mustang rich as hell

StangNut86

Club Member
so my car runs like ass when it first starts up, has trouble idling, stumbles below 2k r's, and bucks with the throttle closed below 1500 r's.

it's an 89 motor and electronics and a t-5. has stock bottom end and ported stock heads, f303, roller rockers, explorer manifold, 65mm tb, 73mm C&l mass air meter. a9l processor, was no different with an a9p.

voltage at the ECT and AIT seem normal. fuel pressure is as low as it'll go with the crane regulator at 30#, mass sensor is pointed straight at the fender, which made a slight improvement.

C&L is calibrated with the 'blue' tube. i wonder if maybe my MAF is originally calibrated for a car with larger injectors... certainly runs like it. if i let it idle in the garage the fumes get so bad as to hurt my eyes no matter the engine temperature.

it's got full length headers with no cats thru magnaflows, all emissions equipment has been removed.

check engine light came on when i swapped the a9l in, still don't know what the code is.

any thoughts or input? i'm probably going to call C&L about the calibration.
 
my car is quite similar, the exhaust is horrible. I am so affraid to lean it out though because that is what I believe the reason to be for my blown headgasket a few months ago. I really don't want to do gaskets again so I am keeping it rich.
 
C&L meter ? Sounds like the curve shape is wrong. Typical problem with those meters.

i thought it might be something like that, it doesn't get bad milage if i keep my foot out of it (like that's gonna happen). thinking about maybe a pro-m or some such thing if i can't get this one right.
 
24#. C&L has the blue tube in it. the meter itself came from a junkyard so they could have gotten me the wrong calibration...
 
The C&L's just use the factory ford electronics. So you could just go to the junk yard and grab a MAF off any fox body. There really is no calibration on a C&L. They just manipulate the airflow via the different size tubes. Where you located? Ive got a 24lb ProM maf you could try out if you want. Im downriver.

Mike
 
if the car is running bad when you first start it, but runs OK when it's warm, then my first thought is the coolant temp sensor.

Can you scan it and pull codes?
 
if the car is running bad when you first start it, but runs OK when it's warm, then my first thought is the coolant temp sensor.

Can you scan it and pull codes?

i still haven't had a chance to pull codes. it doesn't idle any cleaner when it's hot. i can't get it to idle consistently below 1000 r's
 
When you said it stumbles below 2k, is that like part throttle cruising or all the time or? Does it stumble below 2k but run great at WOT?
 
When you said it stumbles below 2k, is that like part throttle cruising or all the time or? Does it stumble below 2k but run great at WOT?

seems to run fine wide open. i usually only have problems with stumbling when it's first started for the day. part throttle seems to be ok.
 
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