help me out - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

paradizecityz · 12-17-2003, 06:40 PM

I have a 1998 Toyota Camry LE and i put in an intake back then and I get the check engine light, i went to get it Diagnosed and i got the error code P0171, System Too Lean (Bank 1), can someone please tell me what this mean and what I should do to fix this, I heard from my friends to change the O2 sensor but Im not sure if it is correct, someone please help me out and reply

gaak · 12-17-2003, 08:57 PM

as i understand it, and engine runs on a balance of oxygen, via the air intake, and fuel, via the fuel delivery system, be it injectors or carberation. the terms lean and rich are used to describe the mixture of oxygen and fuel, and the key is to have the engine running at an optimum level so that all of the fuel is burned and it uses all of the oxygen that has been introduced to catalyze the combustion, leaving as little waste product as possible( no left over oxygen and no left over fuel). the term lean describes a situation when there is too much oxygen for the amount of fuel being introduced into the cylinder, as rich is the opposite, too much fuel. the problem with this is due to the fact that there is a finite amount of space inside a cylinder for combustion to take place in, so any space that is being wasted by unused product is robbing the engine of potential HP.
--as far as adding an intake goes, u must first look at what it does, which is allow the engine to breath in more oxygen at a faster rate, which consequently causes the engine to run a bit lean. In order to compensate for this problem either the computer must be reprogrammed to introduce more fuel into the system, or you could switch to higher volume injectors, fuel filter, fuel lines and pump. Hope this helps, and while i'm fairly certain about all this, if someone notices that i'm wrong about something, please let me know, cuz i don't wanna destroy my engine using bad info either......lol, that would suck. --Greg

paradizecityz · 12-17-2003, 09:05 PM

alright thanks, when u say that i could switch to higher volume injectors, fuel filter, fuel lines and pump, do u mean change all of it or just any becuz if thats the reason, i would just change to higher volume injectors

88 LE · 12-17-2003, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gaak
--as far as adding an intake goes, u must first look at what it does, which is allow the engine to breath in more oxygen at a faster rate, which consequently causes the engine to run a bit lean.
In order to compensate for this problem either the computer must be reprogrammed to introduce more fuel into the system, or you could switch to higher volume injectors, fuel filter, fuel lines and pump.

An intake doesn't make that much of a difference to where you would need bigger injectors, different fuel filter, bigger fuel lines, or fuel pump.

Unless your boosting or running the bottle you don't need to change any of the parts listed above.

OEMonkey · 12-17-2003, 10:08 PM

well, if you paid to get it diagnosed, they shoulda told you whats causing it. hope you didnt pay them just to pull a code, that takes less than a minute. and fyi, dtc's are not a signal for you to go replacing sensors! I'm guessing this is for a 4 cyl? bank 1 sensor 1. your new intake has nothing to do with it unless you did an install error. no need to upgrade to a fuel system that'll cost a hundred times more than a negligible aftermarket filter add on. the air induction, whether the sensor for it is a thermistor or a potentiometer, will be measured for the correct amount of fuel delivery. unless you let it unmetered air past the sensor, then you would have a vac leak and have a constant low voltage signal from your o2s. so, check your work on that intake you did since that the last thing you did to your car before you got a mil. check for a high idle and other stuff, this post is too long already.

biggriggs · 12-17-2003, 10:34 PM

I had the same problem a few weeks ago. Put an intake on my 99 V6 camry and it started running like shit, reset the computer and it ran the same as before but the check engine light kept coming on. My solution was to take the intake off and put the old air box back in. You don't need an intake on your camry. I have had no problems since putting the airbox back on, runs just as good. You just don't get that intake noise the you probably have now.

gaak · 12-17-2003, 11:32 PM

yeah, the intake on my car didn't make that much of a difference either, but i merely suggested those parts to even out the flow of o2 and fuel in the case that it was making a huge difference(which it's prolly not)....at least in theory i think i'm on target about having everything balanced, yes or no?

Nico · 12-18-2003, 10:37 AM

I recently had a high idle problem that makes think of what you are describing. I noticed it was an essential thing to change 1) egr valve gasket AND 2) throttle body gasket, I have been searching for days and days before discovering that was just the problem, if your gaskets are only a bit old or dirty, just change them and put all bolts strong back in. Otherwise you'll have air leak problems.

***zoni*** · 12-18-2003, 06:49 PM

wow, what noob thread... with respect to 88le. Anyways... i just wanted to share a story with you guys...

Once upon a time, my friend Kyle's cavalier (shittiest car ever) stalled and got stuck in the middle of a main road. He called me and i helped him push it off the road into a parking lot. He happened to have a diagnostic code reader with him, so we got the code. It said the fuel system was too lean. SO we start thinking what could be wrong... bad fuel pump, injectors, a leak in the system, etc... THEN i have this thought... i say to him, "Kyle, lets go get some gas and put it in, and just try that first..." He goes, " I'm pretty sure there was plenty of gas in there, but ok." So we go get gas, put it in... start the car, and vwalah, it starts right up. I then proceed to smack Kyle, and tell him that he is a retard. He then tells me that his gas gauge is broken and maybe thats why. So i tell him he is a retard again, and then we go home. THE END.

So the point of the story is that cavaliers suck... oh yeah, over the course of the life of that car, we had to replace 4 lug bolts cause they strip very easliy. i have pics of 2 of them i think. BUT it is a big pain in the ass. Im thinkin maybe ill get him some ARP lug bolts if they make them... PEACE OUT FELLAS! down with cavaliers!!!!!