running rich

[jl97gtvert]

I've had this car 1 year. I had my (plastic) intake manifold replaced recently. 3 days later my check engine light came on. Dealer read code and said it had ran rich. I reset it and light had stayed off for 2-3 weeks. Dealership couldn't/wouldn't give me any ideas on why the light would trip all the sudden after repair. Engine mods are a BBK CAI, Ford 70mm TB, larger upper intake plenum, plugs, Ford 9 mm plug wires, and Flowmaster cat-back. I run 93 octane, sometimes 89, fuel. I also run Water Wetter in the coolant. All mods had been on car for months before the manifold puked. I was wondering what direction I should start in to get it straight or just best to leave it be.

[csledd]

you ever have it tuned? might want to look into a dyno tune.. not only will you gain hp but you'll find out for sure if your a/f is off

+1

[03gtmustang]

You shouldnt be running anything higher then 87 unless your car is tuned for it.

Originally Posted by 03gtmustang

You shouldnt be running anything higher then 87 unless your car is tuned for it.

-1

[03gtmustang]

Originally Posted by zigzagg321

-1

-1????

[jl97gtvert]

thanks. I'll do some looking for a good shop around here in south carolina. I know of a few shops in Georgia.

[03gtmustang]

miles per hour

Originally Posted by 03gtmustang

-1????

-1 was meant to show that I disagree about what you said about not using 93 w/out a tune. Maybe I am wrong here but I thought +1 meant "i agree" so I thought it appropriate to use the -1.

Also, you suggested miles per hour as a shop to use in Ga...thats where I had my car dyno tuned and the owner of the shop told me all GT's should use 93...tuned or not.

[Saleen S330]

Originally Posted by 03gtmustang

You shouldnt be running anything higher then 87 unless your car is tuned for it.

+1

That guy was lying to you about using 93 like that. Ford tells you to use 87, that's for a reason. Unless you have used a timing adjuster and bumped the timing up pretty good or had a tuner for 93 octane or went and got a dynotune and they set up the paramaters for 93 octane, then you are wasting money on 93 and should use 87. Also using a higher octane can sometimes make your car run like a$$, the higher the octane rating the harder to combust.

ran 93 before the dyno tune...never had an issue.

[Saleen S330]

Doesn't mean it will run like crap on 93. But i do know you will not feel anypower gain or gain anything from using 87 or 93 octane unless it's been tuned to do so. You use 93 when you bump the timing to a point where you need to use 93 to help avoid detonation. So stock timing 87, can use 93 but your paying around 20 cents more per gallon for no benefical gain...??? why?

[03gtmustang]

Exactly what Saleen S330. You wont get ANY benefit of running 93, and theres the chance your car will run worse.

well, I'm not worried about it now...my car is tuned for 93...I was just saying it didnt cause me a problem to run 93 before my tune and a reputable shop said its fine to do so.

[03gtmustang]

Thats fine. But you're wasting A LOT of money. If that doesnt concern you, then go for it.

Back to helping jl97gtvert. Any news?

Originally Posted by 03gtmustang

Thats fine. But you're wasting A LOT of money. If that doesnt concern you, then go for it.

I would be wasting money except my car is tuned for 93 now.

As for helping jl97gtvert...get a tune...see your A/F and have it corrected if need be by the tune.

[jl97gtvert]

I haven't made it to any dyno shops for a tune just yet. I had the rear swaybar break recently. Apparently it had been cracked for some time. Well why not upgrade. I got the Eibach solid front and rear bars, UPR control arms, 13" front brake kit, UPR/Eibach lowering springs, and new shocks/struts all the way around. I also drained/refilled the tranny and torque convertor. I finished installing everything and cranked it up. Check engine light came back on, idled so-so. When I pushed the brake or shifted the tranny RPMs drop to almost nothing. Also when I turned on the AC or rad fan kicks on, RPMs would drop. Everything seems to lead me to a vacuum leak. But where? After the dealer put on the new intake manifold the light came on a couple times(running rich). Still ran good though. Now it can barely creep down the drive. Shutters and shakes and RPMS drop to zip. I can't think of or see anything I would have unplugged. I tried resetting the computer by disconnecting battery. Help please

[MattJ]

take it back to the shop. it didnt do it before the intake, so it shouldnt do it after.

[p3s7_01]

When I installed my TB and had to unplug something and when I used seafoam through my vaccum line the car would sound like it would die. maybe its one of those 2 hoses that go to the phlenum.

kinda off topic but Saleen says that I have to use 91 octane fuel and im sure its because htey tuned it that way but what if I got he car tuned to run on 87 would it cause any loss of power? is there a reason why the car is tuned to run on higher octane. Also why can't I find stations that have 93 octane in california.

[r3dn3ck]

93 octane fuel is not available in California thanks to the bizarre regulations handed down by CARB. Only CARB approved fuels may be dispensed at retail pumps here, everthing else has to be ordered in drums and is not legal for on-highway use.

Last I knew Saleen and Roush both applied performance tunes to their cars which would necessitate 91/93 octane fuel.

[cobra1923]

Would a dirty MAF element cause it to run rich? I would think it would cause a lean condition?

[r3dn3ck]

Yes, a dirty MAF will cause a lean condition. Rich running is sometimes attributable to a leaky exhaust manifold gasket. There are many other things that can cause it but that's one of the common ones with aftermarket headers.

[jl97gtvert]

After chasing an imaginary vacuum leak. I got it running right. Have a buddy with laptop and code reader software and he checked and cleared my codes.
FYI---- don't forget to disconnect battery before unplugging coils. Like a DA I forgot and it tripped the computer. Keeping an eye on the running rich. Haven't tripped a code again. Thank s all for the help and ideas

[Saleen S330]

Originally Posted by jl97gtvert

After chasing an imaginary vacuum leak. I got it running right. Have a buddy with laptop and code reader software and he checked and cleared my codes.
FYI---- don't forget to disconnect battery before unplugging coils. Like a DA I forgot and it tripped the computer. Keeping an eye on the running rich. Haven't tripped a code again. Thank s all for the help and ideas

i've unplugged my coils several times and nothing was tripped.

[stage2roush2002]

Originally Posted by r3dn3ck

Last I knew Saleen and Roush both applied performance tunes to their cars which would necessitate 91/93 octane fuel.

They do. Well atleast I know Roush does because they change the timing on the car.