How's it going? Here is my issue:

I have an 89 Iroc and it has an Edelbrock Cat back and Cat Front exhaust system on it. The car is running extremely rich. Just recently replaced the spark plugs with OEM replacements (AC Delco's) same with the wires 7mm. Recently found out that the A.I.R. valve is not connected to the Cats keeping them cool. Any ideas? Thank you.

 

Is the car running perfectly or better than before? If one of the wires is disconnected or switched, the tach will bounce (you'll know what I mean by bounce when you see it, not just fluctuate). If the only thing you changed was plugs and wires, it could be an error in the install (accidents included), wrong plugs/dammaged plugs, etc. Might as well replace the O2 sensor while you're at it, $40.00 part (go with AC Delco, not bosch).

 

I checked the plugs as well as the gap after installation all seemed okay....I was thinking the O2 sensor, but I am not getting any codes. The engine does surge which results in a bounce in the RPM's.

 

I just replaced the fuel filter today and man oh man was there a lot of black crap in there. It almost looked like oil coming out of my fuel filter, but I know it has just been a while since it has been changed. I bought the car about a month ago from a guy who was not mechanically inclined. I will be getting the exhaust leak fixed tomorrow. I will also be cleaning my EGR valve out with carb cleaner and a wire brush in hopes that will eliminate the rich smell coming from the exhaust. Any other ideas are welcome, thanks.

 

Is the air line to the cats reconnected?

It'll more or less smell like a dog without any fresh air
getting pumped down to the catalyct converter.

You don't keep catalyct converters cool, they need
to be hot to function.. They require fresh air from the
smog pump to flush out all the co2 and HC's.

Get air down to the cat and then see if
that cleans anything up!

 

After we got the issue with the cats resolved it still is running like poop. After the car warms up it really rund like crap. It is still running rich. Is there a way to adjust the fuel air mixture on the car?

 

Unless you have a adjustable fuel
pressure regulator, you cannot. That
would require a computer tune and a
competent tech to fiddle with the A/F
ratio. There shouldn't be any reason to
change it on a fairly stock engine..
something else is the culprit.

If the car runs nice initially, then begins
to run poorly afterward, your open/closed
loop operation could be faulty.

Like suggested above, Id start with the
02 sensor and it's connection. AC Delco is
the best replacement for our cars.. and
fairly inexpensive.

 

Okay, I will replace that first. Thank you for your help.