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 Posted: Feb 17, 2018 04:55AM
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According to what I’ve read about wide band O2 sensors/ gauges, the numbers range from about 12 to 18.

Graphs I’ve read on wise band O2 sensors show that a wide band O2 meter reads from about 12 to 18. The ideal is 14.7, but it will move around between 12 and 18 if I am reading how a wide band O2 meter works..

Just food for thought. I think I’ll have to learn more before buying this item. I hope it works well and properly.

Darren.

 Posted: Jan 2, 2018 01:09AM
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GB
I'd probably still like to see it a tad richer - both times I've run Betty at 15-15.2 at cruise she's burnt a valve.  A-Series are generally happier around 14.5 iirc.  Having said that, who knows how accurate the sensor is...

 Posted: Dec 31, 2017 02:09PM
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US
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex
Those numbers are better, but the leaning out under mild acceleration is a more normal driving situation than going WOT.  Try a slightly thicker dashpot oil.
Experimenting w/ dashpot oil is a lot easer than sorting through a bunch of needle profiles. Thanks!

 

Michael, Santa Barbara, CA

. . . the sled, not the flower

      Poser MotorSports

 Posted: Dec 31, 2017 02:06AM
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GB
Those numbers are better, but the leaning out under mild acceleration is a more normal driving situation than going WOT.  Try a slightly thicker dashpot oil.

 Posted: Dec 26, 2017 06:12PM
 Edited:  Dec 26, 2017 06:13PM
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US
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosebud
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex
15 at cruise or WOT ?
15 at cruise. It goes a bit lean (16-17) at WOT and a bit rich (12-14) when coasting or idling.
Very much the wrong way round - you're in danger of burning things at 16-17 WOT.  Power runs on Gertie & Betty have been abandoned at lower numbers than that.
12-13 is far safer and more powerful.
OK, let me amend my statement about it going lean under WOT. I've only had my wideband for a week or so and I think I'm getting an understanding of how to read the gauge at least.

It goes a bid lean (16-17) under mild acceleration for just a second or two. Is soon as the acceleration is over it returns to 15. Under WOT it richens up significantly to 11-13 and then returns to 15. Idle and deceleration is rich at 12-13. Does that sound OK?

 

Michael, Santa Barbara, CA

. . . the sled, not the flower

      Poser MotorSports

 Posted: Dec 25, 2017 10:26PM
 Edited:  Dec 25, 2017 10:32PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosebud
Quote:

15 at cruise. It goes a bit lean (16-17) at WOT and a bit rich (12-14) when coasting or idling.
Very much the wrong way round - you're in danger of burning things at 16-17 WOT.  Power runs on Gertie & Betty have been abandoned at lower numbers than that. 12-13 is far safer and more powerful.
Hmm... If I richen up to achieve 15 at WOT, when I'm cruising I would be way to rich, no? My gauge is calibrated for 91 octane gasoline 15 = 1 (lambda) which is the sweet spot. It's my understanding that 1 lambda is where I want to spend most of my time. If I'm racing or plan to do a lot of "spirited" driving I suppose I would richen up a bit to be on the safe side. As it is, my plugs look great—nice, light chocolate brown and the heat range looks right. Maybe I need a different needle profile to keep me closer to lambda over a wider range of throttle positions? I'm listening... please explain. Thanks!

EDIT: I've never heard a hint of a ping (excuse me, pink. You're a Brit, right?). Although, there's so much cabin and exhaust noise I question whether I could hear it anyway.

 

Michael, Santa Barbara, CA

. . . the sled, not the flower

      Poser MotorSports

 Posted: Dec 25, 2017 09:14PM
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GB
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosebud
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex
15 at cruise or WOT ?
15 at cruise. It goes a bit lean (16-17) at WOT and a bit rich (12-14) when coasting or idling.
Very much the wrong way round - you're in danger of burning things at 16-17 WOT.  Power runs on Gertie & Betty have been abandoned at lower numbers than that.
12-13 is far safer and more powerful.

 Posted: Dec 25, 2017 05:35PM
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Thank you for the info malsal. Much appreciated. Merry Christmas all ! Darren.

 Posted: Dec 25, 2017 04:15PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Derwood
Hi all, and thanks for the info Rosebud. I’m still on the hunt for my mini, but I have found one that I am giving very serious thought to buying. It is a ‘93 model, so it has the catalytic converter. This device sounds like it would be an asset to have on models with catalyst ? Kind of a way of catching the lambda sensor going bad before it leaves a driver stranded ? Also is there any general information about the SPI system that I should be aware of ? Any parts that go often etc ? And also, am I correct that I could add a LCB header to an otherwise stock SPI exhaust system ? Has this been tried for a slight increase in performance ? Final question for now ; if I decide to replace the entire system is there a brand that is considered to be the best compromise between price , performance and durability ? Thank you all ,my friends, And Merry Christmas from Darren .
According to Calver an LCB does nothing for an spi as the stock cast exhaust manifold flows very well. Get a stage 2 or 3 head and remove the cat for some gains in hp which is very limited on an spi set up with the stock electronics.

If in doubt, flat out. Colin Mc Rae MBE 1968-2007.

