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Fuel smell

11025 Views 26 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  2014:1.6lT
The other day I left my car running half in and half out of my garage and ran inside to grab something. When I came out the garage smelled like my 66 Chevy was running... I didn't think much of it until my step dad (who works for kia) asks me why my car smells like the exhaust has unburned fuel. I gave him a blank stare.... So... It's not just me... But my exhaust smells like unburned fuel. Any others?
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Have you opened up the exhaust or was the car not to temp? Mine smells rich when it's cold. Our cars stock runs rich in the first place.
That makes me wonder, there has been many times that I have smelled gas and either wrote it off since I just filled up and thought it may have been the vent or it was someone else while in traffic. There looks to be a canister on the front of the engine below the TB that looks to be tied in with the vent line from the tank. Might be just from filling the tank and topping it off is allowing fuel to run through the vent line to the canister and when the purge valve opens it has a little more than just vapors. Of course this is just the first thing that I can think of that would cause a raw fuel smell with no leaks and the car not stalling. It's just a thought.
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I noticed it the other day also when I turned on my car and moved it from the driveway to the garage. I think I noticed it one on my wife's optima. I know here engine uses a different dual squirt method on the injectors for quicker cat light off (raw fuel will heat up the cat quickly if I remember correctly). Might be related....
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I have never noticed it on my car yet when I fill up. I will pay more attention this time when I do. Might have to take it to the dealer if need be
The car was warmed up, it had been parked for like 30 min. But it's hot here so engine temp was still warm. Anyone have a/f ratio data?
I haven't played with the exhaust yet... I was considering it but my Kia dealer gets pissy about any mods and since it smells like this I kinda want to take it in and have them lean it out. Not sure about 2014+ but I know on my moms 2010 Forte they can play with the tuning.
The 29 afr is normal. Mine does it all the time and even did that with stock tune. I don't see a issue with that at all. I even asked John at Tork and he said it's normal
Okay, so that's reading off the O2 sensor I think so must be normal... Maybe if the dealership can lean it out I can actully get more than 20mpg :mad:
That 29 AFR reading is showing you the absence of fuel. When you rev and take your foot off of the throttle, the injectors are not firing.

14.7:1 is target AFR for cruising and idling. If you are idling the engine and the gauge is fluctuating around 14.7:1, that is normal and not "rich" or "lean."
Okay, so that's reading off the O2 sensor I think so must be normal... Maybe if the dealership can lean it out I can actully get more than 20mpg :mad:
Or keep your foot off the throttle! LOL

When I got my tune at wot I am running a afr of around 11-12 now and it pulls super hard. Normal driving is the 14 range
Well... in my defense... when the IAT goes above 130 the poor car is powerless so my foot has to go down more! I got excited last night because the IAT finally got below 120 for the first time in a while and the car pulled SO HARD! It almost made me giggle... Back to AFR, I would think that these cars would be around 11-12. 14 seems a bit rich but I haven't dove into the math specs of this motor as of yet.
Another "if I remember" is that if these are 4 wire 02 sensors then they have a heater. So they must be up to temp for proper readings. Just something to consider for those readings at idle
Oh they where warm... Just got back from like a 40 mile trip at 110 ambient temp lol. I will watch them after car cools etc.
Well... in my defense... when the IAT goes above 130 the poor car is powerless so my foot has to go down more! I got excited last night because the IAT finally got below 120 for the first time in a while and the car pulled SO HARD! It almost made me giggle... Back to AFR, I would think that these cars would be around 11-12. 14 seems a bit rich but I haven't dove into the math specs of this motor as of yet.
Mine loses power when I hit around 140 big time. If I am lower its better but if I sit around 110-120 its a rocket.

Our cars when at wot run rich and stay around the 14 mark I believe. They should be around the 11-12 mark when at wot for best power. It has been proven on a lot of kia cars including hyundai that they run rich from the factory.
Well... in my defense... when the IAT goes above 130 the poor car is powerless so my foot has to go down more! I got excited last night because the IAT finally got below 120 for the first time in a while and the car pulled SO HARD! It almost made me giggle... Back to AFR, I would think that these cars would be around 11-12. 14 seems a bit rich but I haven't dove into the math specs of this motor as of yet.
Just remember that the lower the number for afr the richer the mixture.
Oh yeah! So wait.... the tunes put the afr to 11-12? How is that if gas mileage improves with the tunes?
When you go Wide Ope Throttle, most cars will richen the mixture to be on the safe side. You can get a mixture as rich as 9:1, as I have seen on some cars.
You make more power the "leaner" you go. So, get the mixture away from 9:1. There are a lot of variables, but the usual sweet spot for direct injection cars is around 12:1. Any leaner, you get detonation/knocking. You can help this by running higher octane, water/meth, etc.

If you are seeing 11-12 when flooring it, that is a normal AFR for flooring it. Cruising and idling should be 14.7:1. Partial acceleration AFRs vary widely depending on throttle input, boost pressure, temp, etc.

When you get a tune, there are many, many parameters in the computer to adjust and optimize. Making more power with a tune is an adjustment of these parameters including "leaning" out the AFRs to an acceptable level. Tuners will adjust AFR, ignition timing, and many other parameters to make more power for you.

In these many parameters you can also optimize gas mileage by adjusting the appropriate tables. Once I get into tuning, I can post how some of this works.
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When I was stock on mine I would run around 9-10 at wot from what I recorded. then John adjusted it so its hitting 11-12 (haven't logged to much yet) and it pulls way harder now and whatever else he did. My mpg if not in boost I get 32-33 on the fwy at 70
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