[mnm99]

Every time I start my car in the garage ( with the door open and the rear of the car at the edge) when I'm done I smell like exhaust / gassy smell! The plugs look light tan and the car runs good, except for a slight stumble at idle that just happened. Do you think a O2 sensor/tuner would help? I have no clue what the carb settings except for Vac are. What are some good ones?

 

[dnult]

If you want to tune, wideband is the only way to go. Normal O2 sensor meters are nothing more than a light show IMHO. But like any tool, you'll have to know how to use it to make it pay for itself. They can be pretty pricey, but you'll not find anything better to tune with.

 

[mnm99]

If you want to tune, wideband is the only way to go. Normal O2 sensor meters are nothing more than a light show IMHO. But like any tool, you'll have to know how to use it to make it pay for itself. They can be pretty pricey, but you'll not find anything better to tune with.

Yes I would like to tune it. I had my mustang tuned on a dyno a few years ago when I put a Procharger on it, but that was a whole different animal with a computer and all. I'm just concerned I because the last old car ( 70 Nova SS) back in high school never made my cloths smeel like fumes. Like I said the car runs fine. Who know maybe it's fine for me,but could be improved? I was looking at the Inovative LM-1 unit for around $348. Do I need the LMA-2 also or is that used for newer cars for tach hook ups?

 

[JimM]

If you want to tune your car, you need to learn how. Owning a fancy peice of test equipment won't automatically do that.

The LM1 or similar instrument for sure can be a big help, particularly in tuning WOT mixture, but people have been tuning idle quality and tip in performance with nothing but a trained ear and a vacaum gauge for a hundred years.

 

[mnm99]

If you want to tune your car, you need to learn how. Owning a fancy peice of test equipment won't automatically do that.

The LM1 or similar instrument for sure can be a big help, particularly in tuning WOT mixture, but people have been tuning idle quality and tip in performance with nothing but a trained ear and a vacaum gauge for a hundred years.

Jim...AS YOU KNOW I do alot of research on everything I do to get it right the first time.. I understand how the whole air/fuel thing works. I had to deal with it when I had my procharger. I just need to learn more about carbs. Primary jets, secondary jets, power valves ac pumps ect and how everything works together... I think once I get those down I should be good to go.

 

[Mark .L.W.]

I have a LM-1 and it works great , they work great for tuning . Working with a vacuum gauge and big camshafts and such just isn't that accurate .
Mark.

 

[Eric68]

I agree with Jim on this one.

I own an LM1 and it is great, but if your ultimate goal is getting rid of that gassy smell buying an LM1 is probably not necessary. If you want to tune then the LM 1 is great -- make sure you get the RPM converter with it.

If you have a big cam you will probably always have that gassy smell due to reversion and the rough idle.

A vacuum gauge will help if you set the idle mixture for maximum vacuum then go a hair leaner that will get your idle mixture very close.

 

[dnult]

I don't know much about the differences between the LM-1 and LMA-2. I'll have to defer that question to someone else. At one time, there were two difference sensors out there bosche (more expensive) and one other which was cheaper, but required a different controller. As a result, there were different controllers for each sensor. Perhaps the LMA-2 supports multiple sensors or is made specifically for one. Look for a controller that supports mutliple sensor types if there is such an animal. Sensor price differences was something like $175 compared to $100 - significantly cheaper.

I can tell you that the wideband units will read mixtures from about 8:1 to 20:1, which is good enough for almost any application. The regular narrow band O2 sensors only toggle between about 14.4:1 and 15:1 which isn't much use to anyone for tuning -- just a blinky light.

Like any O2 sensor, they are sensitive to certain RTV compounds and other "fumes". As a result, if you've used RTV to seal your intake parts, make sure the sealant is O2 sensor safe.

Beware that there are recommended mounting positions for the sensor itself. The main thing about mounting is to angle them up enough so that condensation doesn't pool inside the sensor. Just keep that in mind when welding in the bung(s).

Check out http://www.wbo2.com/ if you haven't already. Lots of good info buried throughout the site. Once upon a time there was a do it yourself EFI project that had an WBO2 off-shoot. I think it's pretty much defunct now, but you may be able to subscribe to emails from it by visiting http://www.diy-efi.org/ and clicking the widw-band O2 link.

Have fun.