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Air/Fuel Experts...


gmrulz4u

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Today I installed an AutoMeter A/F Gauge and Vacuum Gauge...

 

One thing I'm not sure of though, the AutoMeter website makes it sound like the LED's on the A/F Gauge should be constantly and smoothly bouncing back and forth from Lean to Rich, Lean to Rich etc...

 

But, my O2 readings appear to be really "jerky"...meaning there's no smooth flow...bouncing quickly back and forth from Lean to Rich etc...

 

So, I want to know if this is OK, or "normal"?? My O2 Sensor is just barely 1 year old this month...so I can't see it being "bad"...

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How long were you driving?

The Oxygen Sensor needs to be up to running temp to get accurate readings.

Plus, with GM, you'll will see some spikes with the A/F ratio.

 

- Erik

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Yeah I know all of that...I know the O2 has to be about 600 degrees before it's starts doing a full 0-1 volt sweep...

 

But still, even after my engine was completely warmed up, it wouldn't do what AutoMeter shows on their webpages. They have an animated GIF image file that is just constantly and smoothly going through the complete range of LED's/voltages, but mine isn't...

 

In fact, there's something even MORE strange...

 

As most of you know already, I have a Scanner for my car that allows me to monitor a whole bunch of ECM parameters. I've had my Scanner for almost a year now, and it's always shown that my ECM "thinks" my car is running too Rich. My Integrator and Block Learn values always go down to about "100", which is WAY too low.

 

So, I ASSUMED that once my A/F Gauge was installed, I would see it spend a lot of it's time in the RICH area, BUT, it spends almost NO time in the RICH area!!!?? So I'm really starting to think WTF!?? Is it possible for an ECM to MIS-interprut an O2 Sensor's input voltages?? Because this is making completely NO sense to me and has me baffled...

 

From what I understood, the O2 Sensor will affect the Integrator, which in turn will affect the Block Learn. So, if my ECM "sees" my O2 Sensor spending too much time in the HIGHER/RICHER voltage range(.6+), it will lower the Integrator which in turn will lower the Block Learn. If my Scanner is showing this happening, why the hell is my A/F Gauge only showing a RICH O2 like 5% of the time???!!!

 

And yes, the gauge is installed correctly and perfectly. I had it installed by professionals that have done it a million times with A+ results...and the gauge is working great, it's just not showing a RICH O2 90% of the time...so why is the ECM seeing one so much?? Unless the Integrator and Block Learn values can be affected by OTHER things...

 

I hope this makes sense...I think I just confused myself...:)

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But still, even after my engine was completely warmed up, it wouldn't do what AutoMeter shows on their webpages. They have an animated GIF image file that is just constantly and smoothly going through the complete range of LED's/voltages, but mine isn't...

 

Um... that's an example of the colors and not how smooth it'll rotate.

A buddy of mine has an A/F gauge in his 1995 turbocharged Civic and his spikes vise-versa when letting off the gas pedal.

Cruising at a constant speed, he sits a little rich.

Relax, I willing to bet your system, gauge, and ECM are fine.

 

- Erik

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for reals, just relax. I have an A/F meter myself and i too thought it was running rich before i got the meter. Mine will fluxuate between lean and ideal and go to rich when i floor it or (for some reason) wit will go to rich when i let my foot off the gas...Redfox, any info on that...

 

I guess your just a little more paranoid than the rest of us cuz you can see(thru the scanner) exactly what it is that is going on in your car.

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Mine will fluxuate between lean and ideal and go to rich when i floor it or (for some reason) wit will go to rich when i let my foot off the gas...Redfox, any info on that...

 

When the gas is floored, the ECM reads the angle [by a voltage output] of the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) and notices Wide Open Throttle (WOT). When WOT, the ECM dumps all the fuel it can throw through the injectors [for power], and that's why you'll notice a rich fuel mixture.

 

- Erik

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