Oxygen Sensors

Oxygen Sensor Adjustment - General

Gas vehicle engines (as opposed to diesel engines) are designed to operate at an
air/fuel ratio of 14.7 to 1. When these proportions are being supplied to the engine, a
certain amount of oxygen will be detected in the exhaust by the 02 sensor, and this
information is fed into the vehicle's computer. If more oxygen is sensed, the computer
thinks the mixture is too lean (not enough fuel), and adds fuel to the mix. Likewise, if
less oxygen is sensed, the computer thinks the mixture is too rich (too much fuel) and
cuts back on the fuel fed to the engine.

There's a big problem with this scenario as soon as you start adding a workable HHO
system. For any given air/fuel ratio, burned more efficiently, the oxygen content in the
exhaust will rise. The oxygen content rises as the fuel is burned more efficiently for a
number of reasons. Chief amongst these are a) less fuel is being used to produce an
equivalent amount of horsepower, and b) less oxygen is being consumed to create
carbon monoxide in the exhaust. The bottom line is there is more oxygen in the
exhaust as the fuel burning efficiency is increased.

So, now that we have spent time and money to install an HHO system, and we are
getting a more efficient fuel burn, what does the vehicle's computer do? It dumps gas
into the mix in an attempt to get an oxygen reading in the exhaust equal to it's earlier,
inefficient setup. This will then tend to negate the fuel savings of our new system, and
in some cases will actually cause an increase in fuel consumption.

The Solution
The handling for this situation is simple. The signal coming from the 02 sensor needs
to be adjusted to compensate for the increased fuel efficiency being achieved.
Basically the added oxygen in the exhaust fools the computer into thinking the
mixture is too lean, causing it to (incorrectly) richen the mix. We need to un-fool the
computer so it continues to give us the same amount of gas as before. We do this by
making it think there is less oxygen in the exhaust than there actually is.

The oxygen sensor produces voltages to communicate the oxygen content to the
computer. When the sensor reads below .45 volts, that means it's lean, and when it
reads above .45 volts, it's saying the mix is rich. If you connect your volt meter to an
oxygen sensor signal wire and ground, while the engine is running, you'll see the
voltage is constantly changing, and you'll probably see voltages in the range of .3 to .7
volts or so. In actual fact, the voltage is changing back and forth from about .1 volt to
about 1.0 volts, once or twice per second. But a hand held meter is not quick enough
to show this. You can view our short Sensor Voltages Video, to see what the oxygen
sensor signal looks like.

The EFIE adjusts the sensor's voltage so the computer "sees" a richer condition. This
causes the computer to provide less gas. Many people think we're trying to fool the
computer with an EFIE. That's actually not accurate. The extra oxygen in the exhaust
because of a more complete combustion is what's fooling the computer. It's making
the computer think the mix is too lean, and it's compensating by adding gas that is not
needed. The EFIE is un-fooling the computer. All we want to do is get it back to
giving us a 14.7 to 1 air/fuel ratio again.

It should be noted that an oxygen sensor handling device, by itself, is not a fuel
efficiency device. It possibly could be used to control the vehicle's computer, and
make the engine burn a little leaner, and this could possibly give an increase in gas
mileage. But this is not what it was designed to do. It was designed to complement,
and in some cases make possible, increased gas mileage when using an HHO dry cell
system.

All of our dry cell kits come with an EFIE. We ask you to fill out the information on
your vehicle so we can look up the number and type of sensors you have, and then
provide you with the correct EFIE device. However, if you need to purchase an EFIE
separately, you can find them here. By using a properly tuned EFIE with an HHO Dry
Cell from Dry-Cells.com, you can dramatically increase your mileage and decrease
harmful emissions.
Digital Narrow Band EFIE
Installation Instructions
(Dual Digital EFIE Deluxe and Quad Digital EFIE Basic)

It would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with what an EFIE is by reading the
following two documents:

Oxygen Sensor Adjustment - General Information

EFIE: Electronic Fuel Injection Enhancer, Described

If you are not installing a Digital EFIE then go to: Index of Installation Instructions,
and find the instructions for the type of EFIE you are installing. If you are installing
an EFIE from another manufacturer, then we recommend using the EFIE Installation
Instructions.

