5.0's purposefully rich? 89LX smells rich.

[mavmavv]

So im in the final stages of getting my new driver ready for CA smog. As of right now my AIR injection is not functioning properly, but other than that, the car is pretty much running.

Im going to get a new catted H-pipe and fix the AIR injection, my current cats are pretty much gone (I dont know how long they were run with a super rich condition)

The thing is, under a good amount of throttle I can smell the car just running too rich. Idle is fine, cruising is fine, but anything other than that it smells like its loading up. My gears are completely ****e (2.73) and this could be putting a major load on the motor or something... I have no idea.

But my old 78 Chevy pickup ran cleaner than this and it only had Full length headers and mufflers. No cats, no emissions at all. Ive read other posts saying that with an offroad H the car smells a bit, but why? Is this just Ford engineers safeguarding the motor against a lean condition that could potentially be dangerous?

 

[black5.0lx]

I've got the same exact question as "mavmavv". My car has off road h-pipe no cats. Sounds awesome but stinks my clothes up with the windows down. I'm an old guy and I remember before cats were used cars didn't stink this bad unless they had vacuum leaks. Is it just an induced rich condition by Ford?

 

[jrichker]

Dump the codes and see what the computer says is wrong…Codes may be present in the computer even if the Check Engine light isn’t on.

Here's the link to dump the computer codes with only a jumper wire or paper clip and the check engine light, or test light or voltmeter. I’ve used it for years, and it works great. You watch the flashing test lamp or Check Engine Light and count the flashes.

See http://www.troublecodes.net/Ford/

IF your car is an 86-88 stang, you'll have to use the test lamp or voltmeter method. There is no functional check engine light on the 86-88's except possibly the Cali Mass Air cars.

89 through 95 cars have a working Check Engine light. Watch it instead of a test lamp.

Codes have different answers if the engine is running from the answers that it has when the engine isn't running. It helps a lot to know if you had the engine running when you ran the test.

Trouble codes are either 2 digit or 3 digit, there are no cars that use both 2 digit codes and 3 digit codes.

For those who are intimidated by all the wires & connections, see http://www.actron.com/product_detail.php?pid=16153 for what a typical hand scanner looks like. Normal retail price is about $30 or so at AutoZone or Wal-Mart.

Or for a nicer scanner see http://www.midwayautosupply.com/pc-7208-90-equus-digital-ford-code-reader-3145.aspx – It has a 3 digit LCD display so that you don’t have to count flashes or beeps.. Cost is $30.

 

[mavmavv]

What? Im asking if anyone knows if 5.0s are rich on purpose, to save the motor from damage.

 

[jrichker]

What? Im asking if anyone knows if 5.0s are rich on purpose, to save the motor from damage.

EFI engines run towards lean when the computer is properly controlling things. An overly rich fuel mixture dilutes the oil and causes the cylinder bores to wear more due to reduced lubrication.

 

[vristang]

What? Im asking if anyone knows if 5.0s are rich on purpose, to save the motor from damage.

What?
Somethings may be wrong
Pull the codes...

 

[mavmavv]

Ok, let me rephrase maybe. Ive read a bunch about guys with Offroad X and H pipes having a rich smell to the exhaust. A properly combusting engine should not have this smell.

My carb'd motors in the past are way less advanced than a 5.0's EFI engine, yet they seem to burn fuel more completely, not giving a rich smell at all. This is without any emissions equipment. What gives?

 

[fiveohlxhatch]

mavmavv: people are trying to tell you that there may be a potential problem with your car and they are showing you how to pull the codes to identify what the problem may be. What you are experiencing is not normal. I have an '89 5.0L which has 75K miles on it and still runs great with no rich condition. I don't get a "gassy" smell at any part of the engines revs. Try pulling the codes from the instructions by jrichker and you may find the culprit to your rich condition.