A/F Gauge problems!

[96TalonAWD]

i just install my gauge i tap the 12v, ground and o2 wire to the ECU all of them. i follow the vfaq but when i start my car it almost die on idle and the gauge light goes crazy from side to side real fast. i did not use no T connectors i took the wire from the gauge and the 2 wires from the ecu that i cut and wrap them together but was wrong???

 

[germain101]

did you disconnect your battery when you installed the gauge???i know with my car, after i reset the computer, it will idle up and down and almost stall until the ecu relearns the way the car runs...as far as the gauge, the only time that it doesn't jump back and forth is at wot...i'd also go back and either solder those wires or crimp them with some kind of connector...hope this help some....

 

[96TalonAWD]

hi my car idle now is ok it magically happen or i just didn depress the whole cluth i dont know is ok now. So actually if my engine is running lean and is about to hole a piston how i am gonna know? if only is stable at wot

 

[germain101]

The A/F Meter will initially show a very low value till the O2 Sensor warms up(meaning it will appear to be running lean). after it warms up it should start to cycle high and low. If not check the connections and consider that your o2 sensor may very well be bad. It is more common that you think. Due to the 3 sample/sec refresh rate the AF Meter will appear to jump around a lot while in closed loop mode(normal driving or at idle). This is not a problem when at WOT as the O2 value will not be jumping around as quickly.The A/F Meter is NOT a diagnostic tool for testing the reaction time of the O2 sensor. It is meant as a monitoring device only.Negative values(appearing to run lean) during high vacuum situations (coasting in gear with foot off the gas) are normal and nothing to be concerned about.

this is right off of rre's site(with a little editing on my part to help you understand)...

i'm assuming that the reason that your car's idle is ok now, is because you did disconnect the battery when you instaled the gauge and it reset the ecu...you have to understand how your ecu works...it's almost like artificial inteligence...basicly, your ecu "learns" how your car runs so it can make proper adjustments...if your a/f gauge isn't acting as described, then you may have hooked it up wrong....hope this helps answer your questions, even though i really am not too sure what it is you asked....

 

[cmc]

Originally posted by germain101
(with a little editing on my part to help you understand)...

 

[96TalonAWD]

i am pretty sure is hook right because is doing all is suppose to do. jump around, move slowly at warm up, stay in rich at wot. but if my engine is in danger on a lean condition how it will reflect it thats my question?

 

[96TalonAWD]

nobody knows

 

[germain101]

i tried to post the other day and for some reason it wouldn't let me...if your car is running lean it will show at wot....if it starts to show lean, back off the gas...your car isn't going to be running lean at idle or just cruising....also, i wouldn't rely on your a/f gauge as your only means of monitoring your engine...it's nice to have, but i would buy an egt gauge before an a/f gauge....if you're running with a stock fuel system and no kind of fuel management, you will probably hit fuel cut before you start to run lean...if you have bigger injector, fuel pump, and an afc you'll really want to start looking into an egt gauge as well(i'm assuming you don't have one allready)....hope this helps...