0. Install your fuel efficiency device

The EFIE is not intended to be a fuel saver by itself. You should install a device that
is designed to get more energy out of the same fuel, such as a hydrogen gas
electrolyzer, a fuel vapor production unit, fuel heater, or other device that gets more
power out of the same fuel by increasing the efficiency of the burn.

1. Locate the oxygen sensor signal wire

The easy way to do this is to look it up in your Haynes, Clymer or Chilton manual for
your car. If you don't have one of these, then see this article: Wiring Diagrams. I have
also found a resource at www.autozone.com where you can find sensor information
and diagrams for many vehicles.
If none of these options are available, you'll need to locate the oxygen senor and then
locate the signal wire by testing. The sensor can have 2, 3 or 4 wires, and you have to
know which one is the signal wire. If you have 4 wires they will be:

• Heater 12 Volts +
• Heater ground
• Oxygen sensor signal +
• Oxygen sensor signal ground

If you have 2 or 3 wires, then you can have a common ground, or no heater wires etc.
The simplest setup is a single wire, which is the signal wire and the sensor get's it's
ground from the exhaust pipe. You can use the following procedure to narrow down
which wire is which:

1. Stick straight pins into the sensor's wires and measure them to ground with
then engine running. One of these will show 12 volts, and this will be power
for the heater.
2. Next find any wires that produce 0 volts. These will be ground wires. The
remaining wire should be your signal wire.
3. Measure the signal wire to ground with the engine running. The voltage on
this wire will vary from nearly 0 to about 1 volt. Since your meter will not be
fast enough to see the lows and highs, it will average them out to about .2 to
about .8 volts. The fluctuations will be so fast you have a hard time reading
the numbers. Note, that you have to let the engine warm up a bit before you
will get these voltages from the sensor.
4. Cut this wire at a convenient location for connecting the EFIE. We'll call the
sensor side of this cut the sensor wire, and the other side of the cut, the
computer wire.

Note: rarely an oxygen sensor wiring harness will have more than 4 wires. In this
case, the sensor is possibly a "wide band" oxygen sensor. In this case you need an
EFIE from our Wide Band series, and you'll want to follow the instructions: Wide
Band EFIE Installation Instructions.

Once you have determined which is the sensor's signal wire, you want to get it located
up close to the computer. If you used a manual, or wiring diagram, you probably have
already located the wire at the computer's wiring harness. If you had to figure out the
wires at the sensor itself, then try to find the same wire at the computer's wiring
harness. Test it with an ohm meter to be sure. Sometimes they use the same colors for
different things. Even if it's a pain now, it's worth it to get the signal wire located up
by the computer. This makes cutting into it and hooking up the EFIE much easier.
There is no electrical reason for locating the EFIE connection close to the computer.
It's only a matter of convenience, and if it's not convenient then locate a place that
makes it easy for you to access the wires.

Special Note: Once you have determined the signal wire, you should always test it.
The most common reason for installation failures is an incorrectly located signal
wire. To test the wire, you want to have the engine running, and you want to measure
the voltage between the signal wire and ground. Please watch the following video to
see what these voltages look like: Sensor Voltages Video
Note: Chrysler vehicles have been known to put 2.5 volts on the sensor's "sig low"
wire. This raises the signal high wire by 2.5 volts. Instead of seeing 0 to 1 volt you'll
see 2.5 to 3.5 volts on the signal wire. If you find you have one of these, you will need
to put the switch in the "off" position on our Quad Digital EFIE Basic. That makes
the EFIE work in the 2.5 volt range of these Dodge/Chrysler systems. In this case, all
of the instructions below for your digital EFIEs should have 2.5 volts added to the
voltages given in the instructions.

