Author Topic: thoughts on FITECH EFI  (Read 57213 times)

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My427stang

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #15 on: April 14, 2016, 04:45:28 AM »
If it has the ability to go open loop at idle, vacuum doesn't matter.  Digging around on the site, it looks like it is optional to have it fully programmable, but I will research too.  I am looking for something for my 445 in my truck, if I can manipulate it the way I want to, I'll try it
---------------------------------
Ross
Bullock's Power Service, LLC
- 70 Fastback Mustang, 489 cid FE, Victor, SEFI, Erson SFT cam, TKO-600 5 speed, 4.11 9 inch.
- 71 F100 shortbed 4x4, 461 cid FE, headers, Victor Pro-flo EFI, Comp Custom HFT cam, 3.50 9 inch

bartlett

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #16 on: April 14, 2016, 06:08:11 AM »
Wes is getting me a pretty good price on it ,I'm thinking I'm going to give it a go ...  Im going to go with the 600hp kit and the fuel pump command center.  Ive been told at 600hp the injectors are only at 85% and the kit can support 650hp. 

sucks I cant control timing with the ready to run dizzy. (so I'm told)

seems nice to be able to set air fuel target ratios for n2o.

They make a cool dual efi setup also ! ...

Ford428CJ

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #17 on: April 14, 2016, 09:55:44 AM »
Bob, You can control the timing... Just have to lock it out. This is according to FITech. Hope this helps

Timing Control: Timing Control, or "spark control" as it
is sometimes called, is available on the Go EFI System.
Unlike most systems, an external CDI ignition box is not
required. In fact, the Go System is the only throttle body
EFI with a throttle body mounted ECU that has timing
control without the need for an external CDI box. This is
a savings of at least $200. The advance mechanism of
the distributor used must be locked out. Settings are
available for idle timing, as well as complete timing control
using your Handheld Controller.

Wes Adams FORD428CJ 
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Ford428CJ

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #18 on: April 14, 2016, 10:10:47 AM »
If it has the ability to go open loop at idle, vacuum doesn't matter.  Digging around on the site, it looks like it is optional to have it fully programmable, but I will research too.  I am looking for something for my 445 in my truck, if I can manipulate it the way I want to, I'll try it

Ross, May want to look at the 30004! Off there web site "Pro Laptop Software , COMPLETE TUNING FOR PROFESSIONAL TUNERS"

http://fitechefi.com/default.asp.pg-GoEFIPowerAdder
Wes Adams FORD428CJ 
Hillside Auto- Custom Curved, Blueprinted Distributors
03 F-250 Crew Cab 4x4 6.0 and 35's
64 Falcon 428FE
55 FORD Truck 4-link Rides on air with 428FE

bartlett

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #19 on: April 15, 2016, 06:39:36 AM »
Im told you must use a two wire dizzy for the efi to run timing

Ford428CJ

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #20 on: April 15, 2016, 08:48:06 AM »
Did you email them Bob? I always go straight to the source to find out. I dont see why you cant!?

http://fitechefi.com/virtualoffice_files/30001.30002%20Instructionsm%2012.9.15.pdf
« Last Edit: April 15, 2016, 09:06:55 AM by Ford428CJ »
Wes Adams FORD428CJ 
Hillside Auto- Custom Curved, Blueprinted Distributors
03 F-250 Crew Cab 4x4 6.0 and 35's
64 Falcon 428FE
55 FORD Truck 4-link Rides on air with 428FE

Ford428CJ

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #21 on: April 15, 2016, 08:51:53 AM »
If it has the ability to go open loop at idle, vacuum doesn't matter.  Digging around on the site, it looks like it is optional to have it fully programmable, but I will research too.  I am looking for something for my 445 in my truck, if I can manipulate it the way I want to, I'll try it

I got an email back from them on the Vacuum~

Hi Wes
we have made a good idle with his little is 6 inches of vacuum before.
But you do have to work at it a bit.
Any other questions let me know
 
--
_THANK'S_
 
KIRK SPIGER
 
TECH SUPPORT
 
FITECH FUEL INJECTION
Wes Adams FORD428CJ 
Hillside Auto- Custom Curved, Blueprinted Distributors
03 F-250 Crew Cab 4x4 6.0 and 35's
64 Falcon 428FE
55 FORD Truck 4-link Rides on air with 428FE

stangbuilder

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #22 on: April 15, 2016, 10:36:14 AM »
  Thats statement is very thin..What he is saying it will work but it will not run right..It will most likely idle good and at WOT. Thats it. In between NOT. Take it to the bank.I will go down swing on this one..If you want the real story contact a guy by the name brian massey out of az. Do your homework its a very expensive mistake.Its alot easier to change the cam..The only way to make a efi work in your app is to go with the 100% programmable port injected unit..Big $$$$$$$$...

