I've got 2 cars at the shop that were using Hilborn injection on , both stack style, a 32 3 window with Hot 383 & a Bonneville hammered 34 Tudor with a 327 , both running autos. I'm getting bad vibes from people saying they don't work worth a damn , with Hilborn's computer. Anyone on here got any experience with these units. I'd like an unbiased opinion before I either get stuck in or return them before I get buried. Thanks Steve
Hey I have worked on these with success. I am a Hilborn Dealer. Feel free to give me a call at the shop. They will work, you just have to set them up right. A dyno really helps with O2 sensors in the exhaust, but I have tuned them well by the seat of my pants. Also, you can call Andy at Hilborn. 310 978 9558 www.sakowskimotors.com good luck Wil Sakowski
Thanks I just need an unbiased opinion from someone without an agenda.I'll call you on Monday, I talked to Andy , obviously he told me everything is rosy. I just need reassuring . Cheers Steve
i have delt with too many fuel systems in the past. best bet is log all the data and reprogram on your own. most company's are not ready for what we throw at them on the street. have friends running motech on the street in closed loop with great luck and others running too slow with it.
I have one in the shop right now. We are don't really sell much EFI, because most people want it for the wrong reasons. This one came in because it doesn't run right. We have never sold a Hilborn EFI system. The system we are working on is a few years old. Along the line, some moron replaced the Accel ECM with some junk box that is already out of the car. We are replacing the ECM with a good one (but not the Accel, for certain reasons that are irrelevant here) before continuing. Because it is an uncommon vintage engine with a HUGE cam, we will have to program it from scratch, which is not a task for someone not already familiar with fiddling with fuel and spark maps, etc. The following are my observations as someone who has a clue about EFI, but doesn't sell the system in question (and has never actually worked on a Hilborn stack EFI before). Looking at the hardware, I am impressed with the quality and the setup. The sensors and injectors are all but invisible with the air cleaners in place. The plumbing is done correctly, the right sensors are all there. Everything is beautiful. The one disturbing thing I noticed on the one we are working on, is the lack of any provision for Idle Air Control. If you don't have IAC, and you have trouble with the idle, I suggest adding IAC. The Kinsler stack EFI (and every factory EFI system back into the 70s) comes with IAC, for a reason. I don't know if Hilborn doesn't offer it, or if the original purchaser didn't get it because it was supposed to be for a race car when originally purchased. I've heard plenty of guys dis the Accel Gen7 (which is what I believe Hilborn is using these days), but it's one of the best out there - if you have a tuner who actually has the skills to program it. Because it is sophisticated like a modern OEM ECM, it takes a huge range of knowledge to get everything set up right if you are starting from scratch. At the same time, that is what makes it a good system - it can actually be programmed to run right on a street car. The biggest problem with any aftermarket EFI, is that you really can't custom program it without having the engine. Unless the engine combo is something the programmer has programmed in person, it will generally be off on delivery. My recommendation on the issue at hand is to contact Accel and / or Hilborn with engine specs (cam, heads, exhaust, compression, etc) and get a proper base tune from them. I'm sure anything SBC has been done to death, and they will have a base tune that is at least close, so you don't have to start from scratch. If you can find a base tune that is close, it will save you many hours (and probably many dollars, as well). Keep in mind that most people who talk trash about the ECM (especially the Accel) are really saying they didn't have the skills to set it up properly. You have to know that a good system is not child's play to set up, and be willing to pay someone who knows what they are doing if it turns out to be over your head. If you are not the humble type, and have never set up an EFI system before, be prepared to lose some hair. Not because it is a Hilborn system or because it is an Accel box, but because EFI has a REALLY steep learning curve if you are new to it. It's kind of like someone who has stick-welded a couple of brackets once upon a time, trying to section a 50s car. Someone who has done a dozen top-chops before may get through it with relatively little frustration, but the total novice is more likely to ruin the car than succeed, if he is too proud to ask for help when he finds out he is in over his head. The learning curve varies depending on your background. If you have factory EFI diagnosis, and computer programming in your background, as well as engine tuning, it isn't so bad. If you don't know the difference between an RS232 port and OBDII, and your idea of engine tuning is using a timing light to set the timing to factory specs, you are in for a really heavy learning curve.
Thanks for the input , I believe they use the Carabine system, but I'll check into it at work tomorrow , & post some "facts" I'm never too proud to ask , that's how we learn . Cheers Steve www.limeworksspeedshop.com
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