2. Locate 12 volt power and ground

You need to ensure that you have switched power, not power directly from the
battery. You don't want the EFIE running 100% of the time. It's not that the unit
couldn't run 100% of the time, it probably could. But it would slowly drain your
battery.

Note that when power is shut off to the EFIE, or the EFIE's switch is turned off, the
original connection between the oxygen sensor and the computer is re-established. In
other words, your oxygen sensor signal goes back to stock, and is unaffected by the
EFIE. The EFIE will only alter the circuit when it has power on it's red wire, and
when it's turned on. All of our EFIEs have this feature.

Most of the fuel efficiency devices need switched power, and you can often piggy
back onto them. Note that the EFIE draws negligible power. You can attach it to any
12 volt DC voltage source. The best choice is from the same source as your fuel
efficiency device. That way the EFIE only activates when the generator is turned on.
If connecting to your fuel saver's power is inconvenient or inappropriate, just use any
circuit that is accessory key switched. Your electrical diagram can come in handy
here, and if you don't find another device attach to, you can usually find a spare
circuit in the fuse box (you may have to add a fuse).

Ground can be the vehicle body, engine block or ground from another device. Just
make sure that whatever you choose to use for ground has a negligible resistance
when tested against the negative battery terminal of your car.

3. Mount the EFIE

You can use the mounting ears to screw down the EFIE to a suitable location on the
vehicle body or firewall. Some people like to mount the device inside the passenger
compartment of the car. I personally like my EFIE under my hood, because once I
have it set, I don't mess with it.

4. Attach the wires

The Dual Digital EFIE Deluxe has a multi-conductor wire with 6 colors: red, black,
white, green, blue and brown. Connect the red to your power source. Connect the
black to ground. Connect the green wire to the oxygen sensor. Connect the white wire
to the computer. The brown wire goes to the 2nd oxygen sensor, and the blue wire
goes to the 2nd sensor's computer line. You should solder them and use heat shrink
tubing to insulate the connections from other wires. If you don't have heat shrink, you
can use electrical tape. I personally always use heat shrink. It's more professional
looking, and less likely to unravel later into a sticky mess.

Note that the Digital EFIE circuits are designed for use with front oxygen sensors
only. Use analog EFIEs for all sensors that are downstream from any catalytic
converter. The Quad Digital EFIE has analog EFIEs built in for the downstream
sensors. Just make sure not to mix up the upstream and downstream oxygen sensor
circuits when installing a Quad EFIE.

I'm sometimes asked about what wire size you should use. Well, any wire will do.
The power drawn by a Digital EFIE is so minimal, that a 30 gauge wire would be
plenty. The circuits going to and from the sensors use even less current. However, 30
gauge wire is not practical because it is so small and fragile, that if you bumped it
with a tool, you could break it. We usually use 24 or 22 gauge wire. I also prefer
stranded wire, because it is less likely to being damaged by moving it around. But
again, that's a preference. Solid or stranded wire will both work fine electrically.

If you have more digital EFIE circuits than you have front oxygen sensors, then you
can just not hook up any unused EFIEs. However, you should ground the input of any
digital circuits you are not using. By that I mean connect the terminal that is supposed
to go to the oxygen sensor to ground. See "Additional Notes #5" below for more
information on this.
EFIE Connection Diagrams
5a. Adjust the EFIE (Digital)

All of the Digital EFIEs have one control for each pair of EFIEs. The EFIE pairs have
been designed to work together. One pair should be installed to the front 2 oxygen
sensors. These are controlled with the single pot on the Dual Digital EFIE, and the top
adjustment pot on the Quad EFIE. The Quad EFIE will also control the rear sensors
by using the lower pot.
 EFIE Controls

Setting A Digital EFIE

Setting a Digital EFIE is entirely different than setting any other type of EFIE. While
it's not necessary to understand how the Digital EFIE works in order to set it properly,
it certainly helps. I have written an article for this purpose, and I recommend you read
it before going on to setting your EFIE. This will allow you to understand the "why"
as well as the "how" on setting these devices. The article is called The New Digital
EFIE: How It Works.

