Am I Running Lean?

[97cutlas$upreme]

ok so last weekend me and some friends went up to mountain for some canyon runs.. i was having a hard time keeping up with some of the cars because, well i had the pedal down all the way but i was accelerating really slow and once it got to like around 60 it seemed like it just stopped there but kept climing slower. are these signs of running lean what could i help to do fix this any suggestions?

[sprucegagt]

ok so last weekend me and some friends went up to mountain for some canyon runs.. i was having a hard time keeping up with some of the cars because, well i had the pedal down all the way but i was accelerating really slow and once it got to like around 60 it seemed like it just stopped there but kept climing slower. are these signs of running lean what could i help to do fix this any suggestions?

The only way to know for sure is to scan and record the LTFT and STFT values while driving. In order to do that you'll need a scanner or aeroforce gauge. Until then, everything is just speculation.

[97cutlas$upreme]

would that be the same as af ratio gauge? or what scanner?

[ryan.hess]

Umm... no.

[Ortie666]

that could be lean.. u should have checked ur plugs after.. if they were white it was lean, and black rich.. But usraly rich u get poping and backfiring outa the pipes.. and too lean u get babling from the manifold were it just dosent wanna rev higher.. the fact that it was slowly climbing in rpms is odd tho.. Iv heard that old EFI systems when u get up in the mountains and it leans out that if u shut it off for a couple min so when it re-fires the computer retests the atmispheric pressure telling it to pump in more gas.. that may be bullshit kuss some idiot told me that but its worth a shot nex time...

[sprucegagt]

would that be the same as af ratio gauge? or what scanner?

No. A A/F ratio gauge is just a feel good lie. Since it's using the signal feed from the stock narrow band oxygen sensor, it can't really read if its way lean or way rich. Instead you need to know what adjustments the PCM is making. The cheapest way to do that would be with an aeroforce gauge.

[ryan.hess]

Actually the cheapest way would be to take it to autozone and have them scan it for free....

[sprucegagt]

The Autozone scanner is for DTCs only. It won't scan PCM outputs like LTFT, STFT, MAP, MAF Hz, etc.

[SappySE107]

Going up a mountain...what elevation did you start at and how far up did you go? How many friends and how much gear?

[1988GTU]

If you could find a Tech 2 to look at your long term and short fuel trims you'd know 100% what is happening with the adjustments. You can also adjust them some if need be.

[97cutlas$upreme]

ok now i need info on that aerogauge... some one fill me in please

[97cutlas$upreme]

Going up a mountain...what elevation did you start at and how far up did you go? How many friends and how much gear?

well i was solo in my car but not much weight cause i took my speaker box out... i had it in d3 part of the time and tried it on D but same thing... i think the highest we got was 8000ft

[IanSzgatti]

If anything, you would be running rich, as atmospheric density changes quite a bit every thousand feet, as you climbed, your computer would constantly be adjusting for the reduction in oxygen. try a 9.5% reduction in power at only 3000 feet from lack of oxygen. You, being over 7,000 feet...
Your 02 sensor would have noticed this lack of oxygen and cut back the fuel, resulting in a much less power-packed mixture. Fortunately there are products out there that are chemically bonded with 02 that you add to your fuel. How much you need you can figure out, but they'd help you get up the hill a little faster by adding oxygen to the mixture, which will ultimately let the computer add some more fuel.

[SappySE107]

Yup, ive done that, going from phoenix to flagstaff. Car felt like a yugo. Driving back down to the valley was quite an experience though:P Your computer reads baro on startup and unless you meet the conditions for it to update (WOT and maybe more variable?), it will use the O2 to correct for the incorrect factors. Gotta love closed loop.

[97cutlas$upreme]

Fortunately there are products out there that are chemically bonded with 02 that you add to your fuel. How much you need you can figure out.

octane booster?