My Edelbrock Pro-Flo 4 Install

[duffymahoney]

Do you have a body lift?

 

[neilvonarb]

Do you have a body lift?

No, original, 40 year compressed, body mounts.

 

[duffymahoney]

No, original, 40 year compressed, body mounts.

This style injection is on my list, but I want a traditional air filter or a stock style. I have a 1" body lift.

 

[neilvonarb]

This style injection is on my list, but I want a traditional air filter or a stock style. I have a 1" body lift.

If you have a 1” BL and you use a filter that is in the 2”range, you should be good with a traditional air filter on a 302 or 351.

 

[duffymahoney]

If you have a 1” BL and you use a filter that is in the 2”range, you should be good with a traditional air filter on a 302 or 351.

I am wrestling with the idea of a stock air cleaner or not.

 

[cldonley]

Thanks for the great write up! It has convinced me to go Q-jet. Call me old school. Or lazy. Or cheap. And I wasn't driving a Bronco during the Nixon administration. It was a 69 Maverick with a 160 6 cylinder and 3 on the tree.

 

[m_m70]

It was a 69 Maverick with a 160 6 cylinder and 3 on the tree.

Nice! I had a '71 Comet with 302 auto.......Fun little car.

 

[neilvonarb]

Thanks for the great write up! It has convinced me to go Q-jet. Call me old school. Or lazy. Or cheap. And I wasn't driving a Bronco during the Nixon administration. It was a 69 Maverick with a 160 6 cylinder and 3 on the tree.

Ha, glad I could….help?? Sometimes less definitely is more.

 

[Sendero]

- I abandoned the original evap cannister behind the drivers seat and added the Delorean rollover valve (mounted on the outside of the frame rail on the passengers side) and Doorman vapor cannister (mounted to the firewall on the passengers side). 5/16" hose comes from the M1A1 tank to the rollover valve and from the rollover valve to the vapor cannister. 3/8" hose goes from the cannister to full time vacuum at the back of the intake. In my mind, this should seal up gas fumes/vapors, but it still seems pretty strong in my garage. If you've made it this far in the post and have any ideas, I'm all ears.

Hello, what is the purpose of hooking up the vent and using an evap canister etc? Why not just cap off the vent? Honest question, I am building my rig from the ground up and wasn't planning on doing anything with the vent except capping it off. Is this a mistake? Did your method work? There is a vent on top of the M1A1 pump assembly and there is also one at the filler hose for when you are filling it. I capped off the one on top of the pump assembly.

 

[duffymahoney]

Gas tanks need vents.

 

[DirtDonk]

Two primary reasons. I’m sure there are more, but the two most basic are:
1. Gas expands and contracts as it heats and cools just from the natural progression of temperatures.
This is why older non vented tanks often puked fuel out of the filler neck and onto the nice paint.
2. You need a pressure relief, to let air inward, as you’re sucking gas out of the tank and going to the engine.
Without that, either your tank implodes, or your engine stops running because the pump can’t suck the fuel.
I’m not aware of any standard pumps that are strong enough to crumple a good strong tank, but it’s theoretically possible.

You can accomplish some of that venting with a standard non-vented cap because they are still vented inward to allow air in to take up the space previously taken up by gas. But it’s not always enough when your engine is demanding a lot of fuel.
And that still doesn’t leave anywhere for the expanding gas to go, so it still pukes out the filler neck.

That’s part of the job of that separate tank in the Broncos behind the drivers left hip, to act as an expansion tank.
To allow for some of this expansion (in small tanks with less than optimal expansion space on top) without liquid gas getting into the charcoal canister.

That’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it.
For now… Until someone smarter fills in the blanks.

 

[Sendero]

Two primary reasons. I’m sure there are more, but the two most basic are:
1. Gas expands and contracts as it heats and cools just from the natural progression of temperatures.
This is why older non vented tanks often puked fuel out of the filler neck and onto the nice paint.
2. You need a pressure relief, to let air inward, as you’re sucking gas out of the tank and going to the engine.
Without that, either your tank implodes, or your engine stops running because the pump can’t suck the fuel.
I’m not aware of any standard pumps that are strong enough to crumple a good strong tank, but it’s theoretically possible.

You can accomplish some of that venting with a standard non-vented cap because they are still vented inward to allow air in to take up the space previously taken up by gas. But it’s not always enough when your engine is demanding a lot of fuel.
And that still doesn’t leave anywhere for the expanding gas to go, so it still pukes out the filler neck.

