Running Rich!

[tompumped]

Since i've owned my car it's been running rich. When I get out of the car after I shut it off you can smell it. The smell is strong because I have no cats. Sometimes while cranking I have step on the gas to clear the flood and it will start right away.
I read about people getting thirty miles a gallon on the highway and i'm jealous. I'm pretty sure the best i've seen is 24.
Since I owned the car i've replaced every sensor except for the IAB, and MAF.
I sent the injectors out to be cleaned, I performed a full 60k. I replaced most of the sensors as preventative maintenance. I was going to buy a screamin' demon coil but I can't find one. I read on here coils get weak over time.
thanks

 

[rubydist]

Do you have any codes? That is your quickest way to knowing what is wrong.

Typically, running rich is due to bad 02 sensors - as they go bad often they will think the engine is lean (when it really isn't) and adjust the fuel mix more rich. Eventually, they tell the pcm to adjust the fuel mix outside the allowable range, and then a code is set.

 

[tompumped]

I don't have any codes and I replaced the o2 sensors. Thanks for the information.

 

[JRA2000TL]

Both of my SHOs seem to run extremely rich on a cold start---I know they do tend to run a little lean on a cold start...but it almost blows you over. No codes on either car.

 

[rubydist]

The next thing I would do with your situation would be to change the air filter and clean the mafs.

Do you know for sure that the fuel smell is from running rich rather than from the fuel vapor charcoal canister? On my red 94, I had a terrible fuel smell that was due to the charcoal canister not being purged properly. You might check that out.

 

[jmpSHO2nd]

If it was running rich beyond the PCMs ability to lean it out, it will usually set a code. Your fuel smell could be from your injectors leaking or maybe you a have a fuel leak some where else.

 

[TYSHO]

As pointed out, check the fuel vapor system then pull the hose off the fuel pressure regulator to make sure it's not malfunctioning. If it's malfunctioning, the regulater will leak fuel with the hose removed. This type of leak will dump extra fuel through the intake.

 

[SHOCH]

Just a ramdom thought but, Have you looked at the computer behind the dash? My previous owner put a Superchip on it. Mine is a gas pig too, but no smell.

 

[tompumped]

rubydist- I should clean the air filter, but it's not very dirty. I cleaned the MAF with the right cleaner a while back. I'm almost positive it's running rich, but i'll look into it. I have no cats so the smell is even stronger. It smells like my carbureted chevy almost.

Jmpsho2nd-The injector cleaning company seemed legit and they gave me a printout with it. They checked out a ok. They actually didn't need to be cleaned iirc. No fuel leaks anywhere.

Tysho-That was one of the first things I checked when I purchased the car.

Shoch-I never checked, but I thought the superchips raise the rev limit. I could be wrong.

I haven't really taken it on too much highway driving since it's been back on the road. It haven't had to floor the gas to start the car in a few weeks. Since then the only thing I did was replace the BAP and ACT sensor. I don't know if the BAP could cause that issue? Thank you for the responses.

In my first sho I never once had to floor the car to start it as far as I can remember.

 

[rubydist]

my red 94 would have an occasional hard start during a hot restart due to a leaky fuel injector - in that case I would have to put the gas pedal to the floor to get it to start. no other instances of that in my experience. however, that would not be related to a fuel smell after shutting off the car, imho. the leaky regulator mentioned above could cause both the smell and the hard start - this would leak into the intake manifold through the vacuum line as I understand the description.