If something fishy like running lean was going on... would my car computer throw a code or would I not know unless I used my SCT and did a diagnostic?

 

POSSIBLY- O2S READ THE DATA AND COULD THROW A BANK 1 OR BANK 2 CODE FOR SYSTEM LEAN. IF YOU HEAR ANY PINGING ON HARD ACCEL- ITS LEAN! ALOT OF TIMES THE CEL WILL NOT COME ON.

 

Not familiar with what hearing ping sounds like...

example someone?

 

A PING WILL SOUND LIKE A RATTLE OR A LIGHT METAL TO METAL SOUND THAT WILL INCREASE WITH RPM- THINK OF A BABY RATTLE THAT IS METAL WITH METALL BB'S IN IT AND YOU SHAKE IT.

 

Yea, a mettallic rattle is a good description. Marbles or BBs are good too.

The computer may pick up being lean but can still act normal if there's detonation.

Ex: My old tune pinged terribly and I thought it was my hurst for quite a while - it wasnt.....

The computer threw no codes

 

So it is something that you would DEFINITELY notice and hear?
Would it do this constantly once the car got going and not stop?

What about running rich? what would the symptoms be?

 

Also... how would I use my SCT to find these problems?

I read something about data logging but it seems you have to have it hooked up to a laptop. Is this correct?

 

pinging is something that you would definitely hear over a stock exhaust but may be tough to hear over LT's, off road X pipe, and a loud axle back.

like it's been said it's a metal on metal kinda sound. kinda like jiggling around loose quarters. you should also feel it running lean under load. unstead of running nice and smooth like it would under ideal conditions it'll break up and just not be smooth.

it's hard to describe until you experience it, my best advice is if you floor it and it doesn't feel "right" or "normal" then get off the throttle. it doesn't take a lot of detonation to destroy a motor and running lean is the quick road to detonation.

 

By the time the computer notifies you of a lean condition via the dummy light, it is more than likely going to be too late for the motor. I recommend that everyone who does even light modding invest in a good quality wideband guage.

 

I have a question to add to this, cos I'm also trying to find out what pinging is... Would the sound be continuous or just one loud pop? Here's my senario. I added LT's on a supercharged car without modifying my tune. Since the install, I'm hearing this sound...like metal rattling, or fluttering, but only under load/acceleration. On two seperate occasions, I heard a very loud bang, but while idling at a red light- which i'm almost certain was detonation. Am I running lean?
Sorry for hi-jacking, but this could help the OP...