Growing up doesn't have to suck

[swathdiver]

For what it's worth, I bought the oem gm sensors and they have denso etched on the sensor itself. But, I too, am hanging at 21.6% alcohol, even after filling over half a tank with 100% gas. All previous fill ups have been e10 for years. I think I put e85 in it a few times in 2012-2013 but not since then

Well, that contributes to our knowledge base. Now I'm going to look at my old sensors and see if they have any makers marks on them too.

 

[swathdiver]

I've looked at that and another version a few times ever since @swathdiver mentioned that exact one a good while back. I almost pull the trigger then tell myself that this will be the last time I deal with this since I'm going back to regular E10 93 until I get a physical sensor. Then I don't do either.

Honestly, I'm kinda fed up with the whole thing. I think it's stupid that it takes miles and miles and days of driving for it to finally read half-assed close, assuming all pertinent components and systems are operating properly. Then, apparently, it needs to be reset ever so often to "unstick" it from reading certain ways. It's a whole lot of to-do for a return that you might not get, in full or in part, and you will only know after you've put the fuel in your tank and have waited. Comparing E0-E10 93 with E85 at the track is impossible.

I'm with you Chris, how much was that actual sensor kit?

 

[iamdub]

Did you get the ABS wire problem settled? I was going to write a reply and forgot with all the other topics we had going at the time.

I stretched one out once but didn't break it. When the bed was removed from one of our pickups for painting one was stretched out and broke internally.

I swapped left and right sides, cleaned the tips and wiped the area on the axle shafts directly in front of the sensors. I cleared the code for the LH sensor fault and when I turned the key on, I immediately got a RH sensor fault and no more LH sensor fault. So, I'm lead to believe it's a failed sensor.

Now, among the many new existential crises I'm having, I'm wondering how this sensor failed when I hit that hard dip. I've hit it and got the warnings twice before, but they went away after a few key cycles. I saw no damage or even witness marks in the tip indicating contact with the axle shaft. I have a junk axle shaft I referred to and it has no reluctor on it. So I don't know how the sensor reads the axle and I don't know how it failed.

Maybe I do have some radial slack in my bearings (I checked but I can't recreate vehicle weight slamming on it) and the axle just ever-so-lightly tapped the sensor. Being there's no reluctor and it's a smooth surface covered in heavy gear oil, it didn't leave contact marks.

I'm gonna grab a sensor off a parted-out vehicle and test. Might even use a thin shim to space it out a couple thousandths. I'd get a new sensor, but I'd rather kill a cheap used OE sensor than a new $60+ one.

 

[iamdub]

Well, that contributes to our knowledge base. Now I'm going to look at my old sensors and see if they have any makers marks on them too.

All this BS makes me want some Maker's Mark.

 

[iamdub]

I'm with you Chris, how much was that actual sensor kit?

IIRC, around $300. You can source the parts yourself, etc. and maybe save a few bucks. But it's probably not worth the hassle. My problem is my OCD. I want the sensor in or around the factory location, or at least in a safer location than on top of the engine with heat and ignition sources immediately below it. I have a fear of leaks from a faulty aftermarket component. I think there may be a QD junction near the front of the tank in the nylon fuel line where one can be "spliced" in. If I'm looking at the correct sensor(s), they're around $65. I'd love to splice this in with one of the 3/8" nylon hose barb-to-3/8" QD adapters I have on hand, run some wires (three?) to the PCM and be all-in for under $100.

 

[swathdiver]

IIRC, around $300. You can source the parts yourself, etc. and maybe save a few bucks. But it's probably not worth the hassle. My problem is my OCD. I want the sensor in or around the factory location, or at least in a safer location than on top of the engine with heat and ignition sources immediately below it. I have a fear of leaks from a faulty aftermarket component. I think there may be a QD junction near the front of the tank in the nylon fuel line where one can be "spliced" in. If I'm looking at the correct sensor(s), they're around $65. I'd love to splice this in with one of the 3/8" nylon hose barb-to-3/8" QD adapters I have on hand, run some wires (three?) to the PCM and be all-in for under $100.

We still have to turn it on in the tune. BlackBear can do mine.

 

[swathdiver]

I swapped left and right sides, cleaned the tips and wiped the area on the axle shafts directly in front of the sensors. I cleared the code for the LH sensor fault and when I turned the key on, I immediately got a RH sensor fault and no more LH sensor fault. So, I'm lead to believe it's a failed sensor.

