S13 sr20 red top issues

[ZzZleeper]

Alright sorry for being a noob on this stuff, ive searched and haven't come up with much.

So I just bought my first S13 tonight 89 coupe with a redtop. Its completely stock besides bov. It is running pretty rich, and I'm trying to do some diagnostics. It will start run and idle fine besides smelling of fuel. Once you get some boost you can feel it flood out and starts loosing power.

The po said that the problem is due to the o2 sensor. It is not plugged into anything whatsoever. It has 1 back wire coming out of it with no connector on the end. He said the o2 that is supposed to go with it has 3 wires. He also told me I would need to wire it into the Ecu and that will fix the issue.
after looking around ive seen some posts saying that you don't need to run a o2 if it has a maf. Which it seems to have, not sure which one though. I'm also going to do a boost leak to see if that might be it but not to hopeful its that easy.
Anyone have any info on this??
Thanks for the help!

[Mikester]

First & foremost, check for vacuum & boost leaks. Check the BOV & make sure it isn't opening up or stuck open. Check the wastegate flapper & ensure the actuator arm didn't pop off.

Not understanding why you would have to wire an O2 sensor in- there should be a connector for it on the harness.

[jr_ss]

Yep, check for boost/vac likes like Mike suggested. What kind of fuel pressure are you running? Notice any leaks around your injectors?

[ultimateirving]

Normally under boost if there is aleak the car will get really bucky and start to break up.. wont necessarily bog. also the 02 sensor will not impact the car while at wide open throttle.

[Mikester]

^^True, if it's a small leak... but if it's a loose or torn coupler; or even if he hit a rock and has a small hole in the IC, it will run pig rich and fall on its face pretty quickly trying to boost.

I would almost wonder if the actuator itself is toast; but I don't think that would cause it to be rich at idle. I would still grab the armature and actuate it manually a few times just to make sure it isn't too mushy- just to be sure.

Plugs could also be crapped out... New plugs do wonders at idle as well as under load...

Or the timing could be a bit retarded... should be 17BTDC @idle IIRC.

My gut says it's something simple.