Hi all can some please tell me in the most easily understandable way how i can tell if my car is running rich or lean???

cheers

 

If its pumping out lots of black smoke its rich plus a nice smell of unburnt petrol, carbon deposits on your exhaust after not many miles.

Tony

 

Find a mate with an exhaust gas analyser is the best way.

 

A wideband lambda meter / sensor.

http://wbo2.com/ld02/default.htm


Andy

 

Just bought a lambda link for mine http://www.brdevelopments.com/link.html

it's not as good as using a wideband tester, but using a wideband can be expensive

Adam.

 

cheers guys thats great, just one thing when my exhaust pops like it does sometimes thats due to unburnt fuel/carbon deposits? is it running rich then??

thanks again

 

you cant tell by that, thats unburnt fuel when you lift off being ignited, you need to know under boost.

 

A non wideband lambda meter is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard IMO.
Best to save your dosh and get the wideband.

Pops and bangs might be simply be an ignition timing change once you've come off the gas and the load zone moves to a different part of the map in the ECU.
Doesn't really mean much about your fueling.

Andy

 

Andy,

what is the cost if you were to be doing 5-6k miles/year using a wideband lambda?

Thanks

Adam.

 

very good links and info guys thanks again

 

Replied to PM as well Adam,
not sure what you mean by "cost"

Cost of product or use of it isn't relative to mileage.

Andy