With Mobiletron’s recent announcement that it has launched a new range of 5-wire oxygen sensors, PMM finds out a bit more about the technology involved.
The benefits of 5-wire oxygen sensors
The main advantage of using a 5-wire oxygen sensor is that it gives an exact reading as to what degree the fuel mix is rich or lean, using the current sensing cell. Vehicles that use 4- wire sensors can only send a basic signal to the ECU, which can recognise that the fuel mix is lean or rich, but not by how much.
A more sophisticated sensor
The 5-wire sensor sends a more complex message to the ECU. The signal no longer simply tells the ECU the fuel mix is rich or lean; its signal gives the ECU a constant and variable voltage from 0 to 5V (with 0 indicating an extremely lean mixture and 5V indicating a very rich mixture). This enables the engine to maintain a better air to fuel mixture, because the ECU can adjust fuel injection according to these measurements provided by the oxygen sensor.
By adjusting the fuel mix to the optimum level, the engine will run more effectively and the emissions of the vehicle will be reduced. Using a 5-wire sensor will help to increase fuel economy as a result of the sensor mediating the optimum fuel mix and the vehicle will perform better due to a lower carbon build up in the engine.
Marketing Manager, Mark Wilson, added: “Mobiletron identified a gap in the market for a 5-wire oxygen sensor supplier after receiving many enquiries from our customers. The addition of these new products allows us to cover this gap caused by the limited aftermarket supply.”
The addition of the 5-wire sensors takes Mobiletron’s total Oxygen sensor vehicle coverage to over 89% and has added 70 new product lines to the current oxygen sensor range. The company’s total coverage of oxygen sensors is over 650 parts, covering almost 15,000 vehicles.
Some of the popular models covered by the new 5-wire sensors are:
BMW: 1 Series E87, 3 Series E90. Citroen: Berlingo, C3, C4, DS3 and DS4. Mini: R56, R57, R55.
Peugeot: 206, 2008, 208, 3008, 308. Vauxhall: Astra Mk5, Vectra, Zafira.
