What is an oxygen sensor (lambda probe) and why is it needed?

In order for the fuel to burn completely in the chamberengine, you need an exact proportion of the ratio of air to gasoline. Thanks to this dosage, the machine releases the least amount of harmful gases. This is useful not only for the environment, but for the motor itself. And that this ratio was always correct, and if necessary, the driver carried out diagnostics / repair of the car, there is a special oxygen sensor (lambda probe - its second name). Today we will talk about it.

Principle of operation

Using the electronic control unitengine (each vehicle is equipped with it), the system determines the required dosage of fuel in the combustion chamber. Lambda sensor, in turn, is a kind of feedback, through which the electronic unit produces a certain amount of gasoline, prepared for ignition in the cylinders. The amount of fuel consumed depends on the accuracy of the dosage. If this figure exceeds the permissible norm, it means that gasoline burns in the chamber not completely, and a certain percentage of fuel simply flies into the pipe, harming not only the driver (from an economic point of view) but also nature.

It is also worth noting that in all modernThe brands of machines have special catalytic converters. In them, the exhaust gases pass through several stages of filtration, after which they enter the automotive catalyst and exit through the silencer. This allows the car to cause less damage to nature, so foreign manufacturers are compulsorily manning their cars with this device.

The oxygen sensor (lambda probe) and its malfunction

Sometimes drivers face a breakdown problemThis device, but not each of them responds to the situation in time. If you notice an inflated fuel consumption, and your car only met the Euro-1 standard for emissions, this means that the whole problem lies in this spare part. The oxygen sensor (lambda probe) can also signal for its failure. In this case, the "check engine" light is on the instrument panel (which means "check the engine"), which warns of possible malfunctions in the electronic control unit system. But this does not always happen - the sensor can lie, especially for cars with gas-cylinder equipment. Therefore, if your "iron friend" is working on propane or methane, you should not react so sharply to this signal.

What should I do if I break down?

If you find a malfunction or doubtIn this case, contact the service station and order the diagnostic service. There the masters will check whether the oxygen sensor (lambda probe) is OK or not. For diagnostics, special equipment is used which, when the motor is running, determines the characteristic of the exhausts at different engine speeds. There is no other way out of the situation, so if the sensor breaks, it's simply impossible to solve the problem yourself (unless you have the same equipment).