RedWS6 00

Okay this may seem odd, but I'm running OL-MAF tune, and on idle I'm running lean about 16:1 AFR. When sitting in traffic and general round town driving for 1 hour I get a really bad headache and that night was pretty ill . Thought it was coincodience, then done a 20min drive today and headache is coming back. Thought it was just the noise but drove steady, so now thinking its the fumes.

I have a few leaks after the cats which arn't fitted. Its just a clamp that needs tightening.

Has anyone else had this problem.

I spends a bit of time in idle, so wanted to save a little fuel by running leaner. I guess i could go righ again to see if that help me head.

ringram

H5N1 dude! You been on any dodgy turkey farms recently?

Or carbon monoxide poisoning from inhaling too many fumes! Leaner should make less CO, but maybe more NOx

edcmat-l1

iTrader: (10)

What are your cam specs? If you're running a bunch of overlap, you're gonna get alot of raw HCs out of the tail pipe. Along with elevated levels of CO (carbon monoxide). I'd look into getting it to a tuner. CO poisoning is real, real bad.You can get the emissions lower using a gas analyzer, but depending on the overlap (duration/LSA) you may never clean it up all the way. At the expense of a few HP I try not to use anything with less than a 112 LSA. I know everybody else runs 110 and stuff, but they come at a price

jeffstar

iTrader: (6)

Really lean running cars give me headaches quicker then really rich running cars. From my experience.

RedWS6 00

Not near a turkey farms so probably not the bird flu.
I think the NOx is the problem.

Stock cam at the moment although a 226/226-112 is on its way.

I will agree with you there, Rich is a nice smell(perhaps I'm weird), lean is seems odourless but really messes with my head.

I tihnk I will sort out the exhaust least then see how I feel then, is still dodgy then will get it back to 14.6:1 on idle, and lean when driving at low MAP (no load)

edcmat-l1

iTrader: (10)

Alright, first, by definition, lean is low CO. So, to get CO poisoning from a lean condition, and not a rich condition, just doesnt make sense. and if you're running lean enough to be making enough NOx at idle, you're in big trouble anyways. NOx is created when cyl temps exceed 2500 degrees. At that point the engine is on the verge of spark knock.
When you move away from stoich, CO increases as you richen up, and decreases as you lean out.

Alvin

iTrader: (2)

exactly

put some fuel back in it./

RedWS6 00

Well I guess my CO is pretty low on idle then. The engine is not under any load, and knock sensors show nothing. Its between 16 or 17:1 AFR. I havn't measured the cylinder temprature yet I suppose the nearest I can get is the exhaust manifold. I did fail my emmisions test, had the Cats on, but fuel pressure dropped, therefore lean, and Lambder was our of range, and NOx shot up.

So NOx is definatrly created when lean, but cant quantify how much unless I put it on a sniffer. Only got WB rigged up to the car.

ringram

wernt you in closed loop? Thats should have dealt with lambda

RedWS6 00

Yes it would have done, but lost so much fuel pressure fuel trims maxed out, was running about 17AFR on the emmisions test, didn't want to be, I wanted it in closed loop, they wanted the car warm, the cats got nice and warm heated up the clutch fliud and caused the slave cylinder to pop, it just wasn't my day that day. The lost of fuel pressure was down to a pipe coming off in the tank. Easily fixed as had a trap door. I only brought this up as it confirms that NOx is poduced during lean burn as I saw it on the sniffer.

So this is almost a year on and I chose to run open loop idle. I may just put it back to closed loop idle or make it run nearer 14.6 see if my head feels better.

I done a seach and some hybrid engines are trying to run 20:1 AFR.

Anyway I think this weekend if the weather is nice I'm going under the car to check all the clamps that hold the exhaust together, I( got some sealer stuff so I'll pt some of that in before I clamp it tight. No chance of holes then.

rally2247

iTrader: (1)

I'm in the same boat. Since Noriss Motorsports installed my cam and tuned my engine the exhaust fumes smell inside my car has become unbearable. It's definitely worst at idle, and this even happens with my AC off or on. It's bad enough that my clothe smell like exhaust.

Good thing my TA is no longer my daily driver, because I would be going nuts. I'm thinking of either going back to Norris Motorsports to see if they can re-tune my engine, and/or install cat-converters because as of now all I have is straight Y-pipe.

Alvin

iTrader: (2)

there is a little bit of a stinch that comes with running no cats even with stock cam cars. Some people aren't sensitive to it but it drives me crazy. I guess because I smell like it every day I get off work and i really don't want to smell like it when I drive my cars.

rally2247

iTrader: (1)

True that. I think I'll just end up putting some high flow cats.

Alvin

iTrader: (2)

i think its more impressive when you say run cats and still make 552rwhp NA

Viper

iTrader: (6)

"True that. I think I'll just end up putting some high flow cats."

Me too, after 5 years of running no cats, clothes smelling and the wife doesn't ride in the car due to smell, it might be time for cats again. We have very similiar cams ( 227/231 )