Fuel Injected LMC1200

I decided we were done fighting fuel and carburetor issues on this cat. After much research and some advise from here I had the AFI fuel injection system purchased and installed. I talked to Norm and he suggested that the GSE/Industrial (300 CID Ford) Gen 2 system would be ideal. I wanted to keep the throttle linkage intact so that the automatic transmission would shift properly. The Gen 3 is a drive by wire and would be ideal for a manual transmission.



https://www.affordable-fuel-injection.com/




The kit was complete and fairly straightforward to install. The mechanic was very impressed. The complete ignition system is also included.



It was mostly a bolt on and wire in project. The O2 sensor was a breeze as the manifold was ready for the sensor.



The throttle linkage ended up being a minor issue. They decided to add a cable to operate the throttle plate. The original carb linkage was in a different position by 90 degrees. The factory setup wasn't going to easily work. The kickdown is still connected and should work correctly.



The day I drove around it was 90 here so it was a short trip around the dirt parking area.



One other issue popped up. It wouldn't run over 3,000 RPM. I sent the ECU back and it was reprogrammed to govern at 4,000. Should be plenty.



Need snow!

Where did you place the coolant temp sensor?
-Pat

Please update the thread with runnability updates as you get more run time in varied conditions.

the Midwest doesn't present much differential in air density due to elevation, but our closed loop systems get surprised with temp extremes and humidity.
ECU's don't always make quick adjustments (which is a good thing) we get severe frosting and silly run-ability issues that go away as fast as they present just from weather changes.

"Where did you place the coolant temp sensor?
-Pat"


It's under the rear of the exhaust manifold. I'll snap a photo of it.

Coolant sensor was installed with a T off of the coolant gauge sensor location.

you need to put fuel injected sticker on it.

Great Job. You are going to love the way it runs. Is there an ALDL or OBD plug that you can interface a laptop for trouble shooting? Does that system control spark timing also?

9 years ago I replaced the quadrajet on my 455 Olds powered motorhome with a TBI and never regretted it. I have done a couple of them now from junkyard parts. Vast improvement over a carburetor.

To answer a few questions. It does have an OBD2 plug. It does control the advance. I was able to plug a laptop into it and perform some trouble shooting.

It was idling way too high. 2 issues. The mechanic installed the engine coolant sensor incorrectly and it had too cool of a thermostat. I moved the sensor and put the temp gauge sender in the block drain opening.

AFI says the engine temp must be over 180 to run correctly. They are not kidding.

Now it works great. Ready for snow.

Second pic wouldn't load. Temp gauge sender.

A computer tbi will hold a fast idle as long as it thinks the engine is cold.
The dash temp gauge is probably going to read real low now because the block is the first thing the cool water from the radiator and water pump hits. Most of the heat is picked up in the head.
Is your system a fixed program for that specific engine or can you modify it from a laptop? Dynamic EFI makes a system using a GM ECM that they modify with EBL (embedded lockers) that can be flashed on the fly. I have some friends that use it but it seems like they are always messing with it. Mine is a stock programmed chip that works good and I never have to dink with it.
Does the AFI have a knock sensor? The GM system mounted it in the block drain hole.

ok ---so keep us updated when u unbolt it and throw it in the trash----how about the cam shaft----what does a carb motor use or a fi motor use-------all your motor needs is a good carb and a good dist.---- what did we have before fi----daaaaaaa----not saying efi is not good but bolt on kits suck----and tbi ----lol take the time to research TBI.----CALL THE COMPANY AND ASK FOR YOUR MONEY BACK do a motor update with the money-----just sayin