My427stang

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #23 on: April 15, 2016, 11:16:58 AM »
  Thats statement is very thin..What he is saying it will work but it will not run right..It will most likely idle good and at WOT. Thats it. In between NOT. Take it to the bank.I will go down swing on this one..If you want the real story contact a guy by the name brian massey out of az. Do your homework its a very expensive mistake.Its alot easier to change the cam..The only way to make a efi work in your app is to go with the 100% programmable port injected unit..Big $$$$$$$$...

So I agree with it mostly, but I think idle will be ugly too.  Just to be clear, it's not a vacuum issue, it is due to a big cam with a lot of overlap.  The vacuum is just what we can see.  What really happens at idle and low rpm is that unburnt fuel exits during overlap.  The WB O2 sensor sees it as a rich condition, so it leans, but it's a false adjustment because it is measuring overlap not the quality of the burn.

Theoretically, a late intake centerline but a very wide LSA would work just fine even with low vacuum, but nobody cams that way (except modern motors to some extent)

What I do if I have a real wacky one is go open loop at idle and certain load conditions, so it becomes an "electric carb" vice self-adjusting, then once you get out of that area, you can let it d its thing.  That being said, I can count on one hand how many I have had to do that way, adjusting injector timing based on cam events helps too

That of course completely supports your idea you need the better programming ability though, I'd consider it a requirement with anything much more than 70 degrees overlap
---------------------------------
Ross
Bullock's Power Service, LLC
- 70 Fastback Mustang, 489 cid FE, Victor, SEFI, Erson SFT cam, TKO-600 5 speed, 4.11 9 inch.
- 71 F100 shortbed 4x4, 461 cid FE, headers, Victor Pro-flo EFI, Comp Custom HFT cam, 3.50 9 inch

stangbuilder

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #24 on: April 15, 2016, 06:09:07 PM »
  Stang 427 Imo i find that most cars that run under 10 ins..Let me be clear here will it work . YES.  But will it work as advertised i say no. The O 2 only sees average you dont have a O2 on every cyd.. the thing i see is basically it is a electric carb..That is really the reason a dual plain manifold does not work very well at low speed because the long short  runner deal.. It just dumping fuel some rich some lean causing the o2  goes crazy. Now throw in a 250  cam at 50 now the reversion starts most of the time i find it to be at 2000-2500 that is biggest problem area. Most of the time that is were most cars run around on the street. If all i had to worry about is idle and WOT it would be a piece of cake. Hey the other thing is how picky you are.When you do this for a living they have to be in 95-99% perfect..  So will it work yes..Will you have driveibilty issues yes!!  IMO


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427LX

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #25 on: April 15, 2016, 09:36:46 PM »
So why won't these throttle body systems work as well as a carb on dual plane manifolds?
I been running and tuning carbs for years and I just don't see how an EFI can run 2000 bucks better than a good tuned Holley setup.
On my recent dual Holley 600 setup it idles great in the 13.6-13.8 range...excellent highway cruising in the 14 A/F range with 12.8-13.0 at WOT. No surging anywhere and this setup runs smoother than my other single Holley 950 on the Super Vic intake. What more could you want?
Also after 5-10 years of use what happens if and when you have EFI computer failure?

My427stang

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #26 on: April 15, 2016, 10:08:41 PM »
  Stang 427 Imo i find that most cars that run under 10 ins..Let me be clear here will it work . YES.  But will it work as advertised i say no. The O 2 only sees average you dont have a O2 on every cyd.. the thing i see is basically it is a electric carb..That is really the reason a dual plain manifold does not work very well at low speed because the long short  runner deal.. It just dumping fuel some rich some lean causing the o2  goes crazy. Now throw in a 250  cam at 50 now the reversion starts most of the time i find it to be at 2000-2500 that is biggest problem area. Most of the time that is were most cars run around on the street. If all i had to worry about is idle and WOT it would be a piece of cake. Hey the other thing is how picky you are.When you do this for a living they have to be in 95-99% perfect..  So will it work yes..Will you have driveibilty issues yes!!  IMO


.

