Not all O2 sensors are alike

[wcdeane]

I had been fighting a serious drivability problem with my SE for several weeks, and one of the first things I did was replace the O2 sensor. I didn’t want to pay the $150 – $200 USD price for an authentic Lotus OE sensor, so I fitted my car with a BOSCH 15704 sensor. This is a 4 lead sensor that costs about $50 USD. When you use this sensor on an SE you need to swap a couple of the wire leads, but for the most part, it’s a quick, no-brainer project. So anyway, the O2 sensor improved the way my car ran, but it still had a bit of a stumble on acceleration at about 2500 - 3000 RPM. The engine would also occasionally stall during warm up and at intersections.

To make a long story short, after weeks of analysis and consternation I ended up replacing the BOSCH sensor with an authentic Lotus OE sensor. The car now runs the way it is supposed to – which is AWESOME ! I am now one very happy Lotus driver.

Moral of the story?...some authentic Lotus OE parts, like the 02 sensor, just might be worth the extra cost. My humble observation.

Walt