02 sensor wire material

[Tmoose]

when "adapting" an 02 sensor sometimes the leads must be spliced. Reports are the wires are un-solderable with conventional solder.
Does anyone know whats with 02 leads, and what it would take to solder them?

 

[Comcokid]

Not familiar with O2 construction other than replacing them in my car. Wire type appears to be standard teflon type insulation found in military and some aerospace applications. There are a number of much higher-temperature solders made other than the normal electronic types (60/40, 63/37, RoHs) and they appear in special applications.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Could you be thinking of welded connections rather than soldered?

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[MikeHalloran]

I'd guess that the conductors at the sensor end are stainless steel or something similarly heat resistant. A search or two on "O2 sensor" yields a bunch of one-time success reports and a similar bunch of one-time failure reports for soldering O2 sensor wires, so they're probably not all the same.

So I'd try very careful cleaning and solder, and if that didn't work, I'd try mechanical connections like screw-clamp terminals. I might trust a controlled-cycle crimp with the right tooling. I wouldn't trust an insulation displacement connector. In any case, I'd use shrink tube with a hot-melt lining.

I also found extension cables that just plug in, but apparently there is some confusion about specifying the connectors.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[Tmoose]

thanks all

 

[jons999]

Heat shrink butt connectors work fine, in fact some of the "universal fit" o2 sensors you buy from auto parts stores come with them. Although it is not the best connection we could possibly make it seems to work fine. I have done it many, many times with no issues however i always like to use oem replacement sensors whenever possible, or modify the vehicle wire harness in custom applications.