DIY: Air/Fuel Ratio Gauge

EnjoiPugs

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Posts
221
Reaction score
0
And I see why the narrowband is pointless now.... I didn't even know if it was working right it's so stupid. I'm guessing if it was working it wouldn't be any different hahaha.
 

mraw112

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Posts
422
Reaction score
7
Location
Powder Springs, Ga
It wont go in to limp mode because your rich. It goes into to limp mode when the ecu reads around .1 bar on the map.
 

EnjoiPugs

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Posts
221
Reaction score
0
Ok, cool. I just happened onto some other car forum, I think it was mx-5 somethings, idk, and they had a problem with wideband o2 sensors causing limp mode. Didn't want to have it happen to me. Yeah, i'll be getting a missing link so that doesn't happen. I was watching the narrowband that I put in and just if you're curious what it's doing, it stays right at stoich/rich, one green and one orange. If I gun it, it goes rich completely. It's obviously not working right though, since it never ever goes lean, not even a little into stoich range lol.
 

AFAccord

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Posts
1,911
Reaction score
33
Location
Spangdahlem, Germany
There is way too much incorrect info in this thread.

EnjoiPugs, C14 is the PHO2S signal wire for ULEV models. Should be a solid red wire. That being said...

Wideband sensors output a 0-5v signal, and require a controller to turn that signal into quantitative data such as 12.5afr or 15.2afr.

Narrowband sensors output a 0-1v signal, and only provide qualitative data relative to a stoich 14.7, as in either a lean condition or rich condition.

The primary O2 sensor on ULEV model Accords is a wideband sensor, and the controller is built into the ULEV ECU. However it is extremely difficult, and completely unpractical to modify an OBD2 ECU to output intelligible data. OBD1 ECUs however, are very easily modified and reprogrammed with special outputs and inputs. This of course is why we socket and 'chip' OBD1 ECUs to tune our cars.

Standard AFR gauges accept inputs between 0 and 1v. Anything beyond this range either will not display on the gauge, or will display as full rich or full lean. Like I said earlier, narrowband sensors only output a signal relative to stoich. This means that when you accelerate the gauge will show full rich, and when you decelerate the gauge will show a full lean condition.

When cruising, the ECU will go into 'closed loop' mode where it is monitoring the signal from the primary O2 sensor, and making short term fuel trim (STFT) corrections to maintain a fuel mixture as close to stoichiometric as possible. It does this by altering the fuel trim, and watching what the sensor sees. When the sensor sees a rich condition, the ECU leans out the fuel trim, and the O2 sees a lean condition. When the ECU sees this lean condition, it enriches the fuel trim, and the O2 sees a rich condition. It does this back and forth adjustment several times per second, and this is why you see AF gauges flickering back and forth while driving.

If you think that sounds pretty useless, you'd be right.

EnjoiPugs, if you insist on having extra gauges on your dash, I'd find something a bit more practical.
 

EnjoiPugs

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Posts
221
Reaction score
0
I had no clue that the ULEVs were wideband. I wish I knew that awhile back ago.

This was my problem and led to wasted time and money. It's getting replaced with an aem uego now. It just makes life easier. Thanks for everyone's input. Sorry I jumped the gun on that post up there.
 

AFAccord

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Posts
1,911
Reaction score
33
Location
Spangdahlem, Germany
I have to recommend that you stay away from AEM wideband devices. They are known for being very inconsistant and unreliable. They can freeze up, then jump .3 lambda in a split second with absolutely no change in the tune. Ask around on any tuner forum and they'll tell you the same thing. PLX devices are the way to go.
 

EnjoiPugs

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Posts
221
Reaction score
0
I have to recommend that you stay away from AEM wideband devices. They are known for being very inconsistant and unreliable. They can freeze up, then jump .3 lambda in a split second with absolutely no change in the tune. Ask around on any tuner forum and they'll tell you the same thing. PLX devices are the way to go.

Thanks for the heads up. Looks like I'm gonna have to do some more research in this area. I think I'm going to call the shop I will have tune this and see what they suggest.
 
Back
Top