Alright, last time I tuned the car (about a year ago maybe) I was hitting 90psi at WOT.

Now I just changed out my plugs and the very tips of the curved part are white while the rest of the curved part is grey but the threaded part is black. Does this mean I'm running lean?:wary

I have the blinky A/F gauge and when I first go WOT it'll stay in lean for a few moments and then jump over to rich and stay pegged there.

My camera sucks so this is the best I can do.

im going to say your running rich. my plugs were similar to that, lots of soot on them. the rest was a greyish tone. im 100 percent positive im running rich, and my plugs look just like that.

You wont be able to tell unless you shut the car off at wot and then pulled the plugs.

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90 psi is pig rich imo.

-------jezreel
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what injectors? need to know more fuel information. if your at 8 lbs of boost and 90 psi of fuel your lean.

need to know more information. from the looks of your plugs though, your fine.

I'm on stock injectors (will be upgrading soon) and use the S-FMU and the one range colder NGKs at 5-6psi. I know 90psi is pretty rich but I'm pretty poor so detonation must be out of the question for this car.

I was under the impression though that white tips on the plugs meant it was running too lean, and with my setup I just don't understand how that's possible.

Don't just look at your plugs to see if you are too rich/lean..although it can be helpful, don't go by just that alone, and dont go by your blinky A/F gauge either..More importantly, what are your EGT's at your full boost, at WOT? If its 1550 or below, then your fuel is fine. If its 1500 or below,then its pretty rich..If it gets above 1550, then its a bit lean. I like to listen to the motor carefully also, to hear any detonation, or misfires, or anything like that..The only downfall to looking at plugs, is that it takes quite a few miles to really put color onto a plug, and if you are running rich only under boost, then most of the black soot will get burnt right off the center insulator quickly, because that is the hottest part of the plug. Its better to look at the metal edge and electrode tip,but still, not the best way to tell. If those plugs have under several hundred miles on them, then the center insulator will usually be white. Normal plugs, with miles on them, will have whitish/tan colored center insulator, and the metal electrode a whitish/grey color.

Ok XtremeRS, I've heard about looking at EGTs under WOT and I still don't get it. When I floor it my EGTs keep rising, it's not like they stop at a certain point so I don't understand how you can get a reading like that. Guys on here have tried to explain it to me before and it just doesn't make sense to me. How can you possibly pinpoint a reading if the needle is going to keep climbing the faster/hotter you go?

Yeah, the more I get on it, the higher the EGT's go. I get off of it at about 1550, but it will climb to past 1600 if I stay on it. BTW, my plugs look exactly like that, and from the dyno's that I have done, I am running WAY lean. I do not trust my "light show" A/F gauge, but thats what I have till I get the money to get a new one.

Hopefully that will all be cured this weekend.

Ok guys, so far based on the replies I've heard that I'm running rich, fine, and running lean. So...which one?

I just don't understand how I could be running lean when (if I remember correctly) I'm getting 90psi of fuel under WOT at 6psi and that nice coating of black soot on my exhaust tip would tend to agree with me.

I am in NO WAY trying to be the bad guy here, but I see the same things that you see, black buildup on the exhaust tip, and thesame colors on my plugs that you see, and the dyno still tels me that i am running way lean. YOU may be fine, I do not know. I just thought that I would throw my experience in there to let you see all sides of the story. Soulcontroller may be right. You may be just fine. I am the one who HAS NOT figured out his fuel system, and he seems to be the one with the better understanding.

Hmmm I am thoroughly confused.

spend 50 bucks or so and get 2-3 runs on a dyno with a wideband if you dont plan on buying a wideband setup in the near future... if your EGT's swing past 1600F when your in the pedal, your lean.. or extrememly extrememly rich.. which i dont think is the case with your setup..

Your EGT's do infact tell you alot. How FAST does the needle climb? I know I can go WOT in 4th gear, and at the end of the gear rpm range, the EGT gauge is not really above 1550. Yes, it clims some as you keep going WOT, but it should not keep rising, and rising, past 1550, when you are at the top end of the gear you are in. If your EGT's climb fast and keep rising, adn you are at the middle of the gear at WOT, then you are too lean. My gauge climbs slowly, and at the end of the gear, its not past 1550. Remember, the higher the gear you are in, the more load on the motor, which causes a higher EGT. This is why you do NOT want to tune to a lower gear, such as second or third gear, because you will run richer. We HAVE to run rich with boost, and your plugs WILL look black on the edges..its normal..but that does NOT mean you have enough fuel. Thats why looking at plugs on a boosted motor isn't very accurate. By running just a bit more fuel, can make a big difference on your EGT readings. You can never go wrong with adding more fuel..If you are on a long pull in a high gear, then in no way should your EGT's really go past 1550-1575 at the end of the gear..Thats what is important

Ok I understand. So at what speeds should I be going when I test it in 4th gear? Should I go from a dead stop? Or should I be on the highway when I'm already going about 65?

Originally posted by EclipseRST
Ok XtremeRS, I've heard about looking at EGTs under WOT and I still don't get it. When I floor it my EGTs keep rising, it's not like they stop at a certain point so I don't understand how you can get a reading like that. Guys on here have tried to explain it to me before and it just doesn't make sense to me. How can you possibly pinpoint a reading if the needle is going to keep climbing the faster/hotter you go?

My EGT stops at about 1550 all the way through to redline, even at 22 psi. If you just got the standard autometer pyrometer w/ the thermocouple that is probably your issue. That thermocouple is a real POS. Get the good one from Team RIP from $45. http://www.teamrip.com/accessories.html

With that probe you will be able to tune properly. The autometer probes are 100% crap.

Well to be honest I don't know where it stops. It would always just rise so I assume it would continue to 1600 but I guess I shouldn't open my mouth because in the year and a half I've been turbo'd I've never taken it that high. :shrug

i tune for right around 1600ish. never more but getting very close is cool if your forged inside. if your running stock internals you need some real comfort room. I wouldn't go above 1500 unless you have some dough saved for a rebuild. I first off would make sure you have the best gas you can get. Meijer and Kroger have tested w/ the highest octane readings in my area(midwest, ohio specifically), next up i'd trust any mobil station(your united dairy farmers and such). Next i'd recommend changing your plugs w/ every oil change. For 4 more bucks its good insurance to make sure your getting clean full spark. I really don't recommend tuning for the blinkshow, its failed alot of people and its a narrowband reading, thus not reliable. keep in mind that running to much fuel can result in afterburn and give you high egt readings if that fuel ignites in the mani. take the others advice and do some dyno tuning.