truck running horrible(rich?) after ASM header install
 

i installed the ASM longtubes on my truck last night and got her all buttoned back up. she idles ok, but whenever i try to give some gas, the SS just wants to die on me and sputters, gurgles, spits , and emits a whole other barrage of noises. there will be a light white film of white smoke in my garage when i startup and let it sit for a while.

i think i am running rich due to the smoke and gassy smell. would this be due to the o2 sensors so close to the outside environment?

is it bad on the engine to even run it right now if its running that rich?

anybody else have this experience?

thanks in advance.

todd

ps there is no engine light showing

Its always best to get a retune after something like that. Unless there is something else going on.

ive already got a new tune in there for the longtubes.

i was under the impression that there is nothing really to tune for headers except different shift points. the MAF senser picks everything else up and tunes for ya, doesnt it?

Not exactlly. The MAF can only adjust so much and thats it. Headers will throw off quite a bit int he PCM. Did you tune on a dyno, street or a mail order?

mail order tune from pcm4less

Possibility it could be off some. Know anybody near you with a laptop that you could do some logging with??

i wish i did. i dont think there is anybody out here in central illinois. :bang:

do you think it could be simply because of the o2 sensors are sensing an excessive amount of oxygen becaue they are so close to the outside environment???

I bet you may have a miss due to a cracked sparkplug.You need to get it welded up and then isolate which cyl.

how easy is it to crack a spark plug??

very easyto do,and sometimes its hard to tell they are cracked just by looking at it.

I drove my truck with open header for about 10 miles when my ASM were installed and did not noticed any changes. My guess it should go away when you get the rest of your exhaust welded up.

One quick way to tell which one would be if the engine was cold,start it up and with quick hands touch each exhaust tube and feel which one is slow to heat up.

would it be bad horribly bad on the engine for me do drive 1 mile to the local orielly auot parts store to get some new plugs?

thanks gonzo

I would avoid it.not likely to be the death of it,would be best to having it run right.How about instead of buying a whole new set, just install your old plugs one side at a time,do the passenger side first.Actually when i cracked one it was on the drivers side due to the tight steering shaft clearence.

lol iam thinking it may be the drivers side closest to the firewall.

when i was putting them back in, i for some reason remember hearing a crack, but i never thought that i cracked the plug untill you mentioned it.

iam gonna change that one out and see what happens. thanks

You lightly bang these plugs and they are cracked,also easy to do if the socket isnt straight during R&R

YES. Cold air hitting those O2's will piss them off. Many guys have noted their trucks ran funny with open headers. Get the y-pipe all fixed up. Then see how it runs.

ok guys, i just checked my spark plugs.....they were all EXTREMELY black with that carbon shit. i put the plugs back in, and called on star to read my engine light code after that.

it was p0171. after a little reading, i found that it has something to do with the engine being lean. ??? i dont get that, i would have thought it was running rich, but iam no expert. what do you guys think??

thanks

white smoke is usually lean conditions, install the y-pipe, or the rest of your exhaust and it should fix your problem

If the O2 sensors are reading more oxygen, the PCM will richen the mixture to compensate, and that's why your plugs are black. (PCM thinks it's lean & richens it up)

It should have ran smooth (but loud) when you first started it up.

yes it was perfect when i first started it up and went on a couple miles drive.

then later that night i fired her up to go on a beer run, and the truck ran like shit.

i guess the computer was finally kicking in adding the extra fuel because the o2 sensors were telling the PCM that the mixture is lean.

I bet your neighbors love you.I ran the couple of Gen 3 header installs only a short distance.

oh definatly. especially after i fired it up around 10:00 pm when i finished the install to test drive it.

i couldnt stop going WOT. it was so damn loud. lol it was funny, i got on the highway for a little bit, and i was in the left lane coming up on a car in the right lane. i went WOT about 5-6 truck lengths behind the car ( a bunch of kids) and the car hits their brakes and swerves to the right like they thought something was wrong with their car. :eek2: :) it was hilarious. my truck was so loud and nasty, i think they thought their car blew up and i was a good distance behind them. lol

it is going to run rich as hell till the rest of the exhaust is on. after it is on or while putting it on you will need to remove the 02 sensors and clean them. hell mi drove mine 5 miles with open headers and with open manifolds this last time. just clean the 02's while they are doing the exhaust. unplug the battery and let it reset and then go drive it. it will be good to go after that. truct me. i have been thru this several times

well, i just fabbed up a little extension to put on the ASM collectors. i took it out for a run to autozone to get some new NGKs to put on after the exhaust is completley welded up and had the lean condition 1 and 2 codes cleared. the truck is drivable now. the light came back on , but it doesnt die on my, or make the horrible noises anymore. the extensions i put on there arent the greatest, and i didnt use any gaskets, and one of the pipes is very old and has a quarter sized hole in it, so the 02 sensors are for sure still picking up a little more oxygen and richening it up , thats why i figure i got the code again.

oh well, i can drive it now. ill be sure to clean the o2 sensors when its on the rack and then change the plugs because i know they are gonna be nice and black. iam not worried about it anymore. thanks for all the help guys, you really put me at ease and helped me get this working.

todd

At least you narrowed down the problem, good luck on gettin that taken care of. Now go over ss.com and answer yourself again in that thread. :judge:

:jest: iam on my way

well yesterday when we put the asm long tubes on my truck i had the same problem the had the exhaust wellded up and long fuel trims were staying at +17.5 so when i got home i pulled the front two 02sensors unpluged the maf and put the 02 sensors in and drove it this morning long fuel trims are at -2.3 at 75 and 0.00 at wot.

after you get the exhaust welded up clean the 02 sensors and unplug the maf then start it up after that you should be good.. after you replug the maf and put the 02sensors back in lol