First plug your meter probes into the black and red test ports for the Digital EFIE.
Your black probe goes into the black port, and red goes into the red port. Set your
meter for DC volts. When the unit first powers on, or any time it loses power or is
shut off, it will start a timing delay when it's powered back on. The starting voltage
you will read is in the range of .42 to .45 volts, and at this reading the EFIE will have
no effect on your air/fuel ratio. After about 25 seconds the voltage will start changing
and will then move to your set point. The delay is there by design so that the engine is
not being leaned out during initial startup. You can’t set the EFIE until after it has
gone through the startup delay. Only after the delay will you see the EFIE's set point
voltage.

The adjustment screw turns clockwise to lower the voltage. Lowering the voltage
causes the engine to run leaner. We have designed all of our EFIES so that clockwise
turning of the pot increases the effect of the EFIE, thus making the engine leaner.
When you are reading your meter however, the voltage will be going lower. You turn
clockwise to lower the voltage, and to lean the engine. If you are accustomed to other
types of EFIE, this is the opposite behavior to what you are used to. Analog EFIEs
raise the voltage when the set screw is turned clock-wise, but this still means leaner.
This is the primary difference between the two types.

After the startup delay, adjustment of the pot will change the voltage that you read at
the test points from near 0 to 450 millivolts (0 - .45 volts). The range that you are
interested in is about 150 to 350 millivolts. Start out at 350 millivolts, and with the
engine running, turn the adjustment clockwise. As you turn the pot clockwise, the mix
will get leaner as the voltage goes lower. At some point it may start lugging the
engine. If this occurs, then turn the pot back up 15 millivolts or so, until the engine is
running smooth again. Be sure to then road test the vehicle and make sure there is no
loss of power. If there is, then you need to back off the setting (raise the voltage), until
this symptom completely disappears.

Note that many vehicles computers will not lug down no matter how far you turn the
pot. This is because they have been designed to have a minimum limit to the fuel they
will deliver at idle. No matter what the sensors are reading, they won't go below that
level of fuel delivery, so won't lug down. The green activity LEDs should be blinking.
See "Additional Notes #4" below for more info.

If the engine idle doesn't change when adjusting the EFIE, you will have to set it by
trial and error. I would try setting it at 250 mv or so, and try driving. See if you get a
lack of horsepower. If you do, raise the setting until any symptoms go away. If not,
try lower. Note, that if you can't get any affect using this method, first double check
that you have the device installed correctly. If so, you may need to treat the down
stream sensors as well. Some vehicles will not budge unless all of the sensors are
treated.

After you have completed the process of setting your EFIE, always do a driving test.
if the engine seems more sluggish than it was before, that's an indication that you
have set the engine too lean. You'll need to back off on the pot until the condition is
corrected. However, there is one other cause of these symptoms when setting the
EFIE that you must make sure doesn't exist. If the combustion efficiency is not being
improved, such as will happen if the HHO is not getting into the engine, the EFIE will
cause these symptoms even though you have it set correctly. The point is make sure
you're getting good HHO gas production and that it's getting into the engine before
deciding the EFIE setting is too lean.

Additional Notes:

1. The black test port is connected to ground, and is a convenient place to attach a
probe to ground for any electrical measurements you need to do.

2. The adjustment potentiometer (or "pot" for short) is designed to turn 18-20 full
revolutions. This is so that the voltage offset can be tuned to a fine degree of control.
Adjustments as small as a few millivolts can be made. However, these pots don't have
a stop on them, and therefore you should always set them while using a meter. That
way you can see if it is reaching the end of its range.

