I just rebuild my 96 LT1 and put pacesetter long tube headers on it and i also put the O2 simulators on it to since i decided to not go with any cats. The headers are glowing red when the car is running. I think the engine is running too lean.... Has any had a problem with these O2 simulators. These are the rear sensors. Any help would be great.

http://www.afterthoughtsauto.com/o2sim.html

 

the simulators are in in the rear O2 holes right?

youre running REALLY lean if they are glowing like that. pull a spark plug and look and see if they are white.

 

There are no rear bungs for the sensors. The simulators replace the o2 sensors.

 

you should be rinning o2 sensors there. your simming the front ones?? then your PCM cant tell what the engine needs.

 

I hope you didn't use the simulators for the front o2 sensors.. if that's what you said. They go on the rear.

Your car is running super *** lean if you can got the headers to glow. I hope you have your EGR hooked up!

 

no the REAR sensors are the ones that are being simulated not the front and yes my EGR is hooked up... but like I said there glowing chery red and I cant figure out why that is...

 

Remove negative battery cable. Clean your MAF sensor. Let the car sit for an hour. Reinstall the battery cable, fire the car, let it idle for a few minutes. Take it out keeping it under 3k rpm's for a few minutes, just cruise around. Then make a couple WOT stabs right before you get back home. Still running lean?

 

What are "WOT stabs" and how exactly do I clean the MAF without destroying the 3 little metal wires in it or destroying in all together?

 

Just punch it for a second. Try electronics cleaner you get at Wal-Mart.

 

dude.......you're running freakin LEAN! get that fixed NOW. Get O2 sensors and stick them in the bungs that are at the rear of the header. then get some O2 extentions and connect them. You're going to break somerthing.

 

I appreciate your in-put but dude do you not pay attention? I already said that the rear O2 sensors were the ones that were simulated. I have the front O2 sensors in and I am trying to prevent from breaking something. I haven’t even driven the car on the road yet... I have only just fired it up in the shop that I am working on it at to see how it’s running. thats really it.

 

K so I did that and It didnt work... I just found out that my old muffler that I re-installed was part of the reason though... there wasnt any exhaust coming out of the tail pipe when I checked it.... I replaced it now with a Z28 exhaust muffler for now ( and I can feel the exhaust coming out now) and it was still running cherry red. what do I do??? do I need to program the computer to a higher fuel/ air ratio so that it pumps more fuel out since its runnng lean? I dont know what else to do...

 

no exhaust was coming out of the tail pipes??? where was it exiting then

 

I was just sitting in the pipes and not excaping and that was one of the problems but now at least that exhaust problem is fixed. now i still have to find out why the pipes are still glowing bright chery red!!!

 

So your original muffler was stopped up? Do you have cats on this car?

 

no ...there are no cats on the car.There are O2 simulators are in place of the rear O2 sensors though...

 

recheck your plug wire order.

 

you mean re-check the spark plug wire order? what would that have to do with the header being chery red? it has to be running lean for that temp to go up

 

will a bad MAF single cauz the car to run lean? and also will a PCM wire no grounded cuz it to not start?( buddy wanted me to ask real quick)

 

Another thing that can do it besides running lean is getting your cam off one tooth, makes the exhaust valve open while the air and fuel is still on fire.

Also severely retarded timing will do the same thing, and allow ignited fuel to pass through the headers.

The last culprit can be rockers that are way too tight, and holding the exhaust valves open again allowing burning fuel to enter the header.

Running lean in my experience will not cause cherry red headers, it will be more likely to make the engine overheat, and can certainly do damage to the pistons and internals because the gasoline acts as the only direct coolant on the valves and piston crown.

the thing with the lt1 is that the opti is only able to be installed on the cam correctly in one position, and has no adjustability which makes getting the cam in wrong a big flub up. my advice to you is to reset all the valve lash, if that doesnt fix or help it, then i'd verify that the opti was installed correctly, and after that i'd be pulling the timing cover to verify cam timing.

My other advice for you is to run the engine as little as possible with the current problem, you will trash your headers very quickly doing this to them.