I've been looking for an o2 sensor for my 16v. the bosch sensor is always about $110 and the walker 3 wire generic replacement is $49. Other than about half of a days salary, what's the difference? any experiences anybody?

thanks - Nate

Cheap O2 sensor can end up costing you in the long run.
The cheap ones or the home crimp ones do not have the consistancy ( especially the home crimp )of the bosch units.
a very slight variance in resistance from the way it is crimped on wil send false readings to the computer causing poor performance and milage and abnormally high resistance in the circuit will cause premature failure of the computer and other related sensors.

You can pay now....or later.

The difference is the direct-fit (bosch) sensor already has the bosch-style connector on it. The universal does not have an electrical connector on it, rather you must re-use the old one. This involves cutting the wires on the old sensor and splicing the connector to the wires on the new one.

But why waste money on the 3-wire sensor at all? The concept of a "heated" o2 sensor is a joke. Just get the universal one-wire (around $20) and follow the directions here: http://www.homestead.com/volvo2/O2sensor.html

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Matt L. -- Cary, NC -- '91 740 wagon