What color is the oxygen sensor?

What color is the oxygen sensor? Revealing its working principle and common questions

The oxygen sensor is an important component in modern automobile emission control systems, and its color changes often reflect the health of the vehicle. This article will combine the hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days to provide a detailed analysis of the color meaning, working principle and common problems of oxygen sensors.

1. Basic functions of oxygen sensor

The oxygen sensor is mainly used to monitor the oxygen content in the engine exhaust and feed the data back to the ECU (engine control unit) to adjust the air-fuel ratio to ensure maximum combustion efficiency. Common oxygen sensors are divided into two types: narrow range and wide range. Color change is an important indicator of its working status.

2. The oxygen sensor issue that is hotly discussed across the Internet

In the past 10 days, discussions about oxygen sensors on automotive forums and social media have mainly focused on the following hot spots:

1.Oxygen sensor fault light comes on: Many car owners reported that the oxygen sensor fault light on the vehicle dashboard suddenly illuminated, causing concerns about the emission system.

2.Abnormally high fuel consumption: Some users found that the vehicle's fuel consumption increased significantly. After inspection, it was found that the oxygen sensor failed, causing the air-fuel ratio to become imbalanced.

3.DIY Oxygen Sensor Replacement Tutorial: With the popularization of car maintenance knowledge, more and more car owners are trying to replace oxygen sensors by themselves, and the number of clicks on related tutorials has increased significantly.

3. The underlying reasons for the abnormal color of the oxygen sensor

The color change of the oxygen sensor not only reflects its own status, but may also indicate problems with other systems. For example:

-white sediment: It may be due to silicon compound contamination in fuel additives, and the fuel brand needs to be changed.

-Black carbon deposit: Usually related to long-term short-distance driving or frequent cold starts. It is recommended to run at high speed regularly to clean the carbon deposits.

-green corrosion: It is often a sign of coolant leakage and needs to be repaired in time to prevent the engine from overheating.

4. Maintenance recommendations for oxygen sensors

According to the advice of professional technicians, the following points should be paid attention to when maintaining oxygen sensors:

1. Regularly check whether the sensor connection cable is intact to avoid signal distortion caused by wiring problems.

2. Use fuel that meets the standards to avoid sensor poisoning caused by inferior fuel.

3. Check the sensor status every 100,000 kilometers or according to the manufacturer's recommended period, and replace it if necessary.

4. When cleaning the sensor, special detergent must be used, and no hard objects can be used to scratch the sensitive components.

5. Latest oxygen sensor technology trends

Recent industry information shows that a new generation of smart oxygen sensors is under development, with features including:

Through the analysis of this article, we can see that the color of the oxygen sensor is like a "barometer" of car health, and car owners should pay attention to its status regularly. When abnormal color is found, it is recommended to go to a professional maintenance point for inspection in time to avoid small problems turning into major failures.