That’s part of the job of that separate tank in the Broncos behind the drivers left hip, to act as an expansion tank.
To allow for some of this expansion (in small tanks with less than optimal expansion space on top) without liquid gas getting into the charcoal canister.

That’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it.
For now… Until someone smarter fills in the blanks.

Sorry, I am still a little confused. I understand tanks need to vent. But the M1A1 pump assembly comes with a S (Supply), R (Return), and V (Vent). The installation manual says you can cap off the vent line if you are in a state that does not require emissions (or something close to that, I am not looking at it right now). So I capped it off. There is also a vent hose near the filler. I intend on using the vent near the filler hose if this is correct. The OP talked about using the vent line on the pump assembly and an evap canister and I am asking why? Sound like it is for the smell but wondering if that was effective or not. Making sure I am not missing anything. Thanks!

 

[73azbronco]

vent line through evap canister, or charcoal, absorbs the gas smell, and then you vent the canister through intake prior to air cleaner and it purges while you drive, cleaning carbon.

 

[DirtDonk]

Yes, it’s all about the smell.
The vent on the filler neck is just a fill vent. Has nothing to do with the vapors escaping the tank, or air entering the tank to account for fuel used. It’s strictly to aid in filling.
It may actually be what shuts off the fuel pumps, but I don’t actually know the full dynamics of how I fuel pump nozzle functions.

 

[Johnnyb]

Love this post/thread. Printed out the parts list for reference (Thanks!) - wish I had kept my own. Here's my experience:

I had a complete Explorer '96 setup with distributorless ignition and everything installed. In fact I was at the point of having EFI Guy do my harness (it was my turn "in line"), when I learned that Gary would be unable to work around EGR, Evap and a few other things due to stupid regulations (not that he couldn't, the government won't let him).

I had previously steered clear of "aftermarket" EFI before for two reasons: The ECU was in the throttle-body, and they were essentially 80's era throttle-body electronic carbs! About the same time Gary called me to do my harness/computer, I became aware of Pro FLo 4 which had none of my earlier holdbacks. I reluctantly gave up my turn in line and thanked Gary, then ordered a Pro FLo 4.

It took about 2 days to remove the Explorer stuff and get the Pro Flo 4 installed. It took about another week to finish the fuel system as I ordered a fuel pressure regulator from WH. I would say 30-40 HRS total to remove old and install Pro Flo 4 - but I still had a Painless wiring harness to install and life got in the way!

Nine months later, I complete the Painless install, pour fuel in the tank and it starts on the first try! Not only that, it was running great! Maybe a little rich. I let it come to temperature and shut it off in the shop a few times and then took it for a drive. It ran great on the drive. No hesitation, missing or other bad behavior. And I think it is learning we are in Flagstaff and leaning out the mixture a little because it is no longer smelling rich.

Now I am applying finishing touches (like a soft-top and doors) and getting ready to use it as a daily driver before my first 4by event in January!

I couldn't be more pleased with the Pro FLow 4! About the only sacrifice I made was to have to retain a distributor instead of full electronic ignition.

THX,
-John

 

[neilvonarb]

Sorry, I am still a little confused. I understand tanks need to vent. But the M1A1 pump assembly comes with a S (Supply), R (Return), and V (Vent). The installation manual says you can cap off the vent line if you are in a state that does not require emissions (or something close to that, I am not looking at it right now). So I capped it off. There is also a vent hose near the filler. I intend on using the vent near the filler hose if this is correct. The OP talked about using the vent line on the pump assembly and an evap canister and I am asking why? Sound like it is for the smell but wondering if that was effective or not. Making sure I am not missing anything. Thanks!

Basically what @DirtDonk @duffymahoney and @73azbronco said. Yes, it has been effective in my scenario as far as fumes/smell.

 

[neilvonarb]

Love this post/thread. Printed out the parts list for reference (Thanks!) - wish I had kept my own. Here's my experience:

I had a complete Explorer '96 setup with distributorless ignition and everything installed. In fact I was at the point of having EFI Guy do my harness (it was my turn "in line"), when I learned that Gary would be unable to work around EGR, Evap and a few other things due to stupid regulations (not that he couldn't, the government won't let him).

