AEM Flex Fuel Wideband Failsafe Gauge No FF Sensor 304910 User Manual

							AEM Performance Electronics 2205 126th Street Unit A, Hawthorne, CA. 90250 Phone: (310) 484-2322 Fax: (310) 484-0152 http://www.aemelectronics.com Instruction Part Number: 10-4910 Rev B  2016 AEM Performance Electronics 
 
 
 
 
Instruction Manual 
P/N 30-4910 Wideband Ethanol Boost Gauge 
P/N 30-4911 Wideband Ethanol Boost Gauge 
 
This product is legal in California for racing vehicles only and should never be used on public highways. 
 
 
Wideband Ethanol Boost Gauge Parts List 
 
WARNING: 
! 
This installation is not for the electronic novice or the PC illiterate! 
Use this system with EXTREME caution! If you are not well versed 
in electronics and vehicle instrumentation or are not PC literate, 
please do not attempt the installation. Refer the installation to an 
AEM trained tuning shop. A list of AEM trained tuning shops is 
available at www.aemelectronics.com or by calling 800-423-0046. 
You should also visit the AEM Performance Electronics Forum at 
http://www.aemelectronics.com. 
 
NOTE: AEM holds no responsibility for any engine damage that 
results from the misuse of this product! 
Qty Description Qty Description 
1 Wideband Ethanol Boost Gauge 1 Faceplate, Lambda Black 
1 LSU4.2 UEGO Sensor 1 Faceplate, Vacuum Black 
1 UEGO Harness 1 Harness, Input / Output 
1 Install Kit w/ Bung 1 Rubber Band  
1 Power/IO Harness 1 Wideband Ethanol Boost Instructions 
1 USB Cable 1 Gauge Box 
1 Faceplate, AFR White 1 Boost Hose Adapter 
1 Faceplate, Boost Black 1 Vacuum Hose, 7/64” ID x 36” L 
1 Faceplate, Boost White 1 Silver Bezel 
1 Flex Fuel Sensor (30-4911 Only) 2 3/8” - SAE Barb Fittings (30-4911 Only)  
						

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GETTING STARTED 
 
THIS PRODUCT DOES NOT INCLUDE SOFTWARE IN THE PACKAGING. PLEASE DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL THE 
WIDEBAND ETHANOL BOOST CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE FROM THE AEM WEBSITE AT: 
www.aemelectronics.com/downloads 
 
Software Installation Instructions 
 
Follow the Installation Instructions as outlined in the forum 
post described above.  After the software installation is 
complete, double-click on the AEM W ideband Ethanol 
Boost icon (shown below) to launch the application. 
 
Connect the USB cable to the PC.  The Wideband Ethanol 
Boost will turn ON with ignition key-on power.  Alternatively, 
the Wideband Ethanol Boost can be bench-programmed 
outside of the vehicle without powering it by connecting just 
the USB cable. However, the UEGO sensor, MAP sensor, 
Flex Fuel sensor, analog outputs, and CAN outputs will not 
function.   
 
 
 
Overview 
 
AEM W ideband Ethanol Boost is an advanced safety device that allows the end user to closely monitor the performance 
of their engine.  As a tuning tool, this device provides the ability to accurately monitor AFR, while actively protecting the 
engine by constantly recording AFR curves and activating a user-defined failsafe strategy if it runs dangerously lean or 
excessively rich. 
  
The Wideband Ethanol Boost Gauge is a UEGO (Universal Exhaust Gas Oxygen) controller with an internal boost sensor, 
an internal data logger and a full color Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display. It includes technology to activate a 
failsafe strategy in the event AFR falls outside of a user-defined operating window. If the AFR falls outside of the set 
operating window, the Wideband Ethanol Boost Gauge triggers a user defined output function that can save an engine 
from catastrophic damage. 
 
This product allows the user to view and log the output of a flex fuel ethanol content sensor.  P/N 30-4911 is supplied with 
an AEM Flex Fuel Sensor; however, 30-4900 is not.  It is recommended to use one of the following AEM sensors: 
  
Part Number Description 
30-2200 Ethanol Content Flex Fuel Sensor Kit (Barbed) 
30-2201 Ethanol Content Flex Fuel Sensor Kit (-6 AN) 
 
*Most “Continental” or “GM” style sensors are compatible with the 30-4910/4911 Wideband Ethanol Boost Gauge.  
Sensors that ouput a 12V square wave using the following calibration are compatible. 
 
