First off..94 3vze ext cab 4x4 7mge afm/coil 8 mm wires

Ive read several threads on O2 sensors and wideband kits but they were mostly dealing with problems during install, not tuning usefulness or importance

So im starting to get 3vze running how i want too. the 7mge afm and coil are a big help on this motor. there is 120k on the clock and i need to replace the O2 sensor, but im wondering if i should go to the wideband kit. Is it worth the extra money?? What/how can i use it to properly tune my motor?? if its just for show im not gonna waste my money but if it a useful tool i will invest in it.

future mods for my truck include a head rebuild as well, because i think it needs it, and an exhaust crossover elimination mod.

any info or guiidance will be appreciated

 

Do you have any ability to tune the a/f ratio? If not then it will like be just for your information, which isn't always a bad thing either. It will give you some insight to what the stock ECU is doing and when, but again it'll just be for observation as you won't be able to change much of what's going on.

 

afm does have some adjustment for minor tuning but it wont be full on need a laptop to do it

 

i guess this thought process comes from what Vital is saying. i did have to adjust the 7mge afm air bypass screw to get the truck to run, so im guessing this is why im asking about the wideband kit. I have the truck set at 15* timing and the idle at ~800 rpm. It is pretty snappy and more responsive then the 3vze afm. Im just wanting to get the most out of my truck. So is the wideband worth it or can i go get an air/fuel ratio gauge with a narrow band O2 and call it good??

 

For any type of precision off of stoic you need a wideband. Narrowband o2 sensors will simply tell you if you are at stoic or not and that's it. Anything that's not stoic will not be accurate at all. Widebands give you a much more accurate idea of how rich or lean you are off stoic.

For info on narrowbands look here:
http://wbo2.com/lsu/lsuworks.htm

Wideband info here:
http://techedge.com.au/vehicle/wbo2/wblambda.htm

Just by comparing the graphs it should give you a much better idea of how much more resolution the wideband has.

 

Awesome info thats what i was looking for. Now does anybody have a recommendation on which wideband to buy besides " dont buy a bosch O2?"

 

You are just wasting your money for what you are wanting to do. You will gain nothing but knowing the AFR which your 3vze runs best at is all. Which an NA engine under load will run anywhere from 12:1 to 14:1 and you won't even be able to tell the difference and there won't be but 1 or 2 HP.
Best thing is just pay attention to your spark plugs.

Widebands are best for if you have a standalone, piggy back, etc.

 

i have a laptop and could tune it if need be.

"Widebands are best for if you have a standalone, piggy back, etc. "

so your saying i would need the fuel computer to most effective? my next train of thought would be if I got the wideband/standalone what would be the next logical step of mods? what would it open up the possibilities for? im still just trying to figure out if i really need this or not

Thanks for all your replys

 

The innovative LC-1 looks like a decent kit for a lower cost. Going to purchase one for my 84 pickup soon.

 

These are the guys I buy my LC-1's through always fast shipping

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Innovate-LC1...item3f132d0645

 

Sounds like you've purchased a few, I take it you're a fan? I was skeptical since they're (relatively) cheap. Have you had any problems with the installation or just general issues with the unit?

 

that looks like a nice kit for a good price. For 60 bucks more then a stock o2 sensor that just might be worth it. You sound like you have several of these wideband kits. how do you utilize them? what benefit do they have? im pretty well sold on it now i just want to know how to best use it

 

I have used them over several projects over the years mainly with standalones. I am currently building a 22re with a T-25 Turbo that utilizes a MicroSquirt V3 Standalone.

 

Do you have to have a standalone or is the best way to use a wideband???

 

Well the only real adjustment you will have is through your AFM meter which only does so much. You can easily tune that by feel and the look of your spark plugs.

All a wideband does is tell you your air fuel ratio, nothing else.

 

Ok thank you so much for your help. I have it running pretty good now. I will check the plugs and save my money on the wideband. Thanks, again

 

Hey, I just got that innovative wideband kit. Do I need to cut the bung so the sensor is in the exhaust stream? As it is now the bung almost is just short of covering the tip. I want to weld it on tomorrow so I'm wondering how much, if at all, the sensor needs to be in the exhaust stream.

 

The bung the kit comes with is the one you want to use. Do not cut it.

 

I've got the innovate MTX-L... Been tinkering around with adjusting the VAFM but its almost a waste of time. Playing with the spring only gives you rough adjustments.. I'm running about 13.1 idle, mid 12's in the low end, 12.8 in the power band, and normal driving is rich as crap... 11's sometimes 10's with a bogging 9 once in a great while. One click leaner on the spring and WOT would be too lean..

This is after a full intake, thorley headers and full exhaust btw. Plans are to port match upper and lower intake, and pick up a 7mge afm, maybe port the throttle body too. I can't ignore the fact that there wont me much of an improvement if the heads aren't cam'd and ported as well. Gotta remove all the bottlenecks if shes going to breathe decent.

Time for a piggyback PSC1 from splitsec...

Oh and make sure you unplug the factory o2 sensor if your tuning for fuel. The ecu will send fuel strictly off what the vafm tells it, and not the fuel map. Runs heck of a lot better in my case. Don't mind the check engine light. Plug the o2 back in and the ECU is going to resort back to the fuel map no matter what you do to the VAFM.

I do have a question though. How can I test the output voltage of the vafm?

 

Wire in a safc and af guage (wide and if you want to be on point) we used this set up on my brother supra before we boosted it but wasn't worth much on the hp side