Lambda sensor....removal??

[Ol' Jeffers]

In preparation for the fitting of the Remus 'Y' piece which arrived this morning, I thought I'd better check everything that
was to be removed would do so without any undue drama. Just as well I did too! I got as far as the removal of the sensor
from the existing collector box and that is where it all came to a grinding halt.
How the heck do you get the sensor out? I couldn't shift it! Not at all!
I tried a liberal application of penetrating oil and an hour to soak in: zilch! Maybe it's the dissimilar metals thing kicking in
(brass/stainless) but I've never had a problem with this before....Any ideas guys??

[boxermania]

In some instances they become a bit difficult to remove, I presume that you have disconected the sensor wiring at the plug located behind the right side of the petrol tank. If so, it would be easier then to access the sensor with the cat fully removed from the bike.

They sell a special socket, with a slot to allow the sensor wire to come through the slot and allow a complete 6 side socket fit onto the sensor. I would suggest that option if yours has been difficult to remove, as you don't want to round off the sensor nut.

As an alternative, if the sensor has 60K miles or more I would recomend you buy a Bosch universal and splice the portion of the old one with the connecting plug to the new one. Pay close attention as the wiring color might not be the same, but the new sensor shoul bring a color code with it. Our bikes have the narrow band 4 wire sensor, 2 wires provide the 12 vdc power to heat the sensor and the other 2 wires provide the voltage signal to the Motronic ECU proportional to the O2 content in the spent combustion gases.

[Ol' Jeffers]

In some instances they become a bit difficult to remove, I presume that you have disconected the sensor wiring at the plug located behind the right side of the petrol tank. If so, it would be easier then to access the sensor with the cat fully removed from the bike.

Errr.....no. I took off the collector box, having removed the silencer, and found that there was enough cable slack to put it on a firm support next to the bike. I have a full tank and not having removed the tank before I was a bit nervous about doing that to get to the other end of the sensor cable.

They sell a special socket, with a slot to allow the sensor wire to come through the slot and allow a complete 6 side socket fit onto the sensor. I would suggest that option if yours has been difficult to remove, as you don't want to round off the sensor nut.

I had thought about grinding a small slot in a ring spanner(wrench) which I think will do a similar job as an open-ended one is not going to work. But this was just a quick look-see. If the sensor had unscrewed I would have fitted the 'Y' piece but as it didn't, I re-fitted the collector box. The whole job of re-fitting took about a half hour with the aid of a scissor jack to help position and support the box. ( I'm old and weak!! )

As an alternative, if the sensor has 60K miles or more I would recomend you buy a Bosch universal and splice the portion of the old one with the connecting plug to the new one. Pay close attention as the wiring color might not be the same, but the new sensor shoul bring a color code with it. Our bikes have the narrow band 4 wire sensor, 2 wires provide the 12 vdc power to heat the sensor and the other 2 wires provide the voltage signal to the Motronic ECU proportional to the O2 content in the spent combustion gases.

The sensor has three wires. Two white, one black. The bike , manufactured in August 2001, has only done around 8500 miles but as I was thinking of getting a used standard can to internally modify for a throatier sound. I may negotiate a used Lambda sensor into the deal for around $200 for both. Then I can do what you suggest, leaving the original in the collector box. If the factory had put as much anti-seize compound on the thread of the sensor as they put on the collector box mounting screws, I wouldn't be having this problem!!

Thanks for the good advice, Boxermania, beers are on me!!

[CycleRob]

Ol' Jeffers,
The tool you need is a flare nut wrench like THIS, but in a larger size. They are so strong, you'll be able to slip it on in place, then hit the free end with a hammer to break the O2 sensor loose.

Any time I removed the 1150R fuel tank, i either planned to have it empty after the ride -or- siphoned the remaining fuel to empty. It makes it a lot easier to deal with the large clumsy ($,$$$) tank when it's lighter and there's no heavy internal mass moving around!

.

[Ol' Jeffers]

Thanks Rob! Ummm......What size will I need?

BTW...It was good to chat on the phone the other day!

[jcridge]

To remove stuck threaded fasteners, I have found the best method is to warm the fasteners ( hot is ok, but do not overheat) and apply non-synthetic brake fluid to the threads, allow it to seep in for 30 minutes or so, and hour wouldn't hurt. Most time the the fastener will come apart if it's not completely gauled, which in that case nothing will work. I have used this on sensors, exhaust manifolds and just plain nasty stuck fasteners that you cannot afford to break. This information is coming from 25 years of flat rate experience.

Keep us posted on your Y-pipe installation, I plan on the same. Where is the best place to purchase the pipe?

John

[Ol' Jeffers]

Thanks for that jcr! I never realised that DOT4 fluid could act as a penetrant!

