anyone running a air/fuel ratio system in their car? if so what kind, what cost. are you getting the results you want? would like to tune my SU'S better. thanks

I have a Tech Edge wideband sensor on my PV.

I wimped out and bought a prebuilt unit instead of soldering up the circuit boards myself. IIRC the controller was about $250. I then had to buy an L1H1 sensor, which is a bit pricey at around $120. Last, and least, was getting a bung welded on my header for about $20.

http://www.techedge.com.au - it looks like they are now selling a newer controller model that can use cheaper wide band sensors. The L1H1 sensor was only used for a short period on certain Cali-emissions Hondas - and when demand ramped up for use on wideband O2 guages the supply stretched drum tight. However, since then a few other cars have begun using wide band sensors too, so the prices are coming down.

As for results - what can I say? After about 20 seconds the sensor warms up and I get constant real time mixture information. I put mine on in conjunction with my DCOE's - I didn't trust my ear enough to get them into a good enough tune. Using it I was able to tweak the mixtures to a fine degree with some small fuel bowl level adjustments.

Also, while I may have been happy pouring gas down the DCOE's otherwise - the O2 meter has shown me how erratic they really are in use - going rich around left hand corners, lean around right. Spiking rich going over bumps. Etc. That's why I'm going to switch to a programmable FI system this year (MegaSquirt) - which can use the wide band's input.

IMO narrow band gauges are not worth the money (even though MUCH cheaper) - especially on a carbed car. They only read the mixture in a very tight band around stochio before pegging 'full rich' or 'full lean' - and a carbed car will rarely be within that tight boundary. Narrow band sensors work great for their purpose - telling an FI computer to increase or decrease fuel - but not to run a gauge.
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I'm JohnMc, and I approved this message.

certain Cali-emissions Hondas
Every time I roam the boneyard I have to stop at Hondas to look for 5-wire O2 sensors, never once spotting one. I remember reading they were only on some "clean burn" motor or something like that (wasn't paying full attention I guess) but now you've clinched it for me with the notion of California emissions build. Not likely I'll find anything that exotic or recent in our eastern pick'n'pulls.

Mostly I wanted a wideband sensor (and the controller from Oz) to build a poor substitute for a gas analyzer, rather than a fixed a/f meter.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

I think it was a 'lean burn' engine on the Honda. During some running conditions it would lean out quite a bit - making a traditional narrow band sensor useless.

Those are nice. I'd like to get one and about a dozen sensors for all my rigs! Oh, happy dreams.

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Mike!

Actually - just one controller/sensor and a bunch of bungs. You could probably make the controller and associated wiring pretty portable and quickly swap it to whatever car you wanted to test on.

Yes, that is what I envisioned... $300 USD buys a lot of shoes, books, milk, etc. for the four kiddies (c'mon, college!).

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Mike!