Need help. Poor running. OBD-1 w/rk tunes. Not sure what else to look at.

[vr6dubny]

Put in a stock fpr I got from butters. The fuel pressure is where it should be now. Seems to be running much better now. However shifted to 4th to run a wrx and didn't go anywhere. Think it must have been misfiring. Not sure, wasn't watching my gauges when I got into it. I just know it was embarrassing, ha.

[vr6dubny]

So, car is running well at cruise, at idle it is high 13.8-15.1...usually wavering though.

I did some pulls tonight and car is running lean...i took some video's maybe someone else has input.

it seems to run best in fifth gear. 4th gear it does not want to get as rich as it should be.

i however got on it in 2nd and 3rd at one point and it did exactly what it should.

i feel like when I kinda roll into the boost it usually reacts well, when I just go wot it wants to go lean.

any suggestions are appreciated. I feel like it may be a fuel pressure issue.

I also believe RK states WOT should go rich immediately...maybe I have a faulty Throttle position sensor?


gauge is an aem dual boost/afr gauge. AFR is in the middle, Boost is around the outside. the 0 PSI is at like 9 o'clock. 8 PSI is at like 11 o'clock 16 PSI is at 2 o'clock

5th gear...doesn't seem that bad. A little slow getting to target afr.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J28...a9hKcgefRVmyvA

lean 5th gear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwiW...a9hKcgefRVmyvA

lean 4th gear to another not great 4th gear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6jE...RVmyvA&index=3

lean 4th gear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0ME...RVmyvA&index=4


this pull was from july. I feel like this is what it is suppose to be like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptUY...a9hKcgefRVmyvA

[crazyyardie]

Is ur tune for pump gas + meth ? Or pump gas only


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vr6dubny]

suppose to be pump gas only. I'm running 93

I am thinking about disconnecting battery for a while today and seeing if car reacts differently once ecu is cleared

I am still getting a code 1222 once in a while upon start up which is 02 sensor at full rich or full lean for more than 10 seconds. Upon start up my car is at 9.2-9.6 and then once warmed up a little goes up to high 13's-14's

I should mention I have ran the stock 02 sensor and a new bosch 02 sensor that is in there now

[jlb85]

Are you running EVAP still? If so, it could be leaking somewhere, causing lambda fluctuations.


I have EVAP (OBD2 car, runing OBD1 ECU with tune), although I mounted underbody. Before moving it (and after rebuild) I was running lean. We switched to E46M3 FRP (5 bar) and it improved, spot on lambda. Then I moved EVAP to underbody. Now I am rich all the time. I believe I may have some EVAP hoses routed incorrectly, have yet to diagnose or read codes (MIL is always on due to lack of SAI). I believe OBD1 does not check for EVAP though.

[vr6dubny]

My purge valve is disconnected with a resistor in the electrical connector, hose from tbody is plugged, line to tank is open.

i left battery unplugged for like 8 hours today. Then hooked it back up tonight. Car did whatever it does and finally idled around 13.7, little rich. I took it for a 20 minute easy drive, afr's were good at cruise, 14's. Then I got on it some. Seemed to respond better in general. Afr's were below 12 in boost, and were in 11's and 10.8 in boost. I feel much better about the car right now.

i am still throwing the 1222 at times, but if ce shows up, I rev the engine and it goes away. I don't know what to make of it.

i also ordered a new TPS, figure it is the last sensor in question. So i'll just replace it.

[vr6dubny]

So upon closer inspection of the stainless maf flange on my boost piping the relief is 2mm, where as the aluminum one I got in my kit is 1mm. So there is a leak source. I tried something to fix this, we will see if it works. If not going to order a new flange and I guess redo my piping, yet again. It only really leaks over 12lbs of boost so I do not believe it to be a major issue with my 1222 issue. However an issue, non the less.

i feel like I hear another leak somewhere but for the life of me, can't find it.

[ba114]

Did you plug the port on the TB for the EVAP stuff?

[vr6dubny]

Yes. Port is plugged. Too late to run car tonight, will do it in the morning.

i tightened intake manifold bolts, hopefully sealed maf flange completely, tps will be here in the AM...i'm really hoping this is the end of the problem.

also the 1 way valve on the brake booster is suppose to prevent positive pressure from going into the booster correct?

[328iFun]

So upon closer inspection of the stainless maf flange on my boost piping the relief is 2mm, where as the aluminum one I got in my kit is 1mm. So there is a leak source. I tried something to fix this, we will see if it works. If not going to order a new flange and I guess redo my piping, yet again. It only really leaks over 12lbs of boost so I do not believe it to be a major issue with my 1222 issue. However an issue, non the less.

i feel like I hear another leak somewhere but for the life of me, can't find it.

Can you introduce smoke into the equation?

Maybe try a simple smoke to test to reveal hidden leaks.

I made a smoke tester in like 5 minutes with rubber hose, a can, and a black and mild. Found very small leaks at my intake manifold taps for turbo accessories, use the brake booster port:

Get a can or (whatever) that has a sealed removable top, get two compressor fittings or whatever you have and drill two holes in the can. One goes to compressor other goes to brake booster. Drop a lit black and mild into the can and slowly introduce air via compressor to the can. I found several small leaks this way. Ones you couldn't hear. Cheap and works.

