1. When I'm at WOT, roughly around 4-5k, I'm hearing something like a grinding noise similar to that of a bad throw-out bearing in a manual tranny. When I hit VTEC, it's gone. I adjusted the valves last night and that didn't seem to fix the problem.

2. Also, when i'm at WOT for a while I'm smelling something like gas inside the car. Possible exhaust leak?

3. I get a huge puff of black smoke out the tail pipe when I step on the skinny pedal.

automatic mini-me
b7/z6
about 144k miles on block and head
usual i/h/e
ignition timing at 16* bdtc
using y7 cam gear
dented oil pan and bad oil leak from rear main
no cel.

 

2. Yes
3. You are running rich.

 

What are other indicators to prove I'm running rich and how do I go about fixing it?

 

bump... i'm stumped.

 

your stumped, i'm stoned.
fix the exhaust leak, change your oil pan, and your torque converter sounds like its on its way out.

 

read ur plugs to see if ur running rich.

 

you're using a nonvtec cam with a vtec head?

 

MY plugs look normal. I'll take a picture of them later.
I'm running a stock z6 camshaft or so I hope.
the y7 cam gear is to correct the half tooth timing error with mini-me swaps.
I don't know where you got the idea of the torque converter going out. Please elaborate.

 

Hm.. I think my compression tester broke. I'm not getting a reading in any cylinder. I pulled all the plugs out and hooked up the the tester to a cylinder.

I checked the coolant level in the overflow and radiator and they seem a little low. Also if it helps any, my engine sucked up water but not a lot. Car seems to run fine though.

Anyhow, here are pictures of the plugs. They look normal to me.

 

running rich...


unless smoke is BLUE...rings.

 

I might be tipsy, but if you smell gas then you are running rich. it's not buring thoroughly

 

bump

 

What could cause me to run rich? The only thing I can think of is a bad/old O2 sensor. I guess I'll buy a new one tomorrow.

 

no dont buy a new o2... hellllla money ... test your sensor with some power and a reeder...and it will tell you good or bad

 

How do I do that? I'm really starting to get frustrated...

 

Is it just my eyesight or do i see green on the plugs?

 

hm.. could be from the coolant... i don't know.

 

green could also mean really bad detonation, but i doubt it.

 

If I were at a stand still (engine just idling normal), and I were to step on the gas quickly, the engine will like knock or bog down and quickly pick back up and go.

 

detonation, if by knock u mean pinging. metallic sounding....

 

Maybe it is pinging. I know I leave a big cloud of smoke behind me when i'm at WOT. I got me a new O2 sensor and will install it later.

Here are the compression readings:
1: 200
2: 210
3: 210
4: 210

Considering getting my ecu chipped at this point.

 

ur compression is great, don't worry about that. the plugs look ok, maybe that brown coloration means u could lean it out a very little but running a tad rich is a good thing and wouldn't make u have the problem u r having.