Circuit/System Description

The heated oxygen sensors (HO2S) are used for fuel control and catalyst monitoring. Each HO2S compares the oxygen content of the surrounding air with the oxygen content of the exhaust stream. When the engine is started, the control module operates in an open loop mode, ignoring the HO2S signal voltage while calculating the air to fuel ratio. While the engine runs, the HO2S heats up and begins to generate a voltage within a range of 0 - 1275 mV. Once sufficient HO2S voltage fluctuation is observed by the control module, closed loop is entered. The control module uses the HO2S voltage to determine the air to fuel ratio. An HO2S voltage that increases toward 1000 mV indicates a rich fuel mixture. An HO2S voltage that decreases toward 0 mV indicates a lean fuel mixture.