Z_WAAAAAZ

Posting this up because it might help someone in a pinch. It might also be common knowledge/common sense to some but I'm willing to risk being called a noob. For reference, I'm running an AEM 30-4110 wideband controller with Bosch 17025 sensor.

So I started my car yesterday morning and my AEM AFR gauge immediately swept over to full lean. The gauge stuck fully pinned to one side regardless of the O2 sensor being warmed up, throttle input/load, etc. Car ran fine and I'd seen a bad O2 sensor do exactly this before, bummer but no big deal. My EGO doesn't do any corrections outside 10.0-18.0 AFR so I drove it to work and decided to worry about it later.

I had some extra time at work and a few faulty Ford wideband O2 sensors sitting around. Most of these O2s set check engine lights either due to failed heaters or voltage readings that the ECU deemed were unacceptable compared to what downstream or other engine bank O2's were showing. None of my sensors were marked by failure but figured I had a 50/50 shot of grabbing a sensor with only a failed heater so I decided to start tinkering.

I grabbed a wideband that I believe was off a ~2020 F-150 Raptor and spliced the sensor in with my current wideband connector (I figured that the resistors in each connector were probably different so it'd be best to compare differences in the sensors only). It's worth noting that each sensor tip was a different design. Should've taken pics. I disabled EGO, started the car up and my AFRs swept right to where they normally do at idle. Not just within a handful of tenths either, like right on the money. I figured the coincidence was too good to be true but on the drive home, the find was confirmed. The sensor I happened to grab had the same calibration as the Bosch 17025 that I was running before. Cruising and boost AFRs both seem to read exactly the same as with my old sensor. I have a replacement wideband coming in the mail but I'll definitely be keeping this sensor as a spare, seeing as it seems to coincide with my ECU calibration. I'm going to keep running it for the rest of the week and see if anything changes.

I haven't tried testing the different sensor connectors yet but might give it a shot at some point just to see what happens. The Ford connectors have an additional ridge in them but it can be easily ground down to make the connector fit. Splicing in an O2 to the original connector isn't really an inconvenience but it'd be sweet coincidence having the option to just pop in a whole new Ford sensor and have it work.


Connector out of a Ford sensor on the left. Bosch 17025 connector on right.

Anyways, I'll try this with the next wideband that I replace for a faulty heater, and grab the part number off of the replacement sensor. It's good to know that we're not limited to finding a 17025 if an O2 gives out the day before an event.

Crarrs

iTrader: (1)

Good info about compatibility. One thing I see in the photo is that the sensor on the left also has the lower left corner scalloped out. I'd be weary of the ability of the mating connector on an AEM or other wideband gauge to provide a weathertight seal to that opening. Just something to consider if you aren't making this connection inside the car and it's exposed to the elements under the car.

Z_WAAAAAZ

Wow, I totally missed that haha. Yeah, my connection's outside the car and fairly close to my hood vents so moisture exposure could be bad news. Still gotta see if running the other connector is viable first.

WigglingWaffles

My sho has the same connector sans tab - bosch 15383
Bit cold out to plug and play with the idea myself, however.

Z_WAAAAAZ

Good to know your SHO might be a viable donor if your wideband goes out

Been running the Raptor O2 all week, thing still reads fine no issues. Screw it, I'm leaving this one in for now and tossing the new O2 I got in the spares bin. The lack of a heater (assuming that's what failed on this one) doesn't seem to be a big deal as the sensor's still fully warmed up and functional ~15 seconds after starting the car.

Thank you all for accompanying me on my journey.

afm

iTrader: (3)

The resistor in each connector is calibrated (“laser-trimmed”) to the specific sensor it’s connected to, accounting for process variation in the cell. So swapping connectors reduces accuracy for gauges that rely on the resistor (as many AEMs do).