Description  Calibration Conversion Formula 
Ethanol Content 
(%) 
50 Hertz = 0% ethanol 
150 Hertz = 100% ethanol 
ethanol % = [ Frequency (Hz) - 50 ] 
Fuel 
Temperature 
(degC) 
1 millisecond pulsewidth = -40 degC 
5 milliseconds pulsewidth = 125 degC 
degC = [ 41.25 * Pulsewidth (ms) ] - 81.25  
 
 
 
 
  
						

							Page 4 
ECU / Datalogger 
Installation Diagram 
  
Installation 
 
1. Disconnect the negative battery cable. 
 
2. Temporarily install gauge without bracket into desired mounting location.  Gauge mounts into a 2-1/16” (52MM) hole.  
The supplied rubber band can be used as a spacer around the gauge if it fits loosely in mounting hole. 
 
3. Locate a suitable place in the exhaust system to install the included oxygen sensor weld bung. On non-turbocharged 
engines, mount the oxygen sensor in the exhaust system at least 18 inches downstream from the exhaust port. On 
turbocharged engines the oxygen sensor must be installed after the turbocharger, ideally 18” downstream from the 
turbocharger exhaust housing. NOTE: If the sensor is mounted before the turbocharger the pressure differential will 
affect the accuracy of the unit. For accurate readings, the sensor must be mounted upstream of the catalytic converters 
and/or auxiliary air pumps. To prevent collection of liquids between the sensor housing and sensor element during the 
cold start phase, the installation angle should be inclined at least 10° from horizontal with the electrical connection 
upwards, see image below.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
						

							Page 5 
 
4. Next, the UEGO sensor 8-pin wiring harness should be routed to the oxygen sensor bung.  
 
 
Pin Color Description 
1 N/C N/C 
2 White Heat - 
3 Orange VM 
4 Green IA 
5 Red IP 
6 Black UN 
7 N/C N/C 
8 Brown 12V  
 
 
5. Next the main 16-pin connector will be manually wired into the vehicle. 
 
Pin Color Description 
1 Black Ground; connect to good chassis ground or directly to battery negative (−) terminal 
2 Red Ignition power; connect to a fused key on +12V power source 
3 Black USB - Dedicated 
4 N/C Reserved 
5 Red USB - Dedicated 
6 Green USB - Dedicated 
7 Blue *OPTIONAL* Ground output; connect to an external auxiliary device (1.5A max current) 
8 White USB - Dedicated 
9 Green *OPTIONAL* Flex Fuel Ethanol Content Sensor Signal Input 
10 Gray *OPTIONAL* Gauge backlighting; connect to instrument lighting dimmer wire 
11 N/C Reserved 
12 N/C** *OPTIONAL* AEMnet - 
13 N/C** *OPTIONAL* AEMnet + 
14 Brown *OPTIONAL* Analog ground for AFR and MAP; connect to sensor ground of data logger or EMS 
15 White *OPTIONAL* 0-5V analog output for AFR; connect to + analog input of data logger or EMS 
16 Yellow *OPTIONAL* 0-5V analog output for MAP; connect + analog input of data logger or EMS  
 
 
NOTES:  
 Pins 14/15 are differential analog outputs. The brown wire should be connected to an analog ground input for best 
results.  If the EMS, logger or similar device does not have an analog ground input, the brown wire should be 
connected to a sensor ground.  If no sensor ground is available, the brown wire should be connected to a power 
ground.  The brown wire must be connected in order to obtain correct AFR and MAP readings from the analog 
output(s). 
 ** Pins 12/13 are un-populated as delivered.  Please order the optional 30-3439 wiring harness to connect the 
WBFS gauge to other AEMnet products. 
 