Well I am not sure I know too many people that tune as fussy as I do, but I am glad there are others.  Additionally, I'd add that if you are trying to really do something serious, go port injection, that way you can time injection based on valve events and really clean up idle, even with a big cam.  Sometimes that means spraying the backside of a closed/hot valve, but usually it's a combination of PW/PD and timing.

The big thing is, I am not disagreeing with you, but I am saying that what you are seeing is not due to low vacuum.  It's due to the overlap, you just happen to see low vacuum when the cam is rowdy.   The challenge of tuning due to a big cam is not from fuel falling out of suspension, it's not poor cylinder fill, it's the O2 sensor seeing raw fuel mix that came through when both valves were open, and although a cam with a lot of overlap will cause low vacuum, it's the overlap that gives the EFI fits.  Additionally, if the engine pushes back that much reversion, that's a cam and port design problem more than an EFI problem and better to fix the real issue 

In the end though, do what you have had success with.  I think we are saying the same thing...if you want to do it right for a big cam, you need to be able to get into the system to program it.

I have had great luck with big street cams and EFI, and those that get real big cams and slow ports, can still run well, but you need to look at open loop tuning when you can't get the system to react the way you want.   I don't like open loop tuning, and I do all I can to not do that, but if done right it works great and you can't even feel the transition to closed loop

FWIW, I have done a few Powerjections too, crappy cheap system and not very intuitive, but they are fully laptop programmable and can log right out of the box.  I don't recommend the system because they don't seem to be too well made and have very little real support, but they are very adjustable.  My own car is a MAF SEFI system based off a Massflo/A9L Ford system, but has a Quarterhorse chip that allows me to log both dual NB O2s and a wideband O2 as well as any other parameter in the ECM and really dig into any parameter I want.  I like the system, but you need to run a MAF and they can be a bit of a pain for packaging on an early car.

I haven't decided if I will try the FiTECH on my 445 F100, but if I do, even with a lot of vacuum, I think I would prefer the programmable version over the plug and play handheld.

« Last Edit: April 15, 2016, 10:17:46 PM by My427stang »
---------------------------------
Ross
Bullock's Power Service, LLC
- 70 Fastback Mustang, 489 cid FE, Victor, SEFI, Erson SFT cam, TKO-600 5 speed, 4.11 9 inch.
- 71 F100 shortbed 4x4, 461 cid FE, headers, Victor Pro-flo EFI, Comp Custom HFT cam, 3.50 9 inch

My427stang

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #27 on: April 15, 2016, 10:23:47 PM »
So why won't these throttle body systems work as well as a carb on dual plane manifolds?
I been running and tuning carbs for years and I just don't see how an EFI can run 2000 bucks better than a good tuned Holley setup.
On my recent dual Holley 600 setup it idles great in the 13.6-13.8 range...excellent highway cruising in the 14 A/F range with 12.8-13.0 at WOT. No surging anywhere and this setup runs smoother than my other single Holley 950 on the Super Vic intake. What more could you want?
Also after 5-10 years of use what happens if and when you have EFI computer failure?

Well, it depends what you call running well.

My 489 FE for instance.  I reach in the window and turn the key, it immediately fires and goes to fast idle, as temp comes up it steps down automatically.  If I drive away, ice cold or not, no bog, no burp, no nothing and no thinking about a choke.  If I turn on the A/C, it adds idle for me and idles happily at 1000 where it needed 1250 RPM with the 1000 Holley

Once hot, the Holley ran great, but the EFI fuel system runs at 49 psi and won't vapor lock.  If I want to try a new ignition curve, play with the mixture, or you name it, I rename the file and if I don't like it, I pull over and reset it to the old file.

