Should I Worry About Being Lean?
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Joined: Feb 2012
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From: Utah
Should I Worry About Being Lean?
I've started a couple posts recently about how to tell if I'm running lean and how to richen my air/fuel mixture, but I think maybe I've been asking the wrong question because I haven't seemed to be able to get an answer.
I have a 2011 RKC with V/H mufflers and a SE air cleaner on it. I have the SEPST that I've used to reflash the ECM with a standard map and then I've made about 8-10 smart tune runs and reflashed.
The bike runs good...doesn't seem to be sluggish. I have no pinging or popping. Do I need to worry about it running too lean? I assume having reflashed with the basic map and then again after smart tuning, I shouldn't be too lean, but it still makes me a little nervous.
I have a 2011 RKC with V/H mufflers and a SE air cleaner on it. I have the SEPST that I've used to reflash the ECM with a standard map and then I've made about 8-10 smart tune runs and reflashed.
The bike runs good...doesn't seem to be sluggish. I have no pinging or popping. Do I need to worry about it running too lean? I assume having reflashed with the basic map and then again after smart tuning, I shouldn't be too lean, but it still makes me a little nervous.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
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From: Phoenix '53, '88, '09 Big Twins
I gonna come over and unplug your internet !
a real sign of running too lean is pinging, if you know how to identify it, and it isn't happening- keep riding.
pinging will most often occur on sudden acceleration or pulling up a grade.
my 09 would ping on 6% grades between 2800~3200 rpm in completely stock condition- octane wasn't the issue.
I put on XIEDS and all was fine, I then put on my high flow air cleaner and exhaust of choice.
Hope this helps
Mike
a real sign of running too lean is pinging, if you know how to identify it, and it isn't happening- keep riding.
pinging will most often occur on sudden acceleration or pulling up a grade.
my 09 would ping on 6% grades between 2800~3200 rpm in completely stock condition- octane wasn't the issue.
I put on XIEDS and all was fine, I then put on my high flow air cleaner and exhaust of choice.
Hope this helps
Mike
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,945
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From: Victoria, Australia
If you were lean the smart tune runs should have cleared that up. You can still do a plug read-- but plug reads with the colors of yesteryear are gone thanks to the new fuels.
Look for a light to very light gray (even lighter near white is possible) color on the insulator-- that's good, but more importantly if your WAY lean you will see what looks like small blobs of metal sticking to the plugs earth strap and positive electrode. If you see this it's bad news-- your way lean and I would not ride till it's sorted if that's the case.
Personally from what you describe I think you will be fine.
Look for a light to very light gray (even lighter near white is possible) color on the insulator-- that's good, but more importantly if your WAY lean you will see what looks like small blobs of metal sticking to the plugs earth strap and positive electrode. If you see this it's bad news-- your way lean and I would not ride till it's sorted if that's the case.
Personally from what you describe I think you will be fine.
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Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Wisconsin
We won't take your internet, but don't take everything you read here to heart. There is a wealth of info on here, but make sure you read well, research other places and make informed decisions. If you read all the gloom and doom here, you will be working on your bike and never riding it. Harleys like to be ridden, next to making sure your oil is clean, riding it is the next best preventive maintenance, plus it makes you feel good. The other thing since you are new to the forum, you don't have to throw a ton of money at every little hiccup, just because you notice a little glitch doesn't mean you need to get the latest tuner, it might be you need to tighten an exhaust bold or something. Doing due diligence and research will save you a lot of money and grief.
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Joined: Dec 2010
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From: wet coast BC
from 2010 user manual
I've started a couple posts recently about how to tell if I'm running lean and how to richen my air/fuel mixture, but I think maybe I've been asking the wrong question because I haven't seemed to be able to get an answer.
I have a 2011 RKC with V/H mufflers and a SE air cleaner on it. I have the SEPST that I've used to reflash the ECM with a standard map and then I've made about 8-10 smart tune runs and reflashed.
The bike runs good...doesn't seem to be sluggish. I have no pinging or popping. Do I need to worry about it running too lean? I assume having reflashed with the basic map and then again after smart tuning, I shouldn't be too lean, but it still makes me a little nervous.
I have a 2011 RKC with V/H mufflers and a SE air cleaner on it. I have the SEPST that I've used to reflash the ECM with a standard map and then I've made about 8-10 smart tune runs and reflashed.
The bike runs good...doesn't seem to be sluggish. I have no pinging or popping. Do I need to worry about it running too lean? I assume having reflashed with the basic map and then again after smart tuning, I shouldn't be too lean, but it still makes me a little nervous.
Integrator indicates the deviation from the ideal fuel mixture over a few seconds time. A 100% value means the AFR is exactly as expected, while higher values indicate the mixture is Lean and lower values indicate the mixture is Rich
A calibration is considered acceptable for the conditions in which the calibration is performed when: VE values repeat themselves within 5%.
or O2 Integrator values are between 95 & 105%
does this help?
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From: Utah
O2 Integrator Value (F & R cylinders) – For Oxygen-sensor equipped vehicles, the O2
Integrator indicates the deviation from the ideal fuel mixture over a few seconds time. A 100% value means the AFR is exactly as expected, while higher values indicate the mixture is Lean and lower values indicate the mixture is Rich
A calibration is considered acceptable for the conditions in which the calibration is performed when: VE values repeat themselves within 5%.
or O2 Integrator values are between 95 & 105%
does this help?
Integrator indicates the deviation from the ideal fuel mixture over a few seconds time. A 100% value means the AFR is exactly as expected, while higher values indicate the mixture is Lean and lower values indicate the mixture is Rich
A calibration is considered acceptable for the conditions in which the calibration is performed when: VE values repeat themselves within 5%.
or O2 Integrator values are between 95 & 105%
does this help?
Last edited by olsenjb; Feb 25, 2012 at 12:33 AM.
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From: Phoenix '53, '88, '09 Big Twins
those words make my eyeballs spin- i missed out on some context.
under certain conditions the ecm works from the maps (WOT acceleration being one).
the o2 sensors input is disregarded in these circumstances.
the o2 sensor input is used more during normal "cruising" operation.
which is the problem using XIEDS on a motor which has had work beyond stage 1.
as the xieds are wired inline with the o2 sensors
( I stay stage 1 and am fine with XIEDS)
mike
under certain conditions the ecm works from the maps (WOT acceleration being one).
the o2 sensors input is disregarded in these circumstances.
the o2 sensor input is used more during normal "cruising" operation.
which is the problem using XIEDS on a motor which has had work beyond stage 1.
as the xieds are wired inline with the o2 sensors
( I stay stage 1 and am fine with XIEDS)
mike
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From: wet coast BC
Ummm...Yeah, I guess that make sense in theory, but not sure how it helps me. If I understand this right, that just says that that you want to be within 5% of the AFR. But isn't AFR set by the map you upload and then the O2 sensors give feedback to adjust air and fuel to meet that AFR?
if you actually have the tuner, the software, the instructions, the data runs, you say "in theory". That is a fact, that is your goal to achieve, to be as close as you can be without a dyno or sniffer.
the smartune data run updates the cells in the VE map,(you did run the smartune software?). with 8-10 runs any chabnges within a cell should be less than 5%. (it will never stay the same and each run will change but as long as within 5% don't worry about it, that is another discussion)
the VE tables are now set for 14.6 AFR factory lean. most of us wants less lean/more rich. you decide what and manually set the AFR, the software does not do this for you.