I got my Remus 'Y' piece from Motorworks here in the UK but I'm sure there are many
Remus distributors in the US as well! Try here: http://www.remususa.com/epages/remus.sf ... 22/R_1150R

[CycleRob]

I don't have that bike anymore, but you can size test it with a few Metric open end wrenches to confirm which one to buy. You'll also need to lift up the tank to get at the O2 sensor wire's plug-in as the wire turns too many times for safe removal, risking damage to the wire end connections.

Talking to you on the phone in the UK was a new experience for me. With modern technology, it sounded good enough to have been from nearby within Georgia. I must say your entertaining heavy British accent doesn't show at all in your postings.

I only recently learned "lolly" is Britt-speak for "truck".

[Ol' Jeffers]

Talking to you on the phone in the UK was a new experience for me. With modern technology, it sounded good enough to have been from nearby within Georgia. I must say your entertaining heavy British accent doesn't show at all in your postings.

I only recently learned "lolly" is Britt-speak for "truck".

When I go down to Daytona for Bike Week (I've done nine!) I stay with friends , after about three days I seem to adapt my speech patterns so well that I'm frequently accused of being a local boy!! I don't do it consciously, it just happens! (Y'all!)
With my London accent I've also been asked if I'm Australian!

Lolly!! Who told you that??
It's LORRY! The word, however, is in decline and 'truck' is becoming more prevalent. It dates back to medieval times.
'Lolly' is an old slang word for money and also a short form for 'lollipop' which in US parlance would be 'popsicle'

BTW the famous 'C*O*C*K*N*E*Y'* is really no longer with us. Neither is their 'rhyming slang' ( apples and pears = stairs etc. ) And we do NOT speak like D*i*c*k van Dyke in Mary bloody Poppins!! That was possibly the worst ever attempt at a London accent ever! Any questions?
But for all you guys 'over there' who are curious about the way English people speak here's a nice link: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Barton-UK-USwords.html
and if you get bored with the first part, scroll down to 'The List' which is amusing!

* The swear filter wouldn't allow me to type this word normally!!

[MattPie]

BTW the famous 'C*O*C*K*N*E*Y'* is really no longer with us. Neither is their 'rhyming slang' ( apples and pears = stairs etc. ) And we do NOT speak like D*i*c*k van Dyke in Mary bloody Poppins!! That was possibly the worst ever attempt at a London accent ever! Any questions?

Hold on there, if 'C*O*C*K*N*E*Y'* is really gone, how come we're still 'septics'?

(Yank rhymes with septic tank, that's how it works)

EDIT: stupid profanity filter. bet it allows 'bugger off' though.

[Ol' Jeffers]

Hold on there, if 'C*O*C*K*N*E*Y'* is really gone, how come we're still 'septics'?
(Yank rhymes with septic tank, that's how it works)
EDIT: stupid profanity filter. bet it allows 'bugger off' though.

Some rhyming slang terms are still with us. Not all of them originated from original C*ockney.
The East End (meaning the eastern side of London which was generally a 'working class' environ)
was where the C*ockneys originated, traditionally within earshot of the Bow bells which are the
bells of the St. Mary-le-Bow church in the centre of London.
Rhyming slang was developed as a way of conversing openly so outsiders (especially police(!) ) could
not understand what was being discussed.
The modern rhyming slang comes from what is known as 'Estuary English' i.e. areas around the Thames
estuary which goes well beyond London into the counties of Essex and Kent.
The term 'septics' is now rarely heard and seems to have died out in the early 80s.
My neighbour used to be one of London's famous black cab drivers and was born and lived in the heart
of the East End and my father owned a butcher's shop in Deptford High St. also right in the East End.
Here's an A-Z guide of London slang which is definitely not for children or anyone who is easily offended
You have been warned!
http://www.londonslang.com/db/a/

[Kobe22]

Hi,

Just wanted to know if you managed to get this out. I have a y-pipe that I'm reverting to the old muffler, [my cheap after-market fell off the bike on my commute, long story] and hit the same problem, unable to remove the O2 sensor.

I believe I have some Dot 4 fluid, I'll give it ago and see.

Thanks

Charles

[Ol' Jeffers]

Ummmm.....I got my BMW mechanic to do it with the correct tool.....
took him all of three seconds!! I'm deeply ashamed.
However I was pleased to note that he used Copperslip on re-assembly.

[brico]

I just installed my newly bought Y-pipe and removing the lambda sensor from the cat was a breeze. 22mm wrench and a firm tug got it slackened in one go. used some copper slip when fitting it onto Y-pipe. maybe I was lucky.

[jnw010]

I had a job and a half getting the sensor out the original cat (at 16k miles). After an hour of sweating, swearing and getting dangerously close to rounding the nut with a normal spanner, I ended up cuting the wires to get a 22mm ring spanner over the nut and "persuading" it with a 4lb club hammer. It really didn't want to loosen.