Anyone use thse on their Neon? Any improvements noticed?

Frank

 

They should be car specific on whether or not you need them. None, One or Two. Basically it is an emissions thing where it helps heat up the O2 sensor to allow it monitor the exhaust allowing the car to go into closed loop much sooner. Less emissions good thing.

So if you have a 4 wire it will need to be replaced with a 4 wire. If it all you have is two wire you just need a 2 wire.

Get what you need and forget about it.

 

All neons from 1995 to at least 2001 (probably all Neons) are equiped with 4 wire O2 sensors.

 

Is this the same as a muffler bearing, I've never heard of such a rediculous thing. Why would an O2 sensor, which is right in the front (read: hottest) part of the exhaust need a heating element.

 

The following are copied from the link at the bottom. If your interested in O2 sensors it’s worth a read.
Getting Hot
Something else you need to know about O2 sensors is that they have to be hot (617° to 662° F) to produce a voltage signal. It may take a few minutes for the exhaust to heat up the sensor, so most O2 sensors in newer vehicles have a built-in electrical heater circuit to get the sensor up to temperature as quickly as possible. These are usually three-wire and four-wire O2 sensors. The single- and two-wire O2 sensors are unheated.

In 1982, heated zirconia O2 sensors appeared that added a special heater circuit inside the sensor to bring it up to operating temperature more quickly (in 30 to 60 seconds). This allows the engine to go into closed loop sooner, which reduces cold-start emissions. It also prevents the sensor from cooling off at idle. The heater requires a separate electrical circuit to supply voltage, so heated sensors usually have three or four wires.
http://www.aa1car.com/library/2004/us10438.htm

 

It doesn't take that long for an exhaust to get hot enough, especially at start up which is full rich and needs to be since the engine and the incomming air is at it's coldest and requires the added fuel to keep it stoich and from causing detonation, more and/or colder air needs more fuel. I also have never seen an electric heating element that can get to 600+ degrees in 30-60 seconds. I don't doubt that the automakers would make something that rediculous just to make the parts price higher, but it would only make it get to that temperature a couple seconds sooner than without it and it wouldn't save you any money or emissions reduction to speak of.

 

Hey I understand what your saying, just passing on information.
I know what you mean about automakers and costs/prices, like the air pump emissions systems during the 1970’s that claimed less emissions yet burn 20-30% more fuel?? All this for only a few hundred dollars extra per vehicle. It was designed to meet emission rules for one group of pollutants while ignoring the rest as well as gas mileage. If I drive 30 miles on a gallon of gas and you drive 20 miles on a gallon of gas, who would you say produced the most pollution? You also have to realize that both government and the oil companies make big bucks off of fuel sales. But that’s a whole other discussion.

I’m not sure if or what the advantage is for heated O2 sensors except that your stuck using the ones that match your vehicle.