[vr6dubny]

Idle is around 13.9 but in boost things are good. I think i'm just gonna go with it for the rest of the year.

[vr6dubny]

I am thinking about tackling this from a different view. Does anyone know what sensors obd1 cars use on cold start?

i imagine o2, coolant temp are not used until closed loop?

so i am thinking it is basically a maf, cam, crank situation on start up. So that narrows things down to a maf issue, vacuum issue, cam or crank sensor issue...or ecu.

[Kevin325i]

Unfortunately I don't know exactly what the strategy is for the factory ecu you're using BUT it is very common OEM and aftermarket to use coolant temp and manifold air temperature for start enrichment.

Also depending on the temperature of the start closed loop may be entered in just a few seconds.

[vr6dubny]

Maybe i'll swap my old coolant temp sensor in and see if that helps at all.

i have also considered swapping stock chip into ecu and just powering up ecu but not turning car on and then swapping chips back out to see if it will reset ecu parameters

i also plan on tearing everything on the cold side out, intercooler pipe, intake mani, valve cover. I am going to recheck timing, put new intake mani gaskets in, recheck all my vacuum fittings, and see if it is better when I put it back together.


Also the check valve on the brake booster...air should be able to flow to booster but not towards manifold, correct?

[Kevin325i]

What sort of wideband do you have? Do you have anyway to log the output? I'm not talking a video since the refresh on the gauge won't show me what I want to see. Even a good multimeter scopemeter type thing would be acceptable. We're looking for fluctuation that would indicate a lean rich switching of a narrowband sensor.

13.9 doesn't sound scary, and a vacuum leak should cause lean of target at idle since you're drawing unmetered air but I've seen weird shit happen. I'm honestly just suspecting you've got an uncalibrated wideband.

- - - Updated - - -

Actually better yet, can you use a scan tool to read the factory sensor voltage while it's running and check fuel adaptions?

[vr6dubny]

I have an aem failsafe boost/afr gauge. It allows me to log. The setup has under 600 miles on it and was new when installed.

i will attempt to pull the logs tomorrow afternoon.

i know the car is running rich, i had it idling the other day for 15 minutes the other day and the tank gauge dropped 1/8, it was idling around 9.7 for most of that 15 minutes because I shut the car off in the middle and it went back to pig rich. I drove 60 miles yesterday and used close to half a tank. That was hardly in boost at all.

lastly I can smell that it is just pissing unburnt fuel out the tail pipe on cold starts and sometimes when i stop at a traffic light.

the car goes from full lean on coast to a stop down to 9.7 or 10 then climbs its way back to the 13's.

i need to find someone with a scan tool that will read obd1 bmw's. I'm working on that.

[jjjjjjj]

I too had similar and random symptoms (very rich idle sometimes, great others) which were resolved by an adjustable FPR - the smaller 13129. Had a 255 pump at the time and even tried a new oem FPR first with zero luck.

Mine is OBD1 too and have a failsafe wideband lol, love it for basic logging/info.

I'd be happy to share a drawing I made for the AFPR install just lmk

[vr6dubny]

I too had similar and random symptoms (very rich idle sometimes, great others) which were resolved by an adjustable FPR - the smaller 13129. Had a 255 pump at the time and even tried a new oem FPR first with zero luck.

Mine is OBD1 too and have a failsafe wideband lol, love it for basic logging/info.

I'd be happy to share a drawing I made for the AFPR install just lmk

if you could post the pic of how you set it up that would be great.

[vr6dubny]

so to update this thread. I have installed an aeromotive adjustable fpr and put a revised tune in the car. Now the car idles in the 14's but goes lean as soon as I try to move the car, then finally goes, drives at like 12.7 then goes like full lean randomly. oh and still throwing code 1222. I am going to try 1 more thing and then the car is just gonna get towed to New Hampshire and I will let butters figure it out, I don't know what else to look at and it may be best for a new set of eyes to get put on the car.

so recently I have done the following:

new revised tune...worse
adjustable fpr
different ecu

[Driiven]

Have you smoke tested this car?

[vr6dubny]

Car has been smoke tested, car has been pressure tested up to 20psi

i am back to considering a timing or crank pulley/damper issue.

today I ruled out the following:

Boost leak
vacuum leak
smoke test
maf is sending good signals, checked all the way to dme.
ohm tested crank sensor
swapped cam sensor
swapped TPS

[vr6dubny]

Today tried another fuel pump, another o2 sensor, another ecu, rechecked to be sure all plugs were going to correct place.

so here it gets even more weird. If i unplug maf I can drive car with ce light on. If i plug maf in, car dies when given gas. Car throws a 1221 code now for o2 sensor.

so i plug maf in, unplug o2 sensor car throws a code for tps (1216). Undriveable though stalls when touch gas.

i double checked fuel pressure today seems good.

[bry195]

Check the resistance from the maf and tps ground to the ecu grounds. Get a scanner to see what the ECU is seeing from temp, maf, o2 and tps.
Unplug the iacv (electricly) and see how it reponds.
Check valve allows the manifold to draw vacuum on the booster but if the manifold sees pressure it closes.

[328iFun]

Are we still trying to figure this thing out?

[vr6dubny]

Yes, took booster out of the system. Same.

I have to go through wiring diagrams tonight and find wires I need to check.

i am about done with this thing.