Bogging / Running Lean... Injector Issue?

[XpL0d3r]

Newly boosted, brought the car to the tuner to get dyno'd.. they told me that at random times the car would intermittedly run lean, and I should look into getting it fixed as it could be a bad injector, resistor box, wiring, etc... I'm running dsm blue tops...

I DID have a clogged injector I think.. it was a bunch of deposits just inside the injector. Cleaned it with carb cleaner, but I'm sure it may be clogged internally..

I have a wide band A/F gauge... it's very... inconsistant.. should this be the case?

If I'm driving.. then take my foot off the gas and coast in gear.. A/F reads 20.0
Idling.. anywhere from 12 to high 14's..

Driving is anywhere between 11 and 16... usually pretty close to the 14.7 range but likes to drop or raise sometimes..

And I've only noticed this starting the car, but it sometimes seems like it struggles to start, and sometimes bogs TERRIBLY.. to the point where it almost stalls, and it makes teh car undriveable. But if I turn it off then back on.. sometimes it runs fine like normal...

What should I typically be seeing for an A/F ration.. would that one injector be the problem?

Oh and, I installed a Walbro 255 fuel pump.. to my knowledge it was correct, lol. But if it weren't seated properly would that also have an affect?

Otherwise.. car works great. Only boosting at 6psi and OMG I love it... lol. But I don't want to push it really until I stop running lean! I refuse to blow (another) motor.

Any suggestions on things to try? I also randomly got code 20 (ELD), but it went away... and hasn't come back since.. lol

Any help would be appreciated. I'm getting new flow tested injectors next week...

 

[2slo4u]

You have a wideband sensor? That's the correct way to use a wideband a/f gauge. How do you have the resistor box wiring? I think the wiring might be right though because if you had then wrong you might have other problems. Maybe try installing your oem injectors and see if the problem is still there

 

[XpL0d3r]

The wiring should be correct, we double checked it quite a bit.. car ran fine to the tuner on no boost, and it problem only happens every so often.. I'm kind of thinking fuel pump also though... hmm. I will take a look tomorrow when there's light... thanks for the help!

 

[2slo4u]

yea double check everything that you did when you installed the turbo kit
lmk how it goes

 

[XpL0d3r]

Going to get new injectors today that were just cleaned and flow tested to within 2% of each other, and internal screens replaced. Hopefully this works.. if not I'm guessing injector wiring, or fuel pump lol.

Also, is it common for my fuel gauge to be way off with a new fuel pump? I've gone about 30 miles and it's telling me 3/4 of a tank left already...

EDIT: I am also not running an IAT sensor right now since I didn't have a flange for it. I ordered one and will be in next week..

 

[XpL0d3r]

BUMPDATE: Replaced all 4 injectors with new clean and flow tested ones.. still running super rich... also got this from some site:

"Some (cars) also have a manifold temp sensor and an intake air temperature sensor. FAILURE SYMPTOMS: Rich or lean mixture, black smoke (rich), light on dash"

... maybe that, plus a retune?

 

[2slo4u]

Are the new injectors a different cc than what its tuned in?

 

[XpL0d3r]

Nope, same cc injectors, just cleaned and flow tested so I know they're good.

I failed to mention I think.. I don't have the IAT sensor hooked up... maybe thats it? haha I hope so...

 

[2slo4u]

it can be but i dont know cause i didnt run an IAT sensor for the longest time and it was fine too

so before it was lean now its rich?
are your plugs gapped correctly as well?

 

[XpL0d3r]

it can be but i dont know cause i didnt run an IAT sensor for the longest time and it was fine too

so before it was lean now its rich?
are your plugs gapped correctly as well?

well the tuner told me it was running lean on the dyno.. but when I go to drive the car and look down at the A/F gauge it's telling me 10.0 (which is the lowest the gauge goes, so I'm assuming it's really even lower)...

Plugs should be gapped correctly, the tuner did all that himself because we finished the turbo install at like.. 9pm on sunday.. forgot plugs, and nowhere was open.. lol.

 

[2slo4u]

are you using a wide band o2 sensor with your wide band a/f gauge?

