Running Rich?

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Liquidblaze

Senior Member
I don't know why but my check engine light came on and I jumpped the ECU and I was running to rich or lean. I am running rich because I don't get as good gas mileage as I was. My current mods are as follows:

AEM Intake
Chikara Header
No Catalytic Converter (I wired the sensor in it to another sensor, so I know it isn't that)
2 1/2" exhaust piping
Aftermarket Muffler

Can adjusting your valves wrong or adjusting IAC valve cause you to run rich?

Any help would be great!
 
i dont think adjusting ur valve alittle off will make ur motor run rich..
so what is the code ?
its hard to tell by getting gas milage(no one ever drive the same)
if u have a test pipe on u should put the cat back and go to a smog shop and ask for a 4 gas analze it should be $10 get the print out and look at the reading
u ill see the hc and co reading co should be under 1 percent
hc should be under 100ppm
if hc is higher ur running rich
if co is higher u got issues

there is other ways but this is cheap and fast
any smog tec. will be glade to give u a quick 1 mn test
 
or an easyier way would just to take a look at the spark plugs, If they are blackish, your running rich, if it white-grey your running lean.

Right now i am having the same problem, not worrying about it too much but i would like to up my gas millage a bit. Another thing that has been pissing me off, ever since i got my cat back on, black sot (sp?) gets caked on the back of my bumper and it has a slight sent of gas. So far i have done basic stuff like new plugs and wires and reset the ecu but other than that i have just left it alone. Calesta was telling me that you can get a fuel regulator and that normally solves it (with out chipping the ecu)
 
without knowing whcih code is being thrown, its hard to diagnose the problem.
How do you know your running rich, how did you physically adjust your FP w/o a FPR or a high flow pump?
 
Originally posted by sisteve@Jan 22 2003, 01:46 PM
without knowing whcih code is being thrown, its hard to diagnose the problem.
How do you know your running rich, how did you physically adjust your FP w/o a FPR or a high flow pump?

is that to me or Liquidblaze? I didn't cause i am a little scared to do it. I think that because the ECU sees that your letting more air into the system (i/h/e) it trys to correct the "problem" by dumping more fuel into the system thus making the car run more rich.
 
liquidblaze,

But your exactly right on the ecu correcting, but with that said, if there is more air, the ecu should be correcting the problem and increasing the fuel to compensate for the additional air.

The ecu is very very smart when it comes to that, it tries to stay very stoich (near perfect a/f ratio) except when accelerating hard it will always (in stock form) dump more fuel in and run rich.
 
Originally posted by sisteve@Jan 22 2003, 01:46 PM
without knowing whcih code is being thrown, its hard to diagnose the problem.
How do you know your running rich, how did you physically adjust your FP w/o a FPR or a high flow pump?

I am throwing code 45 thats the only code.

I took out my plugs and they are a greyish-white so I guess I am actually running lean. The reason I said I was running rich is because of my gas milage. Thats the only reason. But any help would be great.
 
Code 45 is Fuel system out of range - rich or lean


lol, id get a A/F ratio gauge and see what its doing. Have you screwed with the distributor at all? Different gas/pump/anything like that?
 
u never mention what year make and model ur vechile is
if its a 96 and up and running obd2 set up u need to have the cat.
the second o2 is to check if the cat is working
ur probaby not haveing a problem ..
 
Originally posted by tomtom@Jan 22 2003, 08:19 PM
u never mention what year make and model ur vechile is
if its a 96 and up and running obd2 set up u need to have the cat.
the second o2 is to check if the cat is working
ur probaby not haveing a problem ..

98 DX. The second 02 sensor for the cat, I wired to the other o2 sensor so that it doesn't throw off the ecu.

I haven't change the anything about the gas or pump.

According to asmallsol, i am running lean, because of what he said about the spark plugs. I took mine out and they all were greyish-white.
 
if it was the o2 sensor, then it would have thrown a code for the 2nd o2 sensor, it wouldnt have thrown a code for lean/rich
 
Originally posted by sisteve@Jan 22 2003, 08:26 PM
if it was the o2 sensor, then it would have thrown a code for the 2nd o2 sensor, it wouldnt have thrown a code for lean/rich

im not familiar with hondas codes
besides its obd2 whats the p-serise code!
 
Its not the o2 sensor. I have no idea what the hell is wrong it is starting to piss me off. Oh, btw, this started about a month ago before I took off the cat, it just started becoming a problem for me. The only other thing that I have done to my car is put in some new Denso plugs platinums. Thanks for everyones patience with me.
 
What i recently did was put some good injector cleaner in my last fill up, right now i am doing everything "basic" because why shell money into a d-series when i plan on swapping it?

Don't know if this will cure it because i have only about 30 miles on this tank i bought a week ago (i dont put any miles on my car in the winter)

Also, in the winter (not to sure what region/climate your in but) cars dont get as good as good mpg because they take longer time to warm up, summer i will get about 30 city, right now i am getting about 25. It could be as simple as that.
 
I just wanted to thank everyone and to tell everyone that I am a dumbass. I went back out and got another code. 67. Malfunctioning Catalytic System. One of my wires from where I wired the other o2 sensor had come loose and was throwing codes, its fixed. Thank you everyone for your time!

-Chris
 
Originally posted by Liquidblaze@Jan 23 2003, 03:25 PM
I just wanted to thank everyone and to tell everyone that I am a dumbass. I went back out and got another code. 67. Malfunctioning Catalytic System. One of my wires from where I wired the other o2 sensor had come loose and was throwing codes, its fixed. Thank you everyone for your time!

-Chris

so ur car isn t running lean it just throwing codes cause ur wire was shorting out?
 
it stop throwing codes but I still think it is running a little lean but the check engine light turned off and no codes when i checked.
 
im a driability guy and i cant tell if its running lean unless there s evidance of melting plugs

why dont u compare plugs to another car?
 
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