To Lambda or not to Lambda?

guitarcarfanatic · Post by **guitarcarfanatic** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 4:30 pm

Hey guys,

My Turbo was fitted with a CAT on it's second service by Volvo (god knows why?!) but they never fitted a lambda sensor. I have a reasonably new CAT and an almost newe Lambda sensor and I have just raped my parts car for the wiring and have found the sockets it plugs into.

Now What I want to know is.. shown on the Poll. I just figure the Lambda will help things become more economical and improve performance a little!!!

So should I fit the Lambda sensor?

Brasco · Post by **Brasco** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 4:33 pm

If you don't need a cat, get rid. That'll improve your performance!

guitarcarfanatic · Post by **guitarcarfanatic** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 4:37 pm

Sorry, Car is an 1989 so i dont need the CAT for emissions. Looking at old MOT advisories do show it has failed 4/5 times on emissions so hence the reason I was thinking of keeping the nearly new Cat!!

robkendall · Post by **robkendall** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:49 am

the only option that i would go is the one not listed...

get a decat pipe same diameter as rest of exhaust and fit the lambda.

knocking the cat apart is a good cheap way of doing it, but you apparently get quite a bit of turbulence in the empty chamber that that can affect the pulse timing of exhaust fumes.....granted, not much, but it will make a diff cos your richmodded?
rgrds
rob

robin_xr4i · Post by **robin_xr4i** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:55 am

Just because it has the plug for the lambda sensor, might not mean its just plug n play you might need a different ecu?

If the emissions are bad fitting a cat would not cure it instantly. If you pre 92 car keeps failing on emissions I would say there something else not right! My metro fail emissions everytime cause the carb was knackered (bloodly thing never ran right)

Personally I would not fit a lambda (unless you really want to), make up a De-cat pipe (or kick the guts out of your original cat) then take it to a garage with a rolling road to get it setup for road use (Performance 3000 in Yeovil or RPE in Cullumpton aint to far from you and i think they both have a rolling road).

In thoery you car should run a lot better, economicaly, should pass mot's fine and there no need for a cat causes you car is pre-aug 1992. happy days

please correct me if I am wrong

usually am!

guitarcarfanatic · Post by **guitarcarfanatic** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:01 am

Apparently it is just plug and play (on the orange ECU anyway... I think your car will just run crap if you have a later car - Blue ECU?). Just needs a reset to allow the ECU to register it being there. The exhaust fumes were fine at the last MOT it's just I have seen in the past that they havent been great and I don't want that to return. Cars that don't have the Lambda just run off a set format which makes the car run slightly rich (read it on the forum) whereas with the Lambda the Ecu constantly makes adjustments to the mixture both for performance and economy.

I am gonna have a go at wiring in the Lambda sensor today if I have time. Might knock the Cat insides out and put that on for a couple days....If I don't like it I will fit the Almost new Cat

Best of both worlds I guess. Rich said last time I saw him that the power output between Cat and No Cat isn't that noticable. I might even get a De Cat Pipe in the end!

stu chacks · Post by **stu chacks** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 1:16 pm

I'd go with the old - 'if it's not broke, don't fix it' Rob!

Stu.

pol · Post by **pol** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 8:37 am

So it's been fitted with a cat in the past to try and fix high emissions? Your year car wasnt meant to have a cat, is that right? Sounds like a lame workaround. Maybe it reduced the emissions, but probably reduced performance also. I'd get the cat out and fix the emissions properly.

pol

guitarcarfanatic · Post by **guitarcarfanatic** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 11:19 am

No emissions are fine now. It has had problems in teh past that I dont want to resurface but I just assume they must of adjusted the maf ( the Maf has had all it's connections resoldered at the cost of Â£70

2 Minute job - dopey previous owner!!). The Cat was fitted by volvo in it's second service for no reason ( I assume the car owners at the time were hippys) I just really want to know if the Lambda will make things run better and get better economy. Sorry if I am being confusing!

robin_xr4i · Post by **robin_xr4i** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 8:50 pm

stu chacks wrote:
I'd go with the old - 'if it's not broke, don't fix it' Rob!

Stu.

Think thats the best plan, you aint got a lambda sensor so why both with it!

Narrow band lambda sensor like on the 480 are there to make sure the mixture is correct so the cat does its job. For the cat to work properly the mixture has to be just right, too much unburnt fuel can damage them. Providing you car is running fine I dont see the point in a lambda senor.

However It would be interesting to see what difference it made?

JohnTurbo · Post by **JohnTurbo** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:42 pm

My car ran noticably quicker with a screwed lambda.

guitarcarfanatic · Post by **guitarcarfanatic** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:44 pm

JohnTurbo wrote:My car ran noticably quicker with a screwed lambda.

As in broken?

Volvo 480 Club Europe

To Lambda or not to Lambda?

What should I do?

To Lambda or not to Lambda?