Now, among the many new existential crises I'm having, I'm wondering how this sensor failed when I hit that hard dip. I've hit it and got the warnings twice before, but they went away after a few key cycles. I saw no damage or even witness marks in the tip indicating contact with the axle shaft. I have a junk axle shaft I referred to and it has no reluctor on it. So I don't know how the sensor reads the axle and I don't know how it failed.

Maybe I do have some radial slack in my bearings (I checked but I can't recreate vehicle weight slamming on it) and the axle just ever-so-lightly tapped the sensor. Being there's no reluctor and it's a smooth surface covered in heavy gear oil, it didn't leave contact marks.

I'm gonna grab a sensor off a parted-out vehicle and test. Might even use a thin shim to space it out a couple thousandths. I'd get a new sensor, but I'd rather kill a cheap used OE sensor than a new $60+ one.

Maybe the wire stretched when the suspension unloaded if I'm understanding this right. The wires are inside the plastic which stretches.

 

[swathdiver]

I almost pull the trigger then tell myself that this will be the last time I deal with this since I'm going back to regular E10 93 until I get a physical sensor. Then I don't do either.

Mine has been on E85 for almost six months now. Every time I think about switching the price of 93 has me running back to E85. Thankfully the AC stays between 73% ad 80%. Close enough for TV.

 

[Sam Harris]

Mine has been on E85 for almost six months now. Every time I think about switching the price of 93 has me running back to E85. Thankfully the AC stays between 73% ad 80%. Close enough for TV.

I miss my corn gas… (deva-vu..)

 

[iamdub]

We still have to turn it on in the tune. BlackBear can do mine.

Correct. Which brings up another one of my fails from yesterday. I couldn't get HPT (VCM Editor) to connect to the Tahoe. I should've just worked. Sometimes it doesn't pay to try to have downtime.

 

[iamdub]

Maybe the wire stretched when the suspension unloaded if I'm understanding this right. The wires are inside the plastic which stretches.

I wish it were so simple. I've had mine hanging on the lift countless times and even for weeks at a time. I have a 4.5" rear drop and the shocks and sway bar won't let it droop anywhere nearly enough to stress the wires. They had plenty of floppy slack in them when I swapped them around yesterday.

View attachment 396547

I've never seen this before. Where is it located? I twisted up a paper towel and crammed it in the hole where the sensor went, pushed on it with a large Phillips screwdriver and turned the wheel on both directions to wipe the axle shaft clean. It definitely was smooth.

View attachment 396548

This is what my junk axle looks like. I even measured from the flange to the sensor hole then compared it to that area on the junk axle. It's smooth.


All of this stumping has me feeling really stupid lately:

Used a plastic cap to hold back pressurized fuel while I drove around for a couple hundred miles
Can't figure out how a Hall effect sensor reads a smooth shaft
Can't figure out how this sensor was damaged by driving through a dip that hundreds of cars hit daily for years
Can't figure out how to connect my laptop to my Tahoe for HPT
Can't get my alcohol content to read accurately anymore
Just found out I might (probably?) have the wrong O2 sensors that seem to be fine for engine operation and ragged-edge tuning but not for calculating alcohol content

*sigh*
I'm going to bed.

 

[swathdiver]

I wish it were so simple. I've had mine hanging on the lift countless times and even for weeks at a time. I have a 4.5" rear drop and the shocks and sway bar won't let it droop anywhere nearly enough to stress the wires. They had plenty of floppy slack in them when I swapped them around yesterday.




I've never seen this before. Where is it located? I twisted up a paper towel and crammed it in the hole where the sensor went, pushed on it with a large Phillips screwdriver and turned the wheel on both directions to wipe the axle shaft clean. It definitely was smooth.




This is what my junk axle looks like. I even measured from the flange to the sensor hole then compared it to that area on the junk axle. It's smooth.


All of this stumping has me feeling really stupid lately:

Used a plastic cap to hold back pressurized fuel while I drove around for a couple hundred miles
Can't figure out how a Hall effect sensor reads a smooth shaft
Can't figure out how this sensor was damaged by driving through a dip that hundreds of cars hit daily for years
Can't figure out how to connect my laptop to my Tahoe for HPT
Can't get my alcohol content to read accurately anymore
Just found out I might (probably?) have the wrong O2 sensors that seem to be fine for engine operation and ragged-edge tuning but not for calculating alcohol content

*sigh*
I'm going to bed.

I feel for ya Chris! Often feel the same way.

Well, that reluctor wheel is supposed to be right behind the bearing. I think there is some space between the two but not sure how much until I get the tool to seat it.

