I started working on cars before I could actually drive them . . . legally. I spent countless hours learning the intricacies of things, such as how much voltage it takes to make your arm go numb by turning the ignition on and accidentally touching the coil, cutting a perfectly stock exhaust off because it was too quiet, and finding out the hard way how many small parts are in a Thermoquad. But never did I think I would be tuning a carburetor with an electronic device.
Carb tuning during those "early" years consisted of changing jets, power valves, or squirters when you were at the track, and hoping your e.t. picked up. If it didn't, you tried another combination of goodies. Reading spark plugs was another science that took me some time to really understand, but a wealth of information is available if you know what you are looking for.
Now, however, tuning a car with an O2 sensor has been the norm for awhile. But hooking to an O2 sensor to really dial things in means a trip to a dyno, and we all know how much that can cost. Sure, some guys will hook up a digital voltmeter to an O2 sensor and read the milli-volts to get a reading. Although this is fairly accurate, there is a new and better way to accomplish this.
Enter Innovate Motorsports and their LM-1 Digital Air/Fuel meter. With the LM-1, precise air/fuel measurement allows the user to correctly adjust many variables, including carburetor and air bleed jetting without long and expensive dyno sessions or wasted passes down the strip. The meter's digital signal processing technology provides data on exactly how rich or lean an engine is running at any load. The LM-1's self-calibrating circuitry also compensates for changes in temperature, altitude, and sensor condition. The instrument can sample and store the air/fuel ratio and the other sensor data internally in operation for later analysis on a personal computer. At a sampling rate of 12 samples/second, the instrument can store up to 44 minutes worth of data in memory. The data can be downloaded to a personal computer using a standard serial port and viewed/analyzed by the included software or any standard spreadsheet program.
But how easy is this meter to hook up and operate? We got our hands on one and decided to give it a try. we have never used an electronic device to adjust a carburetor without a dyno close by, but we were willing to give it a try. To say we were pleased with the results is an understatement. The kit was relatively easy to connect, and definitely pointed out that we needed to make some major adjustments to the carb.
ConclusionThe LM-1 meter is a great hands-on tuning device for the home enthusiast or the hard-core tuner/racer. It takes what used to be considered "rocket science," and makes anyone a "scientist" when it comes to carb tuning. So what are you waiting for, the only thing you have to lose are e.t.'s, and, possibly, that puff of black smoke coming out of your tailpipe when you mash the throttle.
Air/Fuel Reading 11.50 RICH 11.75 12.00 12.25 12.50 12.75 13.00 13.25 13.50 13.75 14.00 14.25 14.50 LEAN