Oxygen sensor questions - 230FT

[aardvarkash10]

Hi to my personal knowledge base!

Moomin has a lambda (oxygen sensor) light that is coming on every 200km or so. The sensor got "fogged" when he was having overheating problems and spat coolant down the exhaust a while back, so I accept the sensor is probably u/s.

Experienced types, fill in the queries below:

There are different devices listed for EGR and non-EGR engines. Moomin is EGR. Is this difference real and required, or a parts con?

There are different devices listed for catalyser and non-catalyser exhausts. The exhaust is now 230,000km old and so is the cat - if I remove the cat at the same time and straight-pipe the gap, am I right to fit the non-cat sensor?

Any other hints appreciated, along with a steer toward reasonably priced suppliers.

Cheers from a stinking hot but not as bad as Australia summer day in Auckland, NZ

[stegreg]

If you remove the cat, would this affect the car emissions when it goes for testing? In the Uk the vehicle testing stations can either fail the car or refuse to test if the exhaust is non compliant with the emission regs for the age of vehicle.
I did have issues with Lambda, but when i replaced the exhaust for a stainless system, with a "sports cat", all cleared and its even still running on original sensor., plus engine gained a bit more power with better flowing exhaust too.

[Laird Scooby]

That's a new one on me Ash! Different Lambdas for EGR and non-EGR, cat and non-cat applications?

Undoubtedly you'll release some power and/or economy if you decat it but what are the local emissions regs like?

As our friend above says, here if we put a car in for MoT (WoF) without a cat if it left the factory with a cat they can either refuse to test the car or fail it on lack of cat/emissions without even checking - unless it has an LPG conversion.

I seem to recall you mentioned once the WoF was every 6 months, it's alright refitting a cat once a year to put the beast through the test (only got the one i have to do that with and by rights i could swing it on the VIN number as it's in the "grace period") but every 6 months?

I can't help on the query about the different Lambdas, maybe the non-cat Lambda is self heating (single wire thing) and the cat Lambda has a heater circuit so will be 3 or 4 wire but fairly confident they are both zirconium sensors so should give a 0-1V output and the mixture is still going to do what it's told by the ECU so i don't see the problem.

Quick tip to revive the cat if you decide to keep it, get a bucket/bin big enough to dump the cat in completely, use about 6 or 7 dishwasher tablets and seriously hot water, once they are dissolved, give the cat a shake every so often when you go past it but let it soak minimum overnight but preferably over a weekend - flush it through with the garden hose both ways, dry it off, repaint it if you like (VHT paint obviously!) and it'll be as good as new.

[aardvarkash10]

We are blessed with relatively lax local emission standards that are on the level of an inspector standing 15m back and assessing whether he is choking to death or not... Non-issue.

Removal of cat - non-issue also since Moomin has been in NZ since 2003.

Cheers for the input chaps - still seeking any more definitive answers...