 

[XpL0d3r]

are you using a wide band o2 sensor with your wide band a/f gauge?

yep plugged in right behind the primary o2 sensor.. Just went in a couple mins ago and recalibrated it on the box... from a cold idle.. right now it's idling at about 12.3... honestly the only time's I've seen it run lean is letting off the gas and coasting.. which I thought was normal lol (the gauge max's out)...

Though a couple times driving the a/f gauge read high 15's low 16's while driving.. and I do NOT want to run the car lean.

Just pulled this off some site:

"A faulty air temperature sensor that is reading warmer than normal will typically cause in a lean fuel condition. This increases the risk of detonation and lean misfire (which hurts fuel economy and increases emissions).

A faulty air temperature sensor that is reading colder than normal will typically cause a rich fuel condition. This wastes fuel and also increases emissions."

 

[XpL0d3r]

UPDATE:

Car runs VERY rich.... when I turn my headlights (HID's) on.. lol... I've definitely concluded that it's an electrical issue. I don't have a CEL, but I Jumped the connector and still have code 20 (ELD)...

car runs fine, then I flip on the HIDs (which take a lot of power to initially turn on) and right there the car runs super rich and starts to bog down... some sort of electrical issue... thoughts?

 

[2slo4u]

Where did you ground your wideband sensor? Try moving it to the engine and try adding more grounding points and check existing ones.

 

[oc_civic]

UPDATE:

Car runs VERY rich.... when I turn my headlights (HID's) on.. lol... I've definitely concluded that it's an electrical issue. I don't have a CEL, but I Jumped the connector and still have code 20 (ELD)...

car runs fine, then I flip on the HIDs (which take a lot of power to initially turn on) and right there the car runs super rich and starts to bog down... some sort of electrical issue... thoughts?

granted I did NOT have larger injectors...

but it was my findings that the 255 walbro pump overpowered the stock FPR and it simply could not return fuel fast enough... causing a rich situation.. I bought an in car fuel pressure gauge, and made some adjustments to the regulator.. and I was golden..

what FPR are you running?
and do you have an in car fuel pressure gauge? that is what helped me figure out my problem.. allowing me to view fuel pressure WHILE I was driving..

 

[XpL0d3r]

sorry for no replies took a trip down to UMass for the night

Anyways... I will try moving the wideband ground.. would a sensor for a gauge cause the car to bog down like that though?

The tuner DID move my engine ground.. from the valve cover to the fuel rail.. so I moved it back to see if that would improve anything.. no dice. I'm going to order a new ELD on Tuesday.. but I still think there is a bad ground or short in a wire somewhere... ugh.


OC, I am running stock FPR, but why would the car run fine until I turn my headlights on? Definitely sounds electrical to me, lol.

 

[AllTracCelica]

Did you consider changing out fuel injectors vrs fuel pressure. One set of injectors flow more at different PSI. Your new injectors may flow more at that psi than your other ones did. Just a thought. And your A/F should hit 20 when you let up on gas all the way suddenly.

 

[XpL0d3r]

Did you consider changing out fuel injectors vrs fuel pressure. One set of injectors flow more at different PSI. Your new injectors may flow more at that psi than your other ones did. Just a thought. And your A/F should hit 20 when you let up on gas all the way suddenly.

Yes it does hit 20 off the gas.

UPDATE:

Switched out my headlights.. aka took the HIDs out and put halogens back in.. car runs! Since the HID's take a LOT of power to start up initially.. I removed them... problem almost solved.

Driving to work today car ran fine.. then suddenly randomly went super rich (10.0, which is lowest the gauge goes, so most likely even lower).. and car bogged down.. I turned the car off/on.. ran well again for ~5 minutes.. then it did it again. Turned it off/on one more time.. and the car was fine all the all the way to work.

I called the tuner today.. told them about the electrical/HID issue.. they said most likely the car needs to be retuned since theres an electrical overload and thats causing the fuel maps to switch tables in the tune.. or something like that.. lol. so hopefully a retune will solve the issue!

I also ordered an B&M FPR also... just incase =P

 

[2slo4u]

Is he gonna charge you for a full tune again?

 

[XpL0d3r]

Is he gonna charge you for a full tune again?

nope they said like $100 or something... redyno'd and street tuned..


car died on me today... fuse 15 was blown... making me wonder if there's still an electrical problem somewhere