  
						

							Page 6 
6. Connect the pre-terminated brown three pin connector to the flex fuel ethanol content sensor, if present. 
Pin Color Description 
1 Red Vcc – Battery 12V 
2 Black GND – Battery Ground 
3 Green Vout – Sensor Output (10k pullup to pin 1)  
  
 
7. Connect all cables and wiring harnesses to gauge.  Fully install gauge into hole using mounting bracket and nuts. 
 
8. Install USB cable so the PC end of the cable is easily accessible and route the gauge end of cable to the gauge 
mounting location.  USB cable is meant to be permanently installed to gauge and left in vehicle.  Stow PC end of cable 
in location such as glove box or center console, etc. 
 
Flex Fuel Ethanol Content Sensor Installation 
 
The sensor must be installed in the fuel return line 
between the fuel pressure regulator and the fuel 
tank, reference the diagram below.  The sensor 
may be installed in any orientation; the direction of 
flow through the sensor does not matter.  It should 
be noted that the entirety of the fuel flow returning 
from the fuel rail is not required to travel through the 
sensor.  This may be useful on very high flow 
systems with a larger than typical return line.  In 
these cases, the sensor can be run in a smaller 
parallel circuit to measure just a portion of the return 
flow so that the sensor does not become a 
restriction for the entirety of the return fuel flow. 
 Please ensure that the barbed fittings are 
installed securely and verify the system is 
completely leak free before proceeding. 
 
 
 
 
  
						

							Page 7 
Wideband Ethanol Boost Configuration 
 
In this tab, the AFR monitoring and alarm output functionality of the W ideband Ethanol Boost can be configured.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Air to Fuel Ratio vs. Pressure 
Description 
Displays AFR vs. Pressure data points. AFR points will be populated live whenever the PC is connected to the Wideband Ethanol Boost 
and the UEGO sensor is registering an input. The current AFR and Pressure values are shown live on the right side of the graph.  The 
graph area  is where  the  high  and  low AFR limit  lines  are  established. Configure  the  pressure  scale  and  AFR  scale before  setting  the 
boundary lines as they will reset each time a different scale is selected. 
Graph 
Button Description 
Auto Set Limits  Automatically sets the upper and lower AFR lines based on an average of the collected AFR data points   
Reset Limits Resets the upper AFR limit line to maximum and the lower AFR limit line to minimum 
Clear Graph  Clears all the displayed AFR data points from the graph; does not clear stored AFR data from logger  
Logger 
Button Description 
Log Percentage Displays current amount of data recorded 
Download Log Downloads all the collected AFR data that is stored in the logger; will prompt to save log to disk; log files saved 
as .daq for direct viewing in AEMdata program    
Clear Log  Clears all stored AFR data from the logger   
Flex Fuel Sensor 
Parameter Description 
Ethanol (%) Displays the current flex fuel sensor ethanol content percentage. 
Fuel Temp (degC) Displays the flex fuel sensor fuel temperature in degrees Celsius.  
						

							Page 8 
 
 
 
Gauge Configuration 
 
In this tab, the gauge lighting and display features can be configured. 
 
 
 
Alarm Configuration 
Option Description 
Alarm Delay  Period of time that measured AFR can be outside the upper and lower AFR limit lines before an alarm 
condition is triggered; 100-1000 milliseconds 
Alarm Reset Period of time AFR must be within the acceptable range before the alarm will automatically reset and turn 
OFF; 1-10 seconds 
Disable Auto Reset Select to require power cycle to reset alarm; overrides the automatic alarm reset period. 
GND Output  Select to turn the ground output ON or turn the ground output OFF when an alarm is triggered; 1.5 amps max 
Alarm Status 
Parameter Description 
Status Indicator Color indicates status; green is system ready, red is alarm triggered 
Source Indicates the source of the alarm condition; possible alarm conditions are high AFR, low AFR, auxiliary input, 
and alarm test 
Alarm Press Pressure when alarm was triggered; Units determined by Pressure Scale selection 
Alarm AFR AFR when alarm was triggered; Units determined by AFR Scale selection 
Option Description 
Alarm Test Simulates the alarm to test output configuration; test duration set by Alarm Delay value 
Display Option 
Option Description 
Upper Display Upper display reading configuration; use to select either pressure (InHg / PSIg or Bar) or O2 sensor (AFR or 
Lambda) 
Lower Display Lower Display reading configuration; use to select either flex fuel ethanol content percentage or off.  If off then only 
the upper display reading will be visible. 
Installed 
Faceplate 
Faceplate configuration; use to match 24 outer LEDs to faceplate with either Pressure (InHg / PSIg or Bar) or O2 
sensor (AFR or Lambda) [See Appendix II – Changing Faceplate / Bezel]  
						

