Why should I convert to EFI

[fordguy]

Most all of my street Rodger friends are carb’d, I am going Efi, if I did it again I would carb

 

[AC932]

I'd stick with a carb. My truck is a daily driver, but my other carb'd, rarely driven vehicles don't ever seem to have issues with fuel gumming up. I'm sure that EFI lets you set off from cold faster, but I don't have an issue with babying the throttle for 30 seconds while the engine catches its breath. I also personally haven't noticed any issues with bad power loss at elevation, though I've only been up to ~11000ft on highway mountain passes.

Best thing about carbs IMO though is the simplicity. They're really easy to understand, they take 15 minutes to take off the truck, an hour and $30 to rebuild, and you can tune it with your ear and a screwdriver. There's very little that goes wrong, and it's generally pretty easy to fix.

 

[Jdgephar]

I'm efi all the way. Never a carb if possible. Easy cold start, easy hot start. Bolt it on, tune it once, and dont touch it again. No elevation worries, no offroad angle issues.

I hate carbs...but Im a millennial electrical engineer, i like all the fancy electronics!

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[jckkys]

My EB is the only carbureted engine I've owned for the last 25 yrs. It's going to stay that way. Most of the complaints about carbureted engines I hear are easy to fix malfunctions. My EB starts in less that one full crank rotation. A properly adjusted automatic choke and accelerator pump shot will start the engine in cold or warm weather. A dry fuel bowl is the only valid complaint. That won't happen to DDs. Plugged injectors are a lot more work to fix than a carburetor rebuild.

 

[rsharpnm]

Same here. My 2100 would not run well in Colorado and did not run at all over 12K feet. EFI solved that completely. Sure it loses power at altitude, but still runs! I'm sure bmc69 was talking about off camber and up and down hill performance which EFI solves as well, but my main issue was operating at high altitudes in Colorado.

Also, I like the fact that there is no warm up time. Start it, let the high idle drop (only a few seconds) and drive away. I hate working with and adjusting a choke.

Is it worth $1K - $2K for you do do it? From your description of how you use your Bronco, I don't think so.

I'll be the turd in the punch bowl here. Apparently a lot of people on this forum do not know how to tune a carb, and this post exemplifies the sort of complaints that are levied against carburetors all the time that are really tuning issues. EFI runs like shit too if your tuning is jacked up %)

As long as you run a correctly installed low pressure fuel pump with an appropriate pressure regulator (to avoid vapor lock), a properly tuned carb will run just fine even on the highest passes in Colorado. My '75 had a 2100 and my '84 Bronco II has a 2100, and both run pretty much like fuel injection.
I have been up and down just about all the passes in the San Juans no problems (once I ditched the mechanical fuel pumps). I have gone from ~3,700' to nearly 13,000' without having to fiddle with the carb at all and suffered no significant ill effects. My rig fires up and idles no problem from as low as -5ºF to 110ºF.

As far as off road performance goes, the 2100 runs great. I will end up upside-down before the 2100 stalls or floods. Granted, many carbs don't do very well off road (Edelbrock in particular), but 2100s are one of the best off road carbs out there.

As far as carb maintenance goes, I haven't really had to mess with my 2100s at all after getting the initial tune dialed in. Carb tuning scares a lot of people, but it really isn't that bad if you understand what you are doing and use the proper settings. Way too many people have no idea what the hell they are doing and just start making adjustments and everything ends up out of whack

If your carbureted vehicle sits for long periods of time, be sure to only use 100% unleaded gasoline and/or use fuel stabilizer that specifically treats the ethanol in the fuel. I have had my rig sitting for months sometimes even without 100% unleaded fuel or fuel stabilizer and it fires right up though.

Sure, fuel economy will be marginally better with EFI, and as good as my carbs are, drive-ability will improve as well. Personally, I wouldn't bother with the expense of fuel injection over a good 2100 unless you are desert racing or doing some really extreme rock crawling. I really like the clean look of a carburetor as well and feel fuel injection looks out of place on a vintage ride.

I am not an EFI hater, and it is a nice upgrade, I just hate to see people bash so much on carburetors when it is usually tuning problems that are to blame. For street driving, and even extensive trail usage, a 2100 will serve you well, so in my opinion, skipping the EFI is a good place to save some serious coin.

 

[Kbpony]

^^this is a good summary about carbs. I converted to efi, and while I don’t completely regret it, it is sure not the end-all it sounds like. I still have a check engine light that comes on occasionally. A correctly dialed in 2100/4100 should start with less than 1 revolution of the engine, in almost any weather. And, it should rarely need messed with. I converted because I will go a month or two without starting mine pretty regularly, and I was concerned about today’s lousy fuel quality. Hind sight, I could have probably rebuilt a carb every spring with less cost and time commitment as it took to get this dialed in, and I’ll still be lost when it does have issues down the road. They both have their place, I’d go with the system you are most comfortable working on.

 

[blubuckaroo]

One benefit of a carb is on the trail where issues can usually be fixed. Trail problems with FI is a deal breaker.
A boxed EFI kit is perfect for those who don't want to fine tune a new carb.
For me, it's worth the trouble of getting to know the carb, and spending time to get it right.
I add a bung to the exhaust and use a portable broadband O2 gauge.
That makes tuning really easy.

 

[OX1]

be sure to only use 100% unleaded gasoline .

Where am I supposed to get that?

 

[daddycreswell]

https://www.pure-gas.org/

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[BRONCOchild]

I'm in the same boat. So, my compromise for the near future is to get a fuel injection bolt on throttle body from either Holley or some other manufacturer. My current set up is strong, but I too become worried when I see the rpm needle start fluctuating after it runs for a while or while it's idling at an intersection.

 

[BonezTheGoon]

I had struggled with this question when looking to buy my second Bronco. I had decided against EFI until I test-drove one with it, which I then bought.

EFI had benefits I didn't know I wanted. I like that it doesn't constantly smell of fuel. I like how responsive it is. I liked that on the (now very old) kit it had I could tune while in the driver-seat idling at a light. Mostly I liked how much more "clean" or "tight" it felt in response. As many have mentioned most of what I liked about it can be obtained with a PERFECTLY tuned carb -- except that damned fuel smell all the time. But lets all be honest who has a PERFECTLY tuned carb for long?

Just my thoughts which I think you were looking for.

 

[joeracer69]

EFI or Carb

I have run on Broncos, two EFI different systems and several performance tuned Holley and Edelbrock carbs.

Here is the truth. The fuel we get today is different than in the 1970's. It was blended to work with carbs, valves ect...

If you can run non ethanol only fuel (it is still not the same as gas formulated for carbs) and you drive it at least several times a month. You can build a nice reliable carb.
You should still put in a O2 sensor in you exhaust to tune it and see how it is running in real world conditions.

EFI with timing control is really nice for all the reasons people talk about and some they dont.

One of the great things that a carb can never do is.
On cold starts EFI is not running rich. You can start it in you garage and it does not smoke and make you eyes water.
(Obviously for a only minute or two in a confined area)

If you are not running a top you and your passenger will not have to smell gas/exhaust fumes.

If you go with EFI you should have it control the timing. If not you are have a computer trying to work with a mechanical and vacuum advance system.
It is rather limiting to its efficiency and potential.

The EFI system that probably makes the most sense right now is the Edelbrock Pro Flo 4. Most all the parts in one package. You still have to chose fuel pump options and some throttle linkage connectors. Edelbrock is a little more Chevy friendly that way.

So you do not have to mix and match distributors, intakes, ect… and try to get them to work together. ( that is why the Fitech and Sniper can take some time to tune)

Lastly, in the Carb VS EFI debate. Ether one will not cure a tired or incorrectly build motor.

 

[daddycreswell]

Tons of great information here guys and I apprecate all of it. I am trying to rework my "build list" and doing a need vs want list. The EFI will be on the want list for sure. I would love to have it but there are other things that are needed for sure before.

 

[MikeCon]

Efi?

Would be nice to go EFI but I have other things more pressing..
Pump gas 12 times then cranking is not good. Something else is going on. My 73 with 2 bbl was slow cranking and flooded easily when warm starting. Easy fix was strong battery and replaced battery and starter cables with 2 guage. Now just one pump when cold to set choke and it fires right up..half throttle to start when warm..Again,fires immediately.

 

[Z Bronco]

I collected parts for my EFI conversion for several years. What convinced me to switch from a carb to EFI was one of my trips across the country in which I also wheeled in several states. On this one trip, the elevation changes went from sea level to over 12,800ft. I was making carb adjustments when I could, but decided it was time for something different. With the EFI my Bronco has never run better, very happy with the switch.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Having not owned a carburated vehicle for about 15 years, and recently getting one, it went EFI.

The actual highway cruise is no different. Cold start, not having to find that magic spot with the hand choke. Hot start, not having to hold the throttle and do a clear flood start because all the gas in the carb boiled and ran down the intake. I am sure cylinder wash down is much better with EFI.

Don't expect economy gains unless the carb was completely messed up before.

With aftermarket EFI (I am running a Sniper right now) I can do my tuning with clean hands. Air/fuel takes care of itself, I just put in some targets. Timing I still have to do. Once the distributor is set I can do all the advance curves, specifically change one spot in the timing, with a computer. Timing is really where it is at for getting an engine to run good. My carburated motorcycle has a timing control switch to numb the engine down in wet conditions. Timing matters more then carburation. If you do EFI and keep the old distributor, you really shouldn't see anything different than a carb

 

[76YETI]

I just went to the new AVS2 Edelbrock Carb, very limited driving due to cold weather and hard top not on. But, the hesitation is gone and I have instant throttle response. I went from a 600cfm (1406) carb to the 500 cfm (1901) carb. its running on a electric, in tank pump with bypass fuel regulator.... I don't really smell the "gas smell" that some talk about.

 

[OX1]

https://www.pure-gas.org/

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Like I said, where am I going to get that.
Unless you meant VP 94 octane @ $20 per gallon.
(which was the only place listed near me)
40 gallons and I just bought EFI.

 

[WheelHorse]

One benefit of a carb is on the trail where issues can usually be fixed. Trail problems with FI is a deal breaker.
A boxed EFI kit is perfect for those who don't want to fine tune a new carb.
For me, it's worth the trouble of getting to know the carb, and spending time to get it right.
I add a bung to the exhaust and use a portable broadband O2 gauge.
That makes tuning really easy.

Right on!

Wideband was a beneficial addition and I leave it on all the time.

I once got off the highway and the truck had dang near no power, but the AFR was spot on. I knew right away to pop the distributor cap and sure enough, the little e clip came off the vac advance arm and retarded the timing. A quick fix and she was back in business.

I used the wideband to dial the jets under WOT, the power valve (when it comes in at what vac) and well etc. My truck will sit for 6 mos out of the year with Shell 87 and there's no jelly in the carb, no weird white crusties and no little green claymation gobblin ( Twilight Zone ref) tearing things up in there.

 

[daddycreswell]

Like I said, where am I going to get that.

Unless you meant VP 94 octane @ $20 per gallon.

(which was the only place listed near me)

40 gallons and I just bought EFI.

There is 8 stations around me that sell it. It's about a dollar more a gallon. So $3.00 a gallon