S3C - Warm Lambda sensor?

[GadgeS3C]

Been doing some fettling and happened to catch my hand on the driver's side lambda sensor. Surprised to find it was warm. On checking the other side one that wasn't at all warm. I'd had the ignition on as I was putting back the steering column and checking everything was still working.

Never fiddled with lambda sensors before so wasn't sure if this is normal? Can't see how one can be warm and one not though.

Car has been de-catted and the offside sensor looks different to the nearside. It's also been very professional fitted with a block connector that I was planning to remove.

Advice please,
Gary
p.s. the engine hasn't been run for a couple of weeks.

[GadgeS3C]

Bit of googling (yeah, should have done that first!) suggests some sensors have heating elements in them. Is this normal for the S3? Does it matter if one does and one doesn't?

Will do some more googling later!

Ta,
Gary

[tozerman]

Not sure about the exact answer to your question but I have an S3c and both my lambda sensors are different in shape and size, I can only presume that one has been changed at some point in the past.
Once I left my ignition on for about 4 hours (because I'm stupid) I noticed my coil got hot but not the lambdas.
Cheers.....Tony..

[GreenV8S]

Heated lambda sensors are normally only powered while the fuel pump is running, so you'd expect them to stay cool while the engine is stopped. They should heat up quite rapidly when the heater comes on though, and they get very hot - the insides will be up to a couple of hundred degrees. If one isn't heating up, I'd suspect the power supply to the lambda heater has failed on that side.