To lean or not Too lean??

[mobman]

Just wondering if we use a EFIE chip...how much do we lean out the fuel mixture for HHO production? I guess the question im asking is..what is the optimal fuel/air/HHO mixture?? I have a drycell that could produce up to 6 LPM.

I just dont want to damage my valves. Thanks!

[Painless]

Too much is losing power or your exhaust gas temperature rising above normal. Get yourself an EGT gauge, $100 is a good investment to protect your engine.

[Bassman]

Too much is losing power or your exhaust gas temperature rising above normal. Get yourself an EGT gauge, $100 is a good investment to protect your engine.

Would you not see an increase in your water temperature with your scan gauge since the temperature sensor is probably mounted in the intake manifold or the heads?
I was just wondering since I have a scan gauge and can't afford the EGT right now.

[Painless]

Would you not see an increase in your water temperature with your scan gauge since the temperature sensor is probably mounted in the intake manifold or the heads?
I was just wondering since I have a scan gauge and can't afford the EGT right now.

You may see an increase in the water temp, but it's not a reliable measurement to go by. Combustion temperature only needs to be at dangerous levels for a short amount of time to cause damage. If your vehicles water cooling system is efficient enough, you probably wouldn't even see a coolant temp rise.

[mobman]

Too much is losing power or your exhaust gas temperature rising above normal. Get yourself an EGT gauge, $100 is a good investment to protect your engine.

Ok and where would I install this? What readings would I get with it and what readings or exhaust temperatures is considered "normal"?

[Painless]

Ok and where would I install this? What readings would I get with it and what readings or exhaust temperatures is considered "normal"?

An EGT gauge basically consists of a thermocouple inserted into a drilled and tapped hole in your exhaust manifold. As for normal temps, you will need to run your vehicle stock and build a baseline of temperatures for different cruise speeds and hard acceleration. Every engine is different. My Ram runs between around 800 to 1200 F at cruise and 1500 F + at WOT. Once you have your baseline, you have a reference before leaning.

[mobman]

An EGT gauge basically consists of a thermocouple inserted into a drilled and tapped hole in your exhaust manifold. As for normal temps, you will need to run your vehicle stock and build a baseline of temperatures for different cruise speeds and hard acceleration. Every engine is different. My Ram runs between around 800 to 1200 F at cruise and 1500 F + at WOT. Once you have your baseline, you have a reference before leaning.

Thanks Painless...I have an EGT gauge on order now (matches my boost gauge :D ) but say tapping the exhaust manifold sounds like a pain or did you you have a smooth install?? I also gotta be careful not to get any of the metal shavings into the turbine housing or else my turbo is toast :(

[daddymikey1975]

Thanks Painless...I have an EGT gauge on order now (matches my boost gauge :D ) but say tapping the exhaust manifold sounds like a pain or did you you have a smooth install?? I also gotta be careful not to get any of the metal shavings into the turbine housing or else my turbo is toast :(


to protect your turbo, (and you seem as if you know your way around a vehicle) I would remove the exhaust manifold from the vehicle for this install.

Or you could experiment with magnets :eek: (if it were me, I'd remove the manifold)

OR do you have a turbo on one manifold and not the other?? just asking because you don't say what type of vehicle you have...

I hope this helps.
mike

[jerzhere]

The real question for me is do you have to lean it at all. Seems that getting a better burn ratio should give you signification improvements by itself. Leaning the a/f ratio makes me nervous.

[daddymikey1975]

The real question for me is do you have to lean it at all. Seems that getting a better burn ratio should give you signification improvements by itself. Leaning the a/f ratio makes me nervous.

If we just inject HHO into our engines, the oxygen sensors will detect the extra oxygen content and therefore increase the amount of fuel used.

counter productive. We need to lean the mixture enough to offset the HHO but not too much so that we damage our engine.

make sense?
I hope this helps
mike

[Painless]

The real question for me is do you have to lean it at all. Seems that getting a better burn ratio should give you signification improvements by itself. Leaning the a/f ratio makes me nervous.

If you are really nervous about leaning too much, invest circa $100 in an exhaust gas temperature gauge. If you lean too much, you will see a temp rise before engine damage occurs.

[jerzhere]

If we just inject HHO into our engines, the oxygen sensors will detect the extra oxygen content and therefore increase the amount of fuel used.

counter productive. We need to lean the mixture enough to offset the HHO but not too much so that we damage our engine.

make sense?
I hope this helps
mike

Sure does. I guess the next part is determining what is lean enough. From what I can tell you need to baby step the changes and monitor the exhaust heat to assure the engine is not getting too hot.

I cannot believe that the O2 sensor will see the burn is "too efficient" and increase the gas input... but that looks like exactly what it is doing.