What do you do when the injection dies in the middle of no-where. Maybe carry a spare? (Carb). Thats what i think about.
As you know, I'm a big fan of EFI. Problem is, I've heard a lot of bad reports on the Holley Sniper system. That's what prompted me to stick with the factory Ford system. Millions of dollars of R&D plus decades of proven performance and reliability kinda sealed the deal for me. I basically just plopped the engine with FI, ECU and factory wiring harness into my '54 and it works great. I am chasing a code 66 (MAF low voltage) but I'll get it eventually.
The great thing about factory F.I. is that just about every auto repair shop in the country has a scan tool that will talk to it and they can work on it. Probably get parts for it from NAPA or the chain stores as well on a weekend or when traveling cross country. It is getting hard to even locate parts for these old F.I. systems sometime, the last 5.0L is now 20+years old as well.
Reliability is one of many reasons I went to the late model EFI 4.6 dohc. I would think you're totally f******d if an aftermarket system goes down on a road trip far from home. What I never understood about aftermarket systems is why do they call them EFI? Am I wrong in thinking they just replace a carburetor on the oem intake, and there are no actual fuel injectors??? So, with no injectors, what do they do differently than a carb?
As I understand it they are throttle body injection systems. Not sure how they work but then actual carburetors are pretty much black magic to me as well
The injectors are in the throttle body and inject fuel above the throttle plates much like a carburetor booster that meters fuel above the throttle ****erfly's. Biggest difference being the fuel from the carb is being drawn out by the difference in pressure as the air p***es through the venturi while the injector is spraying fuel under pressure into the air stream. The injector can usually atomize (mix) the fuel better due to the spray pattern from the higher pressure and the injector nozzle shape but the fuel is in contact with the intake manifold runners just like a carb. PORT fuel injection sprays fuel at the back of the intake valve (ideally) after the ****erfly's and the chance of the fuel dropping out of the airflow as it travels into the combustion chamber is much less. The other major benefit of all fuel injection is the fuel under high pressure has a much higher boiling point just like coolant has a higher boiling point in a pressurized radiator. Vapor lock is almost unheard of in fuel injection systems. So long answer, yes there are injectors in the throttle body that goes where the carb was. Mark
I spent a good deal of money for. FITech for my 55 Sunliner. After trying repeatable to get it functioning properly, and failing, I sent it back to them for diagnosis. Their response was that I needed to buy a new ecm. I decided to instead spend that $350 on a new Edelbrock carb instead. It has been performing just fine since. I am a fan of factory systems properly installed, I have such on my 40 Ford. Never had a problem with it in 40,000 miles. But not a fan of the aftermarket throttle body injection systems. A local friend who likes the aftermarket ones just removed one and replaced with another for fear of on the road failure.
I changed to a Holly Terminator X on the 5.0 in my ‘33 Ford. It is much cleaner and runs much better than the OEM EFI. I know I can get parts via Fedex quickly. The major component to fail is likely the computer module which may be harder to get at a Ford Dealer because of the variations. As Street Rodders, we all take chances, right? Hopefully, none of us go to the middle of nowhere with our rods.
Hopefully, none of us go to the middle of nowhere with our rods.[/QUOTE] LOL. I live in the middle of nowhere
Living in the middle of nowhere is another issue. I can’t complain so far. When I installed the 5.0 in my coupe I thought there would be an issue, but never had one. Same with the Holly unit, but one never knows. Too many cars with EFI out there today to be concerned, just have to learn new skills.
The Jalopy Journal