That being said, I love tuning Holleys, and my Holley ran great on this motor, but it just runs better on the street with EFI.  Going from a 489 FE with an RPM and a vac sec 1000 to the same engine with the EFI and a ported Victor, the EFI Victor has more torque, pulls higher, and gets much better mileage

However, the truck is a blast too with a worked 3310 and the RPM off the 489 and will have a 4781 double pumper on it soon, and likely eventually EFI, so it's all good, but honestly, for the street EFI is a blast if done right

« Last Edit: April 15, 2016, 10:25:46 PM by My427stang »
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Ross
Bullock's Power Service, LLC
- 70 Fastback Mustang, 489 cid FE, Victor, SEFI, Erson SFT cam, TKO-600 5 speed, 4.11 9 inch.
- 71 F100 shortbed 4x4, 461 cid FE, headers, Victor Pro-flo EFI, Comp Custom HFT cam, 3.50 9 inch

jayb

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #28 on: April 16, 2016, 10:28:15 AM »
So why won't these throttle body systems work as well as a carb on dual plane manifolds?
I been running and tuning carbs for years and I just don't see how an EFI can run 2000 bucks better than a good tuned Holley setup.
On my recent dual Holley 600 setup it idles great in the 13.6-13.8 range...excellent highway cruising in the 14 A/F range with 12.8-13.0 at WOT. No surging anywhere and this setup runs smoother than my other single Holley 950 on the Super Vic intake. What more could you want?
Also after 5-10 years of use what happens if and when you have EFI computer failure?

To begin with, I'm not sure that the EFI systems don't work as well on dual plane intakes as a carb, at least on some engines.  But I can see some potential problems.  The EFI systems that tune themselves rely on a feedback circuit to adjust the fuel delivery.  A dual plane intake may be able to "fool" the feedback circuit, just like overlap from a big cam can as Ross described above.  A Holley carb, of course, doesn't check the A/F ratio in the exhaust and adjust itself accordingly, so it doesn't have the same type of feedback circuit that the EFI systems do.

I have to admit though that I'm also a little baffled in all the interest in these self-tuning EFI systems.  To me the big advantage of EFI comes with the individual port injection systems that also control timing.  On the engines I build, I can run big cams and compression, and use the EFI setup to make them idle down and run well at highway speeds, plus perform at the track.  Last year at Drag Week I ran the same EFI program all the time, on the street and at the track, with different fuels, tuned for different RPM ranges.  With a carb setup on a 1000 HP engine it would be pretty tough just swap fuels and drive down the road, then swap fuel again and race at the track.  You'd be changing jets and timing for the swap, and based on my experience the engine wouldn't run anywhere near as well on the street as the EFI engine.  By the way, the EFI system I run can be a self tuning system, but you can turn that feature off and just put in all the numbers yourself after experimenting with the engine in the car, which is what I do.  I just monitor and log the A/F data, but it doesn't affect the program in the EFI box.

As far as failures go, I've had multiple EFI systems over the last 8 years and never experienced a failure.  I have had my share of problems getting the crank sensors to work correctly on the 36 tooth crank wheels, but I think I've got that worked out now; no issues since 2012.  My guess is you'll be rebuilding your carb a lot sooner than I have to mess with my EFI system...
Jay Brown
- 1969 Mach 1, Drag Week 2005 Winner NA/BB, 511" FE (10.60s @ 129); Drag Week 2007 Runner-Up PA/BB, 490" Supercharged FE (9.35 @ 151)
- 1964 Ford Galaxie, Drag Week 2009 Winner Modified NA (9.50s @ 143), 585" SOHC
- 1969 Shelby Clone, Drag Week 2015 Winner Modified NA (Average 8.98 @ 149), 585" SOHC

   

cjshaker

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Re: thoughts on FITECH EFI
« Reply #29 on: April 16, 2016, 08:04:00 PM »
My guess is you'll be rebuilding your carb a lot sooner than I have to mess with my EFI system...

I don't know about that. Over 20 years on my Holley 750 in my '68 Highboy before it developed issues due to warping (rebuilt it and it's now on my '70), original 4100 on my Wifes '65 Galaxie (never been touched), 15 years on my BJ/BK's in my Mach 1, zero issues. Original untouched 1bbl on my '63 Comet, ran great when I parked it. I could give 20 similar examples on Falcons and Comets I've owned over the years. My Dads '50 has the original carb on the flathead 6, untouched, runs great after 66 years. '37 Coupe going on 30 years since rebuild, zero issues on original flathead carb. I could go on and on.

I always use a bit of cleaner and stabilizer before winter storage. 35 years of driving and I have never been stranded because of a carb. I can't say that about FI cars I've owned (all newer).
Doug Smith


'69 R-code Mach 1, 427 MR, 2x4, Jerico, 4.30 Locker
'70 F-350 390
'55 Ford Customline 2dr
'37 Ford Coupe