Give a car more power and it goes faster on the straights,
make a car lighter and it's faster everywhere. Colin Chapman.

 Posted: Dec 25, 2017 03:18PM
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US
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex
15 at cruise or WOT ?
15 at cruise. It goes a bit lean (16-17) at WOT and a bit rich (12-14) when coasting or idling.

 

Michael, Santa Barbara, CA

. . . the sled, not the flower

      Poser MotorSports

 Posted: Dec 25, 2017 12:36PM
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GB
15 at cruise or WOT ?

 Posted: Dec 25, 2017 07:55AM
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Hi all, and thanks for the info Rosebud. I’m still on the hunt for my mini, but I have found one that I am giving very serious thought to buying. It is a ‘93 model, so it has the catalytic converter. This device sounds like it would be an asset to have on models with catalyst ? Kind of a way of catching the lambda sensor going bad before it leaves a driver stranded ?

Also is there any general information about the SPI system that I should be aware of ? Any parts that go often etc ? And also, am I correct that I could add a LCB header to an otherwise stock SPI exhaust system ? Has this been tried for a slight increase in performance ?

Final question for now ; if I decide to replace the entire system is there a brand that is considered to be the best compromise between price , performance and durability ?

Thank you all ,my friends, And Merry Christmas from Darren .

 Posted: Dec 13, 2017 05:06PM
 Edited:  Dec 13, 2017 05:29PM
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US
Well, it's only day 2, and already my new wideband O2 setup has proven it's worth. Yesterday (1st day) the wideband was reporting an air/fuel ratio of 15 (lambda 1.00), spot on. Today it was reading air/fuel at 13 - 14, slightly rich. I pulled the spark plugs and sure enough, they were somewhat sooty. Normally my carbs are very stable and my plugs are a nice chocolate brown... except for the time one of the chokes stuck in the open position. Hmm... I reached around the back of the carb that had the sticking problem, pushed on the choke and click! The choke was stuck open ever-so-slightly; not more than a 1/16", certainly not enough to notice whilst driving.

Come to think of it, this morning was cooler then usual, about 56 degrees and I used the choke 1/2 sec. to start up for the first time in months. Time for another squirt of teflon lube on the choke mechanism. I would have never known the sticky choke was back had it not been for the wideband.

EDIT: Got the choke working and the A/F ratio is back to 15. Nice.

 

Michael, Santa Barbara, CA

. . . the sled, not the flower

      Poser MotorSports

 Posted: Dec 12, 2017 08:24PM
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That's not the complete package either. It's a little confusing and the link I posted earlier did not include the Bluetooth interface. I have since corrected the earlier link.

The package I purchased is called the "SM-AFR Wideband + MultiGauge Link Combo." [link]  It comes with the O2 sensor, controller unit (red box), all the necessary cables and a Bluetooth adaptor that plugs into the controller unit. The only other thing you'll need is the threaded bung [link] if you don't already have one. As Willie B mentioned, the Combo package is on sale for $149.99. $100.00 off retail.

Hope this clears up any confusion. 

 

Michael, Santa Barbara, CA

. . . the sled, not the flower

      Poser MotorSports

 Posted: Dec 12, 2017 06:58PM
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US
 Posted: Dec 12, 2017 06:35PM
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Michael, another ask for more detail. I clicked on the link and it shows a deal on sale for $64, but doesn't seem to include (at least in the depiction of the product) the red module. Can you post a link to the complete kit you have installed please?

 Posted: Dec 12, 2017 02:29PM
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On sale even so I picked one up. Thanks for the heads up.

"How can anything bigger be mini?"

 Posted: Dec 12, 2017 01:49PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by geoO
A bit more info please: so you cut a hole in the exhaust just beyond the header and weld in the sensor, right? Then where did you put the red box and how long is the lead to it? Does it need power to transmit to iPhone then?
Yep. A hole is cut into the exhaust pipe 24" to 36" inches from the engine and a threaded bung gets welded onto the hole. PLX sells the correct bung [link], but it can be found at most online auto parts stores. The O2 sensor is screwed into the hole and the cable gets routed to the control box. The box is wired into the car's 12v system (switched from ignition). When the box is powered up, open the phone app and it will automatically connect itself to the box. My control box is tucked under the dash. The cable from the sensor to the box is almost as long as the Mini, so it's not a problem.

 

Michael, Santa Barbara, CA

. . . the sled, not the flower

      Poser MotorSports

 Posted: Dec 12, 2017 01:13PM
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US
A bit more info please: so you cut a hole in the exhaust just beyond the header and weld in the sensor, right? Then where did you put the red box and how long is the lead to it? Does it need power to transmit to iPhone then?

 Posted: Dec 12, 2017 12:52PM
 Edited:  Dec 12, 2017 08:27PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosebud

This package from PLX fits the bill [link].
Forgot to mention... another nice feature of this package is it displays the health of the sensor. Apparently O2 sensors have a limited lifespan and the reading becomes less accurate with time. It starts out displaying 100% and lets you know when it's time to replace the sensor. Sweet.

 

Michael, Santa Barbara, CA

. . . the sled, not the flower

      Poser MotorSports

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