							Page 9 
 
 
 
 
Wideband Ethanol Boost Failsafe Tuning 
 
The following is a basic guideline strategy for configuring the Wideband Failsafe for the first time.  The ideal time to 
configure the Wideband Ethanol Boost is while the vehicle is being dyno tuned.  Ensure your engine is fully functional 
mechanically before starting to configure the Wideband Failsafe!    
 
1. In the W ideband Ethanol Boost Configuration tab, click Clear Graph and Reset Limits to zero all settings. 
 
2. If a boosted pressure scale is selected, there will be a pink triangular cursor on the left side of the graph when the 
engine is in high vacuum, as shown below. The upper and lower limits for this high vacuum area will use the lowest 
pressure (furthest left) breakpoint for alarm triggering. 
 
 
Alarm Flash 
Option Description 
Flash Speed Select speed of flashing while alarm is triggered; flash slow or fast 
Dimmer Max Brightness 
Option Description 
Dimmer Max 
Brightness Select whether +12V or ground indicates maximum backlighting brightness 
Bar-Graph LED Color 
Option Description 
RED LED (1) Can be disabled; use slider to configure multiple LEDs. Reference gauge display at bottom right. 
ORG LED (2) Can be disabled; use slider to configure multiple LEDs. Reference gauge display at bottom right. 
GRN LED (3) Cannot be disabled; use slider to configure multiple LEDs. Reference gauge display at bottom right. 
ORG LED (4) Can be disabled; use slider to configure multiple LEDs. Reference gauge display at bottom right. 
RED LED (5) Can be disabled; use slider to configure multiple LEDs. Reference gauge display at bottom right.  
						

							Page 10 
 
 
3. Run the engine as you would normally drive the vehicle then complete a series of long sweeping high load 3rd and 4th 
gear pulls going from low to high RPM each time to populate the graph with AFR data.  Avoid making quick hard pulls 
as this may skew the AFR data points. Repeat this procedure until a baseline AFR curve is established. Note: You 
may notice that a few random AFR data points are plotted well outside of the normal AFR curve. This is caused by 
dynamic tip-in wall wetting in transient pressure situations. This is normal behavior and false triggers can be ignored 
in the configuration setup process below. 
 
  
4. With a baseline AFR curve now established, click on Auto Set Limits and the software will produce its best 
suggested high and low AFR limit lines based on the populated AFR data shown on the graph. Review and adjust 
the high and low AFR limit lines as needed to contour the lines around the baseline AFR curve (shown below). 
This can be done by clicking on a breakpoint and either dragging up or down with the mouse or by clicking the up 
and down arrows on the keyboard.  To move to the next breakpoint, click on it with the mouse or use the right and 
left arrows. Pressing the Tab key will toggle back and forth between the high and low limit lines.   
						

							Page 11 
 
  
 
5. Test the configuration using your anticipated normal operating conditions with varying engine speed and engine load 
situations to account for starting, stopping, accelerating, high boost, low boost, tip in, fast shifts, slow shifts, etc. If 
false triggers occur, either adjust the high or low AFR curve up or down at the pressure breakpoint where the alarm 
occurred or adjust the Alarm Delay setting.  
 
NOTE: There are two general configuration strategies to follow when using the W ideband Ethanol Boost.  The high and 
low AFR limit lines can be set very tightly to the baseline AFR curve and a longer Alarm Delay can be used.  Conversely, 
the high and low AFR limit lines can be set further way from the baseline AFR curve and a shorter Alarm Delay can be 
used.  Furthermore, many tuners may conclude that a rich AFR is more acceptable for, safety measures, than a lean 
AFR. If true, a looser tolerance can be put into the lower limit line as depicted in the graph above. Only thorough 
configuration testing will reveal which strategy is best for your application.