I know it's bad to use the stock oxygen sensor with headers. I'm gonna have it on some longtubes.

The problem is that the car is getting Longtubes and duals in anticipation for a motor swap. The new motor is gonna be carb'ed so I'll realy have no real good use for the oxygen sensor in a month or so (barring any unforeseen setbacks with the motor necessitating the reinstallation of the 305) when everything finally gets swapped over.

My question is, will the oxygen sensor work well enough for hte L03 to at least run as well as it does with the stock manifolds? I'll be driving it around to and fro occasionally between the time it gets header'd up and the motor swap, and Im not sure just how much the TBI computer really relies on the oxygen sensor.

I could just wait and get it all done in one shot, but I've got a pretty nifty narrow-band A/F ratio gauge (just looks cool in the car) that I plan on keeping, so whenever the single-wire sensor goes I'll probably grab a proper heated one to replace it. But of course, after the engine swap that gauge wont have any bearing on the operation of the motor aside from maybe being a marginally useful tool for carb tuning, so by that point its accuracy doesnt matter as much. And that bung would make a nice place for a wideband sensor later on...

I have a tendency to write novels...

To summarize, will having an unheated, stock oxygen sensor in the back end of some long tubes cause problems in the very short term? How fast do they go bad in these situations?

 

it might cause you too run too rich and heat up the headers a lot, from what ive heard.. the 02 sensor doesnt start working anyway until it reaches its operating temp, which is like 600 degrees i think. I think you should be fine.. Why dont you wait for the engine swap to put in the headers?? Probably be easier
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it might cause you too run too rich and heat up the headers a lot. From what ive heard, the 02 sensor doesnt start working anyway until it reaches its operating temp, which is like 600 degrees i think. I think you should be fine.. Why dont you wait for the engine swap to put in the headers?? Probably be easier

 

Just easier to budget your time when you break it up into smaller pieces... but if waiting is the easiest thing I may well just do that. The duals that are going on have got to be fabbed up, and that takes time also. But waiting may end up being the best thing to do.

 

The CTS might send you into closed loop before the O2 sensor is giving valid readings, but that isn't going to be a problem once it starts firing properly.

You can use the O2 sensor for basic tuning after the carb is on. Wideband would be better, though. At least the bung will already be there.

 

I have forgotten the details about TBI closed/vs open loop... Is the oxygen sensor only used when in open loop?

And doesn't it go open loop at WOT?