Car Computers and Sensors

The tire pressure sensor light may indicate low tire pressure or a malfunctioning sensor. To resolve it, first check all tire pressures, including the spare. If pressures are correct and the light persists, the sensor may need recalibration or replacement, requiring a visit to a mechanic or dealership for diagnosis and repair. Avoid simply removing the sensor as this can compromise safety and lead to further issues.

Most Mercury Vapor Lamp Fixtures have a PLUG IN module on top of the fixture. Most are about the size of an inverted "shot glass" and have a photocell "eye" somewhere on the outside surface. Typically, you turn the Module counterclockwise to "unlock" the module from the socket and pull the module UP and off the top of the lamp fixture.

Failure mode for these Light Sensors are twofold: Either [ 1 ] the electric eye's lens gets cloudy and the light stays on unless it is VERY sunny....or [ 2 ] the Module, being mounted ABOVE the light fixture gets HOT...and over the years the module gets COOKED and fails. Take the light sensor with you to an electrical supply house and match it up with a new one !!

BYW: Inspect the socket and plug of the Light Sensor module & lamp fixture. Often the "cooked module" will fail because of socket/plug failure. The plug/socket Phenolic materials break down from the heat over the years . Or the contacts corrode.

NOTE: It is important , when installing the Light fixture...that the plug-in Light Sensor' photocell lens is pointing AWAY from the building or other mounting structure. If the "electric eye' is facing the structure..the reflected light will confuse the light sensor and the lamp will come on DIM[*] , flicker or turn off & on constantly.

[ * ] Do not confuse the " comes on DIM " statement with the normal DIM warmup cycle of the lamp.

It is also advised to have the High Output Merury Vapor LIght on a dedicated electrical circuit. If you are using an existing circuit for outside-the-house loads..... such things like pool pumps etc will extinguish the lamp when the pump kicks in.. The pump's heavy inductive load in-rush current on startup will cause the lamp to go out..... in a few minutes the lamp will restart, warm up and come back at full intensity.

The oxygen sensor on a 1992 Mercury Topaz is typically located on the exhaust pipe, near the exhaust manifold. It is used to monitor the oxygen levels in the exhaust gases and provide feedback to the engine control unit for optimal fuel delivery.

When the 4X4 indicator light on a 2000 Tracker flashes, it could indicate an issue with the 4X4 system such as a faulty actuator, sensor, or wiring problem. It is recommended to have the system diagnosed by a qualified mechanic to determine the exact cause of the flashing indicator light.

To fix a P0141 error code related to the oxygen sensor heater circuit on a 1996 Oldsmobile, you can first check the wiring and connections related to the sensor. If those are fine, then the oxygen sensor itself might need to be replaced. It's important to use a quality replacement sensor compatible with your vehicle to ensure proper function.

Yes, sensors and scanners are different. Sensors detect physical properties or changes in the environment, such as light, temperature, or motion. Scanners, on the other hand, refer to devices that capture and convert physical documents or images into digital formats for storage or processing.

If the engine light is blinking, it indicates a serious problem with the engine that should be addressed immediately. The issue could potentially be related to the alternator, fuel system, ignition system, or other critical components. It's best to have a professional mechanic diagnose and repair the problem to prevent further damage to the vehicle.

Which part is not shared by both throttle body injection and a carburetor ?

Every new car, and most cars produced after 1980, have an oxygen sensor. The sensor is part of the emissions control system and feeds data to the engine management computer. The goal of the sensor is to help the engine run as efficiently as possible and also to produce as few emissions as possible.

A gasoline engine burns gasoline in the presence of oxygen (see How Car Engines Work for complete details). It turns out that there is a particular ratio of air and gasoline that is "perfect," and that ratio is 14.7:1 (different fuels have different perfect ratios -- the ratio depends on the amount of hydrogen and carbon found in a given amount of fuel). If there is less air than this perfect ratio, then there will be fuel left over after combustion. This is called a rich mixture. Rich mixtures are bad because the unburned fuel creates pollution. If there is more air than this perfect ratio, then there is excess oxygen. This is called a lean mixture. A lean mixture tends to produce more nitrogen-oxide pollutants, and, in some cases, it can cause poor performance and even engine damage.

The oxygen sensor is positioned in the exhaust pipe and can detect rich and lean mixtures. The mechanism in most sensors involves a chemical reaction that generates a voltage (see the patents below for details). The engine's computer looks at the voltage to determine if the mixture is rich or lean, and adjusts the amount of fuel entering the engine accordingly.

The reason why the engine needs the oxygen sensor is because the amount of oxygen that the engine can pull in depends on all sorts of things, such as the altitude, the temperature of the air, the temperature of the engine, the barometric pressure, the load on the engine, etc.

When the oxygen sensor fails, the computer can no longer sense the air/fuel ratio, so it ends up guessing. Your car performs poorly and uses more fuel than it needs to.