Hi,

Glad to hear you have made progress.

Here is something that I need to ask about your 1981 as I have only the 1978 K-Jet.

On my car that has a Lambda system using the O2 sensor and a frequency valve that buzzes when things are working to adjust mixture.
The Dwell meter measures the cycle time it dumps or holds fuel.
This causes pluses in the constant flowing injectors, above and below the fuel distributors flow rate, in amounts that the O2 sensor dictates. The ECU acts to correct the burn for emissions with this. This is probably what you have gotten figured out.

In watching your thread your idle valve is electrically operated, more like the LH. Mine are strictly using electric heating elements during warmups to move its vanes.


What I want to talk about is a relay located on my car over by headlight dipper on the left fender.
When the engine is started it connects up the O2 sensor to the ECU.
This relay also carries another circuit within it. It connects up the frequency valve to the ECU so it will buzz and do it’s job.

So my question is does your car still have that frequency valve there to buzz? If it does, then it’s like mine. My feeling the early eighties are hybrids leading to the LH.

I wanted to let you if the relay fails the car will not start well. No buzz could mean a bad relay. The relay can fail before the frequency valve.

Either side of the relay can fail. Just like the system relays on the LH cars. So the ECU could end up only getting only half it’s infomation needed. If it’s not getting it there is a default base line it uses that is close to a well tuned engine but of course not self tuning.

So if the new O2 does not quite do the job in getting the right dwell reading or emissions keep this little one inch square silver relay in the back of your mind.

Phil