Fitting a lambda probe

[dannywhiteley]

I need to fit a new lambda probe, and can get one of the internet (or GSF) for about £50.

Now I had a look under the car and can see where it plugs in the exhaust, just damn difficult to get to without ramps.

I also see where it plugs into in the engine bay, and tracing the cable back it seems pretty tied up with other cables making it tricky to access int places.

Anyone DIY fitted one, and got any tips. What do you suggest for me getting under the car without a ramp or axle stands?

[LoopyLing]

I can get under mine with one side up on a kerb and the other on the road! Not much room to move about though!

Si.

[Snoopy]

My advice would be, buy axle stands or ramps. You're unlikely to do it without raising the car up, and putting your head under a car supported only by a jack is best avoided unless you're going for a Darwin award.

It's at most an hour-long job even if the thing's rusted in solid, you should be able to find a local garage that will fit it for 30 quid tops. Leave it to the professionals if you don't have the proper tools, it'll be cheaper in the long run.

Or find someone who has axle stands or ramps, and be nice to them. Or find some other way of safely supporting the car - a (full!) box of paper reams works wonders on the VX, but it has a nice wide chassis to rest on, and I'm not sure if the same would work on the Lupo.

[Dubya]

I'm not sure if the same would work on the Lupo.

I'm not sure I'd want to work under a car that's supported by a box full of paper either... style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> Stupid if you ask me, but hey, each to their own style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Borrow some ramps off someone, and drive it up them. Or Borrow some axle stands, and support the front end of the car on the chassis rails. You can drop the entire system off the rubbers, to make life easier. But like Snoopy says, your looking at an hour tops.

Undo the old probe and leave it hanging. Refit the new probe, and then you can tape the top of the new loom to the bottom of the old probe, to make life easier when pulling it up and past the bulkhead/diff casing. Chase the wire, unclipping the old, and refitting the new as you work along. Job done. style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

[Snoopy]

I'm not sure I'd want to work under a car that's supported by a box full of paper either... style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> Stupid if you ask me, but hey, each to their own style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

More people have been injured working under cars supported by axle stands than by boxes of paper. style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

As you say, each to their own - I'd much rather trust a box full of paper than an axle stand personally. Any structural weakness/manufacturing defect in an axle stand wouldn't be apparent until it collapsed. There is no structural weakness in a box of paper - a small amount of compression occurs as the weight of the car is rested on it, and from then on, it simply cannot collapse, because there's nowhere for it to go.

Ramps would make it much easier though. style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />