remote mount TFI

[bax]

The system has run for almost 2 years. it works, I just have a hell of a time with the ignition keeping it running good. This is why I am moving the module . if that dont work I am done with it.

 

[rjlougee]

On my 400 motor? I guess I could work on that.

Why not?

Which version of the Holley system are you running, the TBI or MPFI?

I've been considering adding EFI to the 400 in my '79 BB and would go with all Ford stuff, not that big a deal. Would you remind me which distributor/gear combination fits the 400? (Was it a 351W dizzy with 460 gear?)
Joe

 

[lonesouth]

what is the advantage to RTFI?

 

[bax]

Why not?

Which version of the Holley system are you running, the TBI or MPFI?

I've been considering adding EFI to the 400 in my '79 BB and would go with all Ford stuff, not that big a deal. Would you remind me which distributor/gear combination fits the 400? (Was it a 351W dizzy with 460 gear?)
Joe

Joe I am running the MPFI, It is a little bit harder to do than the TBI. Biggest problem is the intake. Finding an intake that has even runners to put injector bungs into is the problem. To go TFI you will have to use a 351W dizzy and install the 460 gear, you are correct.


Remote TFI advantage is the ignition module is mounted away from the heat. Heat kills them. I am finding this out now. Ford moved them to an off engine heat sink and eliminated failures due to heat. The distributor mounted modules get very hot.

 

[bax]

Rat Farts!!! I looked all morning in the bone yards to find that heat sink. No Love! I did find lots of people that didn't want to help though.

 

[rjlougee]

Rat Farts!!! I looked all morning in the bone yards to find that heat sink. No Love! I did find lots of people that didn't want to help though.

Best vehicle to look in is one of the early '90s Cougars. Some had them behind the front trim pieces, others had them at the back of the hood line, under the screening around the wiper blade bottoms.
Joe

 

[rjlougee]

Joe I am running the MPFI, It is a little bit harder to do than the TBI. Biggest problem is the intake. Finding an intake that has even runners to put injector bungs into is the problem. To go TFI you will have to use a 351W dizzy and install the 460 gear, you are correct.

If you already have all that done, then going to the Ford MAF SEFI setup would be easy. Use a CFI TB for the TPS, you have the intake/injectors/fuel rails. Fix the dizzy issue. Add the ECT, use a cold air carb kit (or the intake adapter from a TBI Dodge) to adapt the MAF meter to the TBI, etc... And top it off with a Quarterhorse to tune it up.

For the RTFI, you just need the later ('91-'93) 351W dizzy, it'll have the right gear and the remote wiring at the dizzy. Get the heat sink and rempte pigtail from the Cougar (I probably have one in a box if you need it) and wire it in. My previous diagram is the one I made to reflect my RTFI wiring setup on my 408W with the FRPP A50 wiring harness.
Joe

 

[OX1]

On my 400 motor? I guess I could work on that.

Talk to jopes on FSB if/when........

 

[bax]

The engine is running good again. I changed the module ( still a direct mount) and it runs good again. I still need to move the module it will only last about 6 months on the distributor. I think it is the 4th time I have replace it. When I find the sink I will make it remote.
Thanks for the help

 

[tasker]

Bax, might be able to hook you up with the heat sink piece. I'll check around with the guys in the shop and in my shed, may have one.

 

[bax]

Getting one from you guys may be easer than a junk yard. I went to another and found no love. Many of the yards around me crushed everything they had when the price of scrap went up so high. They were cashing in. So finding older cars is not as easy as it was.

 

[tasker]

92-97 F-series and Broncos also had the remote mounted....will check and get bax to you....get it? bax to you? oh i kill myself....

 

[Broncobowsher]

My remote TFI saga...

Back when I built the stroked 5.0 Ranger I decided to use a '94/5 mustang computer to run the transmission as well. That didn't go well but that is another story. The '94 Mustang comuter/harness I got was set up for remote TFI. Great, a whole factory engineered package. But I had issues.

The fuel rail hit the distributer. Find out the remote TFI distributor is a little over half an inch shorter then the intigrated distributer. So I spent a night with both distributers. Figured that I could gut the remote, drill and notch the intigrated and make something work. It worked, but I still had a huge hole where the intigrated module should be at. There was something about the pickup not being mounted very solid either but I can't remember why. It ran. Eventually I put a standard intigrated TFI distributer in. If you look at the wiring you will see that what you need is simply a pass through. Power, ground and PIP. So I spliced the remote TFI harness into the intigrated module as a pass through (completely ignoring all the eletronics in the module). This then gave me an off the shelf distributer that would drop in. That is how it was when I sold the truck.

Intake and fuel rails were Explorer

 

[Bronco_69]

if you have not found a heat sink i wll grab one next weekend. i am going back for some power windows

 

[DanWheeler]

is this is a common problem with the heat? i just got a ditributor mounted TFI yesterday at the junkyard and passed up several of the remote mounted ones.

 

[bax]

is this is a common problem with the heat? i just got a ditributor mounted TFI yesterday at the junkyard and passed up several of the remote mounted ones.

For me it has been a big problem. I may be just "lucky" but it must be a problem for Ford too because they started making remote mounts. My 400 is filling up most of the space under the hood and I kept most of my inner fenders so heat build up must be above normal. That distributor gets hot as heck.

 

[OX1]

is this is a common problem with the heat? i just got a ditributor mounted TFI yesterday at the junkyard and passed up several of the remote mounted ones.

More or less yes ever since ford first came out with them in the early/mid 80's.
The remote mount is usually the ultimate fix, but many also have no problems with the distr mounted TFI.

 

[Bronchole]

Bax,

What did Holley say about Black or Grey on the module? I have the 4DI which is what the commander design was bassed off of and I am going distributor shopping in the near future.

Looks like if I go remote mounted I have some interesting wireing to do to integrate the the remote unit in to the holley wire harness. Looks like I need to splice in the PIP, ground and power to the Holley connector. Hope that works! I was told that this was going to be easy, I hope so.

Dan

 

[bax]

Bax,

What did Holley say about Black or Grey on the module? I have the 4DI which is what the commander design was bassed off of and I am going distributor shopping in the near future.

Looks like if I go remote mounted I have some interesting wireing to do to integrate the the remote unit in to the holley wire harness. Looks like I need to splice in the PIP, ground and power to the Holley connector. Hope that works! I was told that this was going to be easy, I hope so.

Dan

Dan, I added the remote mount and did the wiring. It was easy. Holley wants you to use the gray module. I unplugged the harness and moved it to a place where it would reach. I mounted the heat sink, the module and plugged the harness back into it. I did have to run the 3 wires from the module to the distributor. I also had to add wire to the 2 additional wires the also plug into the harness coming out of the distributor. It was an easy fix. Be prepared to thin down the spade connectors going into the distributor, they are too wide. You also have to cut 3 groves into the heat sink to make space for the new wires to plug into the side of the module. So far no problems.

 

[Bronchole]

Oh, I see, you did the mod like on the link at the begining of this thread.

I am trying to get a distributor that will be off-the-shelf replaceable. I guess that you don't even have that as a possibility with the 400.

Well, I guess I'll dive in to it and let everyone know how it comes out.

Dan