Exhaust Gas Sensor Location/Purpose?

[Jozizo]

I just bought my Z a few days ago. I paid for it and drove it all the way home with minimal problems (40 miles with no stalling, choking, sputtering, etc.). I get it home and open the hood for a closer inspection. Then I find this:

 

 

It was just laying there right next to the injectors. I look through a FSM I got, and see that it's the "Exhaust Gas Sensor." The description of its purpose is:

 

The exhaust gas sensor produces an electromotive force depending on air-fuel mixture ratio.

 

The electromotive force varies directly with the dnesity of oxygen in the exhaust gases which is burned at the theoretically determined air-fuel ratio of mixture; electromotive force increases when there is a richer mixture, and decreases when there is a lean mixture.

 

The electromotive force is transmitted to the control unit by means of a signal which activates the control unit in order to provide optimum amount of fuel injection.

 

So yeah, that sounds kinda important. But it ran all the way home with no problems. The thing is, I can't find out where it is supposed to go. I looked all over the place according to the drawn image in the FSM. And then I see this pic by abc_was_here:

 

 

So I can just barely see that it goes somewhere in this area, but I don't see anywhere on my car that it's supposed to go. What gives? Like I said, it seems to be running fine; but with a description like that I feel like I need it. Plus I don't want swinging parts hangin' around the engine while I drive.

Edited May 7, 2010 by Jozizo

[johnc]

I just bought my Z a few days ago. I paid for it and drove it all the way home with minimal problems (40 miles with no stalling, choking, sputtering, etc.). I get it home and open the hood for a closer inspection. Then I find this:

 

 

It was just laying there right next to the injectors. I look through a FSM I got, and see that it's the "Exhaust Gas Sensor." The description of its purpose is:

 

 

 

So yeah, that sounds kinda important. But it ran all the way home with no problems. The thing is, I can't find out where it is supposed to go. I looked all over the place according to the drawn image in the FSM. And then I see this pic by abc_was_here:

 

 

So I can just barely see that it goes somewhere in this area, but I don't see anywhere on my car that it's supposed to go. What gives? Like I said, it seems to be running fine; but with a description like that I feel like I need it. Plus I don't want swinging parts hangin' around the engine while I drive.

 

Its also called an O2 sensor and it goes in the exhaust manifold down near the collector or in the exhuast pipe just below the collector. You should see a M18 x 1.5p threaded opening that the sensor screws into.

[Jozizo]

Its also called an O2 sensor and it goes in the exhaust manifold down near the collector or in the exhuast pipe just below the collector. You should see a M18 x 1.5p threaded opening that the sensor screws into.

 

Awesome. Thank you.

 

I am curious, though, why the car seems to run just fine. My understanding of an 02 sensor is that it helps to determine what amounts of fuel to inject. Shouldn't then, my car feel retarded in some way; either too lean or too rich?

[19762802+2]

Another thing to add is that you have headers on your car, so you might not have a threaded opening but I'm not sure, I know I have one in my header but I think my previous owner put it there. If you already have one in yours thats great, and yes if the exhaust gas sensor wasn't in the exhaust it could make it run lean or rich.