I guess if you live in the dark ages carburetors are ok, but this is the 21st century. An efi is a true engine management system. No more stuck flyweights, leaky vacuum advance, accelerator pumps, float valves, bowl gaskets, enrichment valves, points to adjust-----all gone. A modern TBI continuously and instantaneously adjusts mixture, timing and idle speed using engine temp, manifold pressure, rpm, air temp, throttle position, knock sensing and exhaust mixture with no moving parts to give you a smooth, clean running engine (always at stoichiometric mixture) that will last much longer. That's why modern engines get 100,000 miles from a set of spark plugs. I put one on a GMC motorhome with a 455 Olds engine ten years ago and have had zero problems. Best money I ever spent. It always starts and always stops when I turn off the key. I don't miss that old Quadrajet at all. My 28 year old EFI Tracker is still going strong. Plus, anybody can troubleshoot it with a laptop.
If they made one for the 30hp Wisconsin in my cat I would do it. I had to settle for a Pertronix breakerless ignition. The only other engines I still have with carbs are lawnmowers, chainsaws and weedeaters.
I think PJL is going to like the improved performance and reliability with the new setup.

The previous owners of our LMC1500 AMC258 installed the AFI tbi kit, poorly installed. It never misses a beat at any angle and any rough trail. It has a distributor upgrade too. After I cleaned up the installation and got the coolant temp sensor in a good location the warm up cycle works good too. Tip; I use a (napa 3005) 3 micron fuel filter with a water drain, plumbed to act as a swirl pot. EFI will not tolerate air in the fuel. I also replaced the O2 sensor with a heated one to get to closed loop faster on those cold mornings.

I have good carbs ----they can stay on the shelf. ----ive rebuilt hundreds of carbs ----don't miss that or the smell of gas on my hands ----or fuming out of the hot carb into the cab.

-Pat

I just finished an install of the pertronics lll distributor in my snow trac. this one has a rev limiter built in the pickup coil. it runs good and the limiter seems ok. I have only run it in the yard so not completely tested yet.
1600cc vw engine
jim

http://www.wiengines.com/product/64


Here ya go Turbinator.



The system in the 1200 is specific to the 300 CID industrial engine. It's actually designed for the GSE engines, tugs, baggage handlers etc. It is externally programmable but I don't have the software. (yet)

Very cool Mr. PJL. 20% fuel reduction is hard to beat. I see AFI makes a complete set up for my 3.3L Ford automatic in my 1450. Definitely on my list for next year.

PJL said:

http://www.wiengines.com/product/64


Here ya go Turbinator.



The system in the 1200 is specific to the 300 CID industrial engine. It's actually designed for the GSE engines, tugs, baggage handlers etc. It is externally programmable but I don't have the software. (yet)

Click to expand...

Thanks. I looked up EFI W-1770-e engine but there are no photos or prices.
Anyway..........
#1. I probably couldn't afford it. (Meaning... If I know what's good for me)
#2. I have to be a little more selective in the projects I take on these days (I would like to live long enough to finish them)

I'm happy just to have the cat I do.

As promised I'm updating this thread after having run the cat a few hours.



1. It starts right up cold or warm. Just turn the key.


2. The hot driveability issues I struggled with are 100% gone.

3. The throttle response is better.

4. Today I put 3 hours on it and it used just under 10 gallons. Greatly improved fuel economy.



I had to reconfigure the linkage to get the kickdown working correctly. Last time out it woudn't downshift at all. It's still not perfect but it's easy enough to shift it manually if needed. That issue is not the fault of the FI system.

I had the same shifting problem on my motorhome when I went from a quadra jet to efi. The downshift from 3rd to second is controlled by a vacuum actuator (modulator). When under load, the vacuum decreases (map increases) which triggers the shift. I found that with the efi, the engine produces more power at a lower manifold pressure (higher vacuum). So the vacuum curve is different and doesn't trigger a downshift when I think it should. I have a 3 speed TH425 on a 455 Olds.
I haven't tried to fix it because the engine has plenty of power, but it is harder on the torque converter and heats the fluid up pretty fast if I don't downshift on a long hill.
I don't know if there is an adjustment you can make to the tranny or if you have to use different modulator. You could probably ask a tranny shop if they have any ideas.
Or just keep doing it manually.