I had previously steered clear of "aftermarket" EFI before for two reasons: The ECU was in the throttle-body, and they were essentially 80's era throttle-body electronic carbs! About the same time Gary called me to do my harness/computer, I became aware of Pro FLo 4 which had none of my earlier holdbacks. I reluctantly gave up my turn in line and thanked Gary, then ordered a Pro FLo 4.

It took about 2 days to remove the Explorer stuff and get the Pro Flo 4 installed. It took about another week to finish the fuel system as I ordered a fuel pressure regulator from WH. I would say 30-40 HRS total to remove old and install Pro Flo 4 - but I still had a Painless wiring harness to install and life got in the way!

Nine months later, I complete the Painless install, pour fuel in the tank and it starts on the first try! Not only that, it was running great! Maybe a little rich. I let it come to temperature and shut it off in the shop a few times and then took it for a drive. It ran great on the drive. No hesitation, missing or other bad behavior. And I think it is learning we are in Flagstaff and leaning out the mixture a little because it is no longer smelling rich.

Now I am applying finishing touches (like a soft-top and doors) and getting ready to use it as a daily driver before my first 4by event in January!

I couldn't be more pleased with the Pro FLow 4! About the only sacrifice I made was to have to retain a distributor instead of full electronic ignition.

THX,
-John

Glad the parts list helped.

4-5 months in, my experience has been mostly good. Cold and hot starts are great. No hiccups or issues while driving. The only issue I've had with just the PF4 system is dying when putting into gear after hot starts. It seems to do this pretty consistently. I can usually feather the gas pedal to prevent it from doing it, but it happens while putting it into gear, so I have to have room wherever I'm parked to be able to move faster than I want to out of that place. It's annoying and something I shouldn't have to do.

I posted the issue on the PF4 forum and one of the moderators suggested starting the engine while in neutral and seeing what happens. For whatever reason, that solves the problem. But, again, I shouldn't have to do that. I don't know enough yet to know why this makes a difference.

I also thought it could have something to do with engine bay temps. Since it always occurs after hot starts, that's usually a scenario where I've been driving, parked, done whatever it is I need to do, and by the time I've come back, the engine bay temps have continued to rise. The coldest air temp reading I've had where this happens is in the 130's and the hottest temp has been in the 150's. From what I've read, these aren't crazy high engine bay air temps in general, so not sure if the air temp the system is reading is an issue or not.

I'd be happy to hear any thoughts anyone might have.

 

[nvrstuk]

Thanks for the great write up! It has convinced me to go Q-jet. Call me old school. Or lazy. Or cheap. And I wasn't driving a Bronco during the Nixon administration. It was a 69 Maverick with a 160 6 cylinder and 3 on the tree.

I was driving a Bronco...

 

[nvrstuk]

Glad the parts list helped.

4-5 months in, my experience has been mostly good. Cold and hot starts are great. No hiccups or issues while driving. The only issue I've had with just the PF4 system is dying when putting into gear after hot starts. It seems to do this pretty consistently. I can usually feather the gas pedal to prevent it from doing it, but it happens while putting it into gear, so I have to have room wherever I'm parked to be able to move faster than I want to out of that place. It's annoying and something I shouldn't have to do.

I posted the issue on the PF4 forum and one of the moderators suggested starting the engine while in neutral and seeing what happens. For whatever reason, that solves the problem. But, again, I shouldn't have to do that. I don't know enough yet to know why this makes a difference.

I also thought it could have something to do with engine bay temps. Since it always occurs after hot starts, that's usually a scenario where I've been driving, parked, done whatever it is I need to do, and by the time I've come back, the engine bay temps have continued to rise. The coldest air temp reading I've had where this happens is in the 130's and the hottest temp has been in the 150's. From what I've read, these aren't crazy high engine bay air temps in general, so not sure if the air temp the system is reading is an issue or not.

I'd be happy to heat any thoughts anyone might have.

Do you have VSS and NSS connected? I have no idea what ignition you have.

 

[neilvonarb]

Do you have VSS and NSS connected? I have no idea what ignition you have.

Speedo works and it won’t start in gear, so I’m guessing they’re connected and working. I didn’t mess with either during my install. Also, it goes into gear without dying after initial startup with no problems, so I would think if there are issues with either the VSS or NSS, it would happen no matter what the scenario.

For the ignition, the kit comes with its own distributer that connects to the ECU that comes with the kit, and I’m running a Pertronix coil.