wambus

Have a 1995 Civic Vtech SOC. Has an aftermarket Greddy turbo. Other upgrades include new fuel pump, fuel rail, fuel pressure regulator, BOV, intercooler, hopped up ignition and the piggy-back computer from Greddy. We have replaced the oxygen sensor several times since putting on the turbo. Last replacement was less than one year ago. Car was working fine until about a month ago. Using the air-fuel guage that is connected to the OX sensor, the car runs lean on start up and on acceleration. When accelerating, if you let off the gas for a moment or so, then re-apply the gas the problem goes away. When this occurs and you check the fuel pressure guage on the regulator it reads normal pressure (no different from when it is running normally) And of course, it does not always do this....

We first thought it was the OX sensor - and maybe it is. Aside from the obvious question of "what the &%$# is wrong with it this time", since this car does not have an EGR valve, what is the OX sensor controlling? And of course, What the &^%# is wrong with it?!!!!

JSPECSIR

im not sure what an ox sensor is, ive never seen an ox in a civic and i doubt one would fit if you tried (their pretty big you know)so there's prolly no reason to have a sensor for it. also what does your cordless phone have to do with your car or your turbo?

now that i got that out of my system read this and remember it. an air/fuel gauge tied into your narrowband o2 sensor is 100% useless. all it will do is give you a light show and should not be taken seriously. now if you want a real air/fuel reading, you need to buy, borrow, or steal a wideband o2 setup. you can find good ones here. http://www.plxdevices.com you can also check out the ones that ngk, innovate motorsports, aem, and others make. i dont know their web addresses of the top of my head so goooooooooogle them. also search (top right corner in red) on this site for more info on widebands. good luck.

wambus

Thanks for the input. I will note that the car does hesitate a little when the lean condition is indicated by the less than stellar guage. I am pretty sure that the car is not running correctly - just not sure exactly how off it is. Just wondering what could be the problem. There was a vacuum issue a while back, but it turned out to be a defective BOV. After fixing that it went a good while before acting up again.

Aside from the deficient guage / sensor set-up, what could be causing this lean problem?

wambus

bump...

wambus

I hate to keep bumping this, but I really could use some help here. The car is not running correctly, so even though the guage set-up may not be the best, I still have an issue related to the air/fuel mix.

Can anyone help?

awdgsx96

By OX are you just shortening oxygen sensor?

Or do you mean O2 sensor?

daveedd357

Go and get your car tuned by a professional so that you dont blow up yuor engine. Guessing the problem wont help you get any where fast, except to the junk yard to get another engine.

wambus

It is difficult finding a "professional" around here who can handle modified cars. Most shops just stare and smile. We have found a guy who works on Hondas by day and unofficially works on them in his garage by night. He has already swapped out the engine once - lost a main bearing. He can't seem to figure it out. He says it is probably the O2 sensor (note the better abreviation...). We can't afford to replace them every few months or so. I wanted to find out if anyone had similar problems and what they found to be the cause, or if anyone can explain what the causes of lean running may be so I can try some trouble shooting, or at least make some useful suggestions to any mechanics we find who can or will work on this car....

patrick4588

iTrader: (1)

look man. you obviously dont want to spend the money to do the car correctly. you live in virginia. there are plenty of tuners up there. you may have to drive an hour to get there, but you can find someone. and your o2 sensor wont cause you to spin a bearing. being un tuned will. you do not know you are running lean. that crap a/f gauge you got is worth a ****. it is not accurate. therefore you have no idea if you are lean or not. hell you could be pig rich. and you should not be having to replace your o2 sensors over and over. the blue box greddy supplies is garbage. every motor is different and should be properly tuned. running a best guess thing is not going to let your car run at optimal performance. TAKE YOUR CAR TO A PROFESSIONAL AND GET IT TUNED. hopefully you have not done too much damage to your motor yet. if you dont want to spend money, dont have a turbo. TURBO CARS CONSTANTLY COST MONEY.