EFI relay unplugged

[rcb280z]

When CA does the smog test they don't measure "upstream" from the cat. They stick the "sniffer" in the tail pipe and if you are not within spec you fail.

I don't know that much about them either but I know they lower the amount of HC coming out of the exhaust. I would imagine HC would be much higher before it went through the cat. As the exhaust pushes through the cat it heats it up burning the raw excess fuel (HC). I know the CA cars also have a "floor temp warning" sensor alerting the driver to a overheating cat. I have never experienced this nor know anyone that has. But it is there incase it over heats and my understanding is if you are too rich it could over heat the cat also.

Edited February 27, 2012 by rcb280z

[rcb280z]

Blue, I set the AFM wiper to the 1500 rpm range like the one in the pic you supplied me. It was off like one "click" and it changed the way it idled immensely. Just one click! I took it out for a drive and it felt good. So I will drive it again tomorrow and post results. I can't believe how much better it seems right now. I think I am still a little rich off idle...smells like it. My TPS is dead on so I need to adjust bypass screw little bits at a time. But not yet. Going to drive it a bit first. If it feels good I will leave it alone unless mileage sucks. Plugs still look lean!? I'm also going to take Zed's advice and have a leak down test done. I want to know whats going on in those cylinders.

[rcb280z]

Ok, took it out today and drove it around for a little while. Runs pretty good. But it is still a little rich running. I think it is fine at idle but somewhere after the idle circuit before WOT I believe it gets rich. The TPS is dead on, just checked again. So I need to find out when adjusting the AFM, difficult to do w/o the right equipment, where the fine line is. That is hard to find. If I could leave idle adjustment alone and find a good setting for say like 3/4 throttle I think I would be good. While I was out cruising around today I stopped and had a new Dyna-flow exhaust from the cat back installed. They did a nice install. I think everything is good now. I want to thank everyone that helped me trouble shoot the issue's with my EFI system. I hope this is the last of the problems for awhile. I am going to do some fine tuning though. Now on to the clunking sound that sounds like it is coming from the passenger rear.

[rcb280z]

I mean Magnaflow for the exhaust. :stupid:

[FastWoman]

Sorry to take so long to get back to you. It sounds like you're gettings things fairly straight anyway. In response to your questions:

Fastwomen, when you explain it like that it makes sense for a car with a lean condition. I'm still confused, unless I'm missing something, how this will help an already rich condition. as post #129 explains, I'm already rich with 1.8-2.5% CO's. And high Hydro Carbons. I wish the potentiometer was my answer, unless like I said, Am I missing something? Maybe so. My brain is scrambled eggs right now.

I guess I haven't been as buried in the details of this thread as I should be. I've just been preoccupied with other things and check in briefly when I have time (like this morning -- only a few spare minutes). Anyway, I thought you were running lean. I'll caution you that your plugs and your exhaust can possibly lie to you about whether you're rich or lean. When the mixture is EXTREMELY lean, you'll get a very slow, incomplete combustion, which will give you excess hydrocarbons, CO (I think), and carbon-fouled plugs. I know because that was the condition of my own engine.

IMO, the very best way to assess the mixture being delivered to your engine is to finger the AFM vane (i.e. with the engine running and the AFM cover removed). As I recall, you've done that.

FAIW, you can use the potentiometer method to lean out the mixture a bit if you wire the potentiometer in parallel (rather than in series) with the CTS. In that case, 5k would cause the engine to run roughly as is, and any adjustment in the 0k direction would lean out the mixture.

Another question for Fastwomen. What's the difference between the potentiometer adjustment and the AFM adjustment. Wouldn't you get the same results for enrichment?

There's no difference as long as airflow hasn't pegged out the AFM. However, if you loosen the clockspring to correct a lean-running condition, the AFM will peg out at a lower airflow rate, and beyond that, the engine will run lean. If you're tightening it to correct a rich running condition, it will take more airflow to peg out the AFM, and I suppose that could result in rich running at high airflow rates (perhaps?). I like to keep the AFM calibrated for the correct mechanical response and then to make the electronic response work from there.