Since your code moved when you moved the wire, I would say it is good and just replace the sensor.

 

[gooffeyguy]

I have a pair of Denso 234-4668 oxygen sensors that I bought last fall but haven't installed them yet. I'm pretty sure the sensors currently in the vehicle are the original ones. My alcohol % is always within 5% when I've tested it. I plan on changing them when I do the exhaust manifold bolts in a couple months and then keep testing the fuel and comparing the %.

 

[pwtr02ss]

All of this stumping has me feeling really stupid lately:

Used a plastic cap to hold back pressurized fuel while I drove around for a couple hundred miles
Can't figure out how a Hall effect sensor reads a smooth shaft
Can't figure out how this sensor was damaged by driving through a dip that hundreds of cars hit daily for years
Can't figure out how to connect my laptop to my Tahoe for HPT
Can't get my alcohol content to read accurately anymore
Just found out I might (probably?) have the wrong O2 sensors that seem to be fine for engine operation and ragged-edge tuning but not for calculating alcohol content

*sigh*
I'm going to bed.

Been slamming too much ***-iner lately. Gotta take a break here and there. You do that, thats why we were so dumb as teenagers and early 20s. Too much of it.

V-Ag-INer

Hell @Dantheman1540 found some, up and left for months, came back married....Tell me thats a coincidence.

Be careful fellas

 

[randeez]

I wish it were so simple. I've had mine hanging on the lift countless times and even for weeks at a time. I have a 4.5" rear drop and the shocks and sway bar won't let it droop anywhere nearly enough to stress the wires. They had plenty of floppy slack in them when I swapped them around yesterday.




I've never seen this before. Where is it located? I twisted up a paper towel and crammed it in the hole where the sensor went, pushed on it with a large Phillips screwdriver and turned the wheel on both directions to wipe the axle shaft clean. It definitely was smooth.




This is what my junk axle looks like. I even measured from the flange to the sensor hole then compared it to that area on the junk axle. It's smooth.


All of this stumping has me feeling really stupid lately:

Used a plastic cap to hold back pressurized fuel while I drove around for a couple hundred miles
Can't figure out how a Hall effect sensor reads a smooth shaft
Can't figure out how this sensor was damaged by driving through a dip that hundreds of cars hit daily for years
Can't figure out how to connect my laptop to my Tahoe for HPT
Can't get my alcohol content to read accurately anymore
Just found out I might (probably?) have the wrong O2 sensors that seem to be fine for engine operation and ragged-edge tuning but not for calculating alcohol content

*sigh*
I'm going to bed.

 

[iamdub]

I feel for ya Chris! Often feel the same way.

Well, that reluctor wheel is supposed to be right behind the bearing. I think there is some space between the two but not sure how much until I get the tool to seat it.

When I replace the sensor, I'll use a wire to feel around. I need answers!

Since your code moved when you moved the wire, I would say it is good and just replace the sensor.

This is the one forward step in all of this!

 

[iamdub]

I have a pair of Denso 234-4668 oxygen sensors that I bought last fall but haven't installed them yet. I'm pretty sure the sensors currently in the vehicle are the original ones. My alcohol % is always within 5% when I've tested it. I plan on changing them when I do the exhaust manifold bolts in a couple months and then keep testing the fuel and comparing the %.

What lead you to buy those Denso 234-4668 sensors? Maybe we both followed the same troll.

 

[iamdub]

Speaking of trolls...

I bet you know how it works!

 

[iamdub]

I checked out the sensors I removed back in 2020. I can't say for sure that they're factory original or the exact same as original. The first owner took very good care of the Tahoe and the dealer I bought it from didn't have it long enough nor ever had any problems to require replacement of such parts. So, if I had to guess, I'd say they're the original sensors with 200K miles on them and, at least back then, Denso was the OE supplier:

 

[pwtr02ss]

I checked out the sensors I removed back in 2020. I can't say for sure that they're factory original or the exact same as original. The first owner took very good care of the Tahoe and the dealer I bought it from didn't have it long enough nor ever had any problems to require replacement of such parts. So, if I had to guess, I'd say they're the original sensors with 200K miles on them and, at least back then, Denso was the OE supplier:


View attachment 396727

Same as mine that I think I possibly sent you a pic of when I was parts gathering

Also, my alcohol level stayed at 21.6% after over half a tank of 100%. Today I topped off from just under a quarter tank and logged it. Bam, 4.4%, but wait. It jumped around from that, to 7.7, then up as high as 28%, then back down to 14 I think. This was in a <5 mile span of logging. So idk