3. A couple of adjustment tips: 1) If your "check engine" light comes on, you've likely
set the EFIE too lean, and the computer thinks your oxygen sensor is on the fritz. This
can also be caused by mis-wiring the EFIE, so make sure you're hooked up correctly.
2) If you lose horsepower, you've got an incorrect setting, as fuel efficiency devices
should increase horsepower proportionately with the increase in MPG (as well as
decrease emissions). 3) If you have a high temperature probe, run down the highway
with the fuel efficiency devices turned off, long enough to get the engine up to full
operating temperature, and note the temp of your exhaust pipe, near the exhaust
manifold. As you increase your EFIE setting, this temperature may increase. Don't let
it raise more than 180 degrees from your initial test.

4. The green LEDs are for the 2 Digital EFIE circuits. Each LED is for one of the
digital circuits. The LED comes on when the output of that digital circuit is high, and
goes off when it is low. When the car is in closed loop operation, meaning that the
computer is using the sensors to calculate the air/fuel ratio, then the green LEDs
should be blinking on and off. This is normal. In a correctly installed and set EFIE,
the only time the blinking will stop is when the engine is under heavy load, such as
going up hill or acceleration. But when you are idling or cruising, if you don't see the
green LEDs blinking, then something is wrong. It will mean that the EFIE is set with
too low of a voltage at it's set points (turned the pot clockwise too far), you have the
dip switch in the wrong position for your engine, or you have connected to the wrong
wire, and the voltage on that wire is above the set point all the time. If the LEDs are
never lighting up, then something is very wrong. Either the EFIE has no power, or
there is no voltage on the sensor wire, or the dip switch is in the wrong position.

5. If you have only one of the digital EFIEs hooked up, then only that one LED will
show activity. We recommend connecting a jumper wire from the ground terminal to
the input port of the unused digital EFIE. Otherwise the LED for the unused EFIE
will randomly turn on or off, and can be confusing. There is no other harm to leaving
the unused port ungrounded. But jumpering it as above will cause the LED for the
unused EFIE to be off all the time, making the other LED much easier to use.

6. There is a new switch added that was placed directly between the 2 red test points.
The switch is only needed for making the EFIE work on 2.5 volt, narrow band sensors
such as are used on some Dodge/Chrysler engines. For these, the switch should be
placed in the "off" position. For all other vehicles, the switch should be left in the
"on" position. You can also tell which setting is selected by measuring the upper red
test port with your meter. If the voltage is between 0 and .45 volts, its set for a normal
engine. If it's between 2.5 and 3.5 volts, then it's set for the Dodge/Chrysler
modification.

Setting The Analog EFIEs On Quad Model

If you have a Quad EFIE, then you'll have 2 EFIEs for the downstream sensors
(downstream from the catalytic converter). These sensors must be treated with analog
EFIEs, and this is what we provide. But note that these then set differently than the
digital EFIEs on the upstream sensors. For Digital EFIEs, you lower the voltage to
make the mix leaner. For analog EFIEs you raise the voltage to make the mix leaner.

Once again, to keep things simple, all of our EFIEs make the mix leaner when you
turn the adjustment screw clockwise, and richer when you turn the adjustment counter
clockwise. When you turn the Digital EFIE clockwise, the voltage gets lower, and the
mix gets leaner. When you turn the analog EFIE clockwise the voltage goes higher,
but the mix gets leaner.

We're sorry that this can be a bit confusing, but the 2 types of EFIE work on a
different technology. We recommend starting out your rear sensors at about 200 mV.
Once again, you will need to experiment with the settings on these sensors, and make
adjustments based on your fuel mileage gains. In general, you shouldn't ever need to
go above 350 mV on any analog EFIE. We also recommend fine tuning the front
EFIEs first, with the rear EFIEs set at about 200 mv. Then, you can try experimenting
with raising the rear EFIEs to see if you get better results. But realize that the bulk of
your results will come from the front sensors.

For more information on setting analog EFIEs, see Analog EFIE Installation
Instructions.