T-tapping the illumination wire under the radio.

Low-and-behold there is a place on the stock fuse panel you plug right into for gauge (or anyting else) illumination!!!!!!

Look at the fuse panel, slightly higher than dead center is an empty socket labeled LPS. LPS=lamps!! Takes a regular spade connector from your red illumination wire, then just run your green wire to a ground to the other side of your bulbs.

 

[turbo nasty]

Good info dave

 

[AdReNaLiNe]

Subscribed.

I have the same unit and I am half way through installing it with 100 questions of my own.

I have the wires run into the car, and the gauge in the pod. I have a scanmaster and no powerlogger as do you.

My biggest concern was getting the reading onto the gauge so I can read it, but I'm not planning on messing with the tuning myself.

Si if you do do this, please please please, the more pictures the better.

There isn't a writeup anywhere on how to do it.

 

[boosted3]

Subscribed.

I have the same unit and I am half way through installing it with 100 questions of my own.

I have the wires run into the car, and the gauge in the pod. I have a scanmaster and no powerlogger as do you.

My biggest concern was getting the reading onto the gauge so I can read it, but I'm not planning on messing with the tuning myself.

Si if you do do this, please please please, the more pictures the better.

There isn't a writeup anywhere on how to do it.

The instructions that come with the gauge tell you exactly how to wire it up. I finished the install and the wiring ended up being pretty easy! I installed the push button switch and the LED that came with the kit right in the pillar next to the gauge for ease of calibration. i ran the ground for the LC1 and the gauge back through the firewall and grounded it out to the intake just under the throttle linkage because one of the guys told me to make sure it had a good engine ground. the gauge works great but I have not gone full throttle yet so as far as accuracy compared to the scanmaster I cant say.
I will post some pics of the install tomorrow. If you have any questions, let me know. I can probably answer them now while its fresh in my head.
Thanks

 

[toomanymodz]

I mounted mine on the downpipe to where it sticks out towards the transmission bellhousing. It's hidden from view up-top, but it's very easy accessible from under the car. I made my heat sink using a 4 inch by 4 inch piece of aluminum that I bought at a hardware store. Just drilled a hole in the middle and bent the edges a bit.. piece of cake. Without the heat sink, my O2 sensors wouldnn't last more than a couple of months due to overheating.

 

[AdReNaLiNe]

Basically what I am having problems with is where the wires join.

Do all the wires join together from the sensor to the plug that goes into the gauge?

2 are grounds, 1 is hot (12V switched) the brown is analog output and the yellow is digital, so leave out the brown in the whole equation?

Then if i do decide to go powerlogger, just splice into these and send the data to the powerlogger in the future?

The diagrams are there but they are a bit confusing. I'm a wiring n00b

 

[boosted3]

Basically what I am having problems with is where the wires join.

Do all the wires join together from the sensor to the plug that goes into the gauge?

2 are grounds, 1 is hot (12V switched) the brown is analog output and the yellow is digital, so leave out the brown in the whole equation?

Then if i do decide to go powerlogger, just splice into these and send the data to the powerlogger in the future?

The diagrams are there but they are a bit confusing. I'm a wiring n00b

There are a hot wire from the LC1 harness and from the gauge for the lighting. The LC1 harness wire should go to an ignition source and the Gauge wire should go to a dash or gauge lighting source for power. The brown wire does stay unhooked and that would be the wire that you would run to the powerlogger if you bought one. Make sure the grounds are good engine grounds. As i said before. I ran mine out and grounded them to the engine just to be safe.
I will grab my install instructions and come back with a more in depth explanation of how it all goes together.

 

[boosted3]

Basically what I am having problems with is where the wires join.

Do all the wires join together from the sensor to the plug that goes into the gauge?

2 are grounds, 1 is hot (12V switched) the brown is analog output and the yellow is digital, so leave out the brown in the whole equation?

Then if i do decide to go powerlogger, just splice into these and send the data to the powerlogger in the future?

The diagrams are there but they are a bit confusing. I'm a wiring n00b

ok, this is exactly how i wired mine up.
Do not install the sensor in the dowpipe or connect it to the harness. That will come later during calibration.

From the gauge harness:
Red wire to LPS on fuse panel
Black to ground.
Yellow to ground. (I found that the gauge lighting is no brighter than the scanmaster so i wasnt worried about the light dimming for night)
White to Brown wire on harness from LC1.

From the LC1 Harness:
Red to IGN on fuse panel.
Blue to Ground
White to Ground. (I attached the wires from the gauge to one ground wire and the wires from the LC1 harness to a second ground wire and ran both through the firewall grounding to the upper intake grounding stud near the throttle bracket.)
Brown to white gauge wire.
Yellow not connected.(This wire can be used to run to powerlogger if you get one.

Now the LED and the push button switch come into play.
Connect the red wire from the LED and one side of the switch (doesnt matter which) to the black of the LC1 harness.
Connect the black wire from the LED and the other side of the switch to the same ground wire as the others from the harness. (See White to ground explanation above.)

At this point you should not have the sensor in your downpipe and it should not be hooked up to the harness.
The rest of this is directly from the instructions for calibration of the sensor.

Switch your ignition on and wait 20 seconds. During this time the LED will flash a 2 blink sequence repeatedly. After 20 seconds, turn the ignition off.
Now connect the sensor to the harness but do not install it in the downpipe. The sensor must be able to read clean air in order to calibrate.
Switch the ignition on again. The led will start blinking slowly and steadily indicating that it is warming up. It will then start to blink faster until it will finally stay lit with no blinking which means the sensor is heated up and ready to calibrate. Press and hold the button in for 30 seconds. During this time the light will go out. Once the button is released the LED will come back on. Now the sensor will calibrate itself with the clean air. After the sensor is done calibrating the LED will light up continuously. Calibration complete.
Now you can install the sensor in the downpipe and proceed with tuning.
I am currently working on an overboosting problem so I have not tried to tune with the gauge and I dont know what number I should be shooting for so maybe someone can weigh in on what the target number is that we should be looking for. You can see in my photo of the Wideband gauge that I installed the LED above the gauge and the calibration button to the left of the gauge. Everything fit there with plenty of room and its easy to see and access while calibrating.
HTH! Good luck with the install!