running lean!!?

[PeteM]

hey everyone, merry christmas. i have a custome made downpipe thats catless with a stock tune, and i herd that the car is running lean and i would like to know if it is.. how lean is it running and how bad it is for the engine

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

If you think that your engine is running lean, you need to install a monitoring sytem like the Innovate LM2 that will monitor A/F ratio. It requires a new bung for the sensor, and it's not cheap, but it will tell you what your A/F ratio is... Ron

[AZ Saab]

With just a dp the car shouldn't be running lean. Do you hear sounds of detonation? Running lean isn't good. I recently replaced an engine after the #4 piston cooked itself. A few weeks ago I installed a wideband air/fuel gauge to monitor the new motor. It's cheap insurance to monitor your motor and not too bad to install. Good luck.

[PeteM]

i dont notice any detination, how much are widebands? and where can i get em?

[John Z Williams]

You can also get on a dyno and they can check the a/f at the same time for about 65 bucks. You can buy a cheap scan tool and have at least some narrow band a/f data, should tell you if its really bad, but the dyno with a/f would be the cheapest best cost effective way to know for sure.

If it is lean, its usually because of a weak fuel pump, there is enough fuel injector to adjust for no cat easily.

good luck,

John

[PeteM]

i would also like to mention that ive had the downpipe on the car for around 4 months and so far ive had no problems what so ever