run narrowband meter (dawes?) off stock O2?

[gears351]

Anyone know if I can splice off the single 3 wire O2 to run a narrowband A/F meter? I'm looking at building a Dawes EWS where it only triggers in the higher end of the reading (.78-1v) or possibly running my DVOM to diagnose a cutout problem @ WOT

Would branching off the SMEC's feed throw the reading off for the SMEC?

[GLHNSLHT2]

doesn't matter where you tap into that wire at. That's how the dawes and other NB gauges work. Personally I'd save your money and get a wideband. Until then just use the DVOM.

[gears351]

I'm not programming, just checking what is going on at WOT. I thought the NB gauges used their own sensors.

[GLHNSLHT2]

no they run off the stock O2. Just use your DVOM.

[turbovanman²]

Dawes works awesome, can see it without really looking at it and yes, it uses your existing ox sensor.

[GLHNSLHT2]

narrowband sensors are a waste of time.

[gears351]

Well, I just want to be sure I'm wasting my time productively :)

If I were racing or writing my own tune I'd go wideband - but as I want to be sure my daily driver TRUCK is functioning safely & correctly (with the addition of the intercooled turbo under the hood) I'm sure the NB will do me fine.

[turbovanman²]

narrowband sensors are a waste of time.

Nope, to some maybe, IE you, but for the mass's, they are and have been proven time and time again over the years.

[GLHNSLHT2]

proven how? By running the vehicle so rich as to not melt pistons? Gus use to recommend to run over 1.0v. Simon are you that stubborn as to not realize how the output voltage of a Narrowband sensor even works? Sorry but I like knowing exactly where I'm at. Let's not live in the dark ages like we did 10 years ago.

[gears351]

Oooh Oooh! I've started a fight!

Easy GLHNSLTH, I'm only looking for information.

Would you agree that a narrow band setup provides the owner/operator/tinkerer with more insight as to what his/her vehicle is doing compared to say - no O2 monitor? I believe Simon is saying (heh heh, "Simon says" heh!) that the NB will provide information people can/have/& will use as a tuning & monitoring aid.

[GLHNSLHT2]

I'm saying that the only reliable info you can get is if your sensor is in good health and switching somewhere in the 14.1-15.1 range. If you want to try an tune with it then just plug in a DVOM or a scanner. Why waste $20-$70 on a guage. Widebands are cheap these days. Too cheap NOT to run one pretty much all the time. You can get an Lc-1 for $160 shipped with a guage and it'll replace the stock O2 sensor.

Anyway, don't waste your time getting gauge, Just use your DVOM.

[The Pope]

Oooh Oooh! I've started a fight!

Easy GLHNSLTH, I'm only looking for information.

Would you agree that a narrow band setup provides the owner/operator/tinkerer with more insight as to what his/her vehicle is doing compared to say - no O2 monitor? I believe Simon is saying (heh heh, "Simon says" heh!) that the NB will provide information people can/have/& will use as a tuning & monitoring aid.

the info you need with a any 02 sensor is how rich you are during boost for tuning and safety. A NB sensor can't read those levels, at all as it is in a form of default. So Simon believes you should just drown your engine with fuel in default and call it good. At least simon should have said drown the engine into NB default and watch your plugs for the right AF LMAO.

As far as the gauge goes the gauge doesn't know any better, the sensor just gets a hair past stoich and then flat lines rich or lean in either direction and the gauge shows it. You can how ever send a wide band signal to a narrow band gauge and get a real reading. Personally I like the dawes 4 light and use it as a dumby light for boost, hooked up to the wide band out put.

I really thought this hobby was past extra injectors and drowning the engines with fuel to be "safe" vs actually tuning, guess some still like the old ways I suppose.

[John B]

I vote for wideband. When I had a narrow band gauge I relied much more on egt than the A/F reading.

[turboshad]

When I first installed my WB I had the NB still hooked up. In the "rich range" where I would have felt safe tuning to, the actual AFR was at 13.4. If that doesn't pucker your sphincter I don't know what will. Since that point I have been a sold WB advocate. The NB was designed for one reason only and that is to detect stoich. The resolution all lies in a lambda range from .99 to 1.01. The only reason it was used so much for tuning is because that was all that was available for a long time and when WBs did come to market they were rather pricey. That is different now with WB being much more affordable. Tuning with a NB is like trying to perform brain surgery with a chainsaw.

http://wbo2.com/ntk/nb-afr.gif

[turbovanman²]

I have both and the Dawes NB reads exactly what I need to know, yellow light is good, that's all you need. So Jay, your telling me the 100's of 1000's of NB users all blew up their engines? Right. Best part is, going down the track, I don't need to look at the WB looking for numbers when a 100 other things are going on, I just look for the yellow LED out of the corner of my eye, so simple, even Jay could read it.

As for drenching in fuel, is that all you've got? really?

The sensors not reading correctly, another lame excuse as BOTH NB's and WB's can have bad sensors. Its called checking them once in awhile, :p

If you simply want to check WOT, NB is fine, if you want to tune or know your AF exactly, then get a WB.

DJ, what NB did you use, Autometer? if so, yeah, those things are shitt, impossible to read and you truly don't know what is good or bad.