Aem wideband O2 sensor kit! Reporting your Afr values to keep you informed!
Hey!... Welcome to another #modmonday! This week we delve into my gauge setup.. or lack there of. My main gauge reference is @Aem’s wideband O2 sensor kit was installed 4 years ago and is still going strong.
Gauge buddies! More information is always helpful when tracking down issues.
One of the best ways to keep tabs on your engines health is a good set of proper gauges. After getting a protune and feeling things weren't exactly right in the fueling dept, I decided to get an AEM wideband O2 to investigate further. With it installed it was quite easy to take a short drive and find the numbers were way off... For those curious about this issue. I am not sure if the tuner’s exhaust pipe wideband was having issues or what happened. My car was running further than 10:1 and
A wideband O2 sensors can help you identify when you vehicle is running lean, rich or dead on. 14.7 is known as stoichiometric, which 1 gram of fuel and 14.7 grams of oxygen. This is where you want your car to idle and cruise out. Running lean when under full throttle you can do bad things to your engines internals. I.e. burning a hole through a piston or a burnt exhaust valve.
While these gauges are helpful, a performance car with modifications should be keeping further tabs on everything.
A rich fuel mixture won't damage your engine like a lean situation can but you will make less power and use more fuel doing it. If you run too rich for too long you can have excessive carbon build up due to the unburnt fuel. Which can cause fouled spark plugs, excessive build up on pistons and valves and if you let it go on for a longer time a plugged catalytic converter.
The kit Aem sends you comes with two different face plates and surround. An O2 sensor bung to weld onto your existing downpipe and a few wire connectors for the power, ground and illumination. There are no mounting provisions but vehicle specific kits can be found many places.
A few of the extra items found inside the box!
Overall I have used it to help figure out tuning issues and just keep tabs on my overall engine health via the Afr values under idle, wot and cruising engine operation. It is great to be able to glance at and know how your engine is doing.
Questions, comments, thoughts? Leave them below!
Amazon link:
AEM uego wideband O2 sensor kit