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AEM UEGO stopped working - thoughts?


techboy
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I noticed today driving that my AEM UEGO was no longer working. I'm still getting a display, but it was just stuck at 14.9. It would not fluctuate with the speed of the car or anything. Turned it off and started the car back up ... same thing. I'm not exactly sure when it stopped working, might have been recently or a while ago. Car still runs fine ... but hmm.

 

My initial thoughts are a wire came loose (maybe a ground) somewhere, or the actual O2 sensor in my downpipe went bad. I'm planning to take a look at it tomorrow but I thought I'd post here and see if anyone had this happen to them tomorrow. I may even call AEM and see what they say.

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Thanks BC. Right after I made the post last night I punched in similar keywords into Google myself and spent about an hour reading. From all the reading I did it's basically one of two things ... either the plug that plugs into the back of the gauge is not seated properly, or the O2 sensor itself is bad. Mine had been working fine for just about the last 6 years or so, so I'm guessing the latter. I took the gauge out today, unplugged the wiring harness and wiggled things around - everything seems fine and it still wasn't working after I put it back in, so I'm pretty certain at this point it's the O2 sensor that went bad.

 

But ... here's where it get's a little interesting. I have a UEGO 30-4100 which uses a Bosch 4.2 LSU. That particular model has been discontinued by AEM, they now have a 30-4110, (the updated version) which uses a Bosch 4.9 LSU. That unit runs about $200 - for a whole new one. After some searching I was able to figure that I can still buy the Bosch 4.2 LSU. It's sold by AEM as part #30-2001 or by Bosch part # 17018. It runs about $80. My dilemma is I'm wondering if I should just buy a new unit since by the next time this happens it'll probably be next to impossible to get the older O2 sensor. Dunno :wacko:

 

For what it's worth .... I figured I type this all out in case someone else was doing some searching in the future it might help them ...

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So, you'll probably get another 6 or so years (hopefully) out of it again, if you just get the O2 sensor. By then, will the newer version you would buy instead, be obsolete and require another new complete kit? I'd say get the sensor and upgrade to a new unit next time if you have to. Great info for future searches either way.

 

BC_99

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That's the way I tend to be leaning ... what has me a little hesitant is, there's a few threads I read where it was the gauge face itself, not the O2 sensor. I hate to spend 80 to find out I need the whole thing, then I'm out 280 instead of just 200. I read that you can swap faces and find out which problem you have, so I text'd my buddy, but his UEGO isn't an AEM, so I need to find someone local with an AEM before I make a decision I think.
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  • 3 weeks later...
So I went ahead and ordered just the O2 sensor. Says it will be here on Monday. Should take me all of 5 minutes to swap out. I'll let you guys know what the results were.
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If your going to spend that much money and buy spares maybe it would be a good idea to borrow a cooling system pressure tester, it doesn't take a lot of coolant in the exhaust flow to kill an o2 sensor.
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I'm not buying spares, I'm buying a replacement part for a part that is no longer functioning. I did have a coolant issue last summer though that I corrected over the fall/winter with a new headgasket, I'm wondering, based upon what you said, if that's what caused my sensor to go bad (??). Very possible.
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From what I've been told it's not the coolant itself but the vapors when it's been through the combustion cycle, I heard other say coolant just looks at an o2 and they shrivel.
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From what I've been told it's not the coolant itself but the vapors when it's been through the combustion cycle, I heard other say coolant just looks at an o2 and they shrivel.

 

Lol! - Like I said in the 1st post, I'm not exactly sure when it stopped working. I only drive my car about 900 miles and it's garaged all winter, so sometimes I'm not exactly sure when little problems like this creep up. I'm hoping though it was related to the HG issue I had end of last summer. It would make sense based on what your saying.

Edited by techboy
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  • 2 weeks later...
RESULTS: So I've had the new O2 sensor for over a week now, it was just a matter of finding 15 minutes to install it. It appears it was just a bad sensor. I didn't take the car for a drive today after installing the new one b/c it was crazy storming, but I moved it around the garage and throttled it up and down and it was responding with various readings - not just stuck at 14.9. I think we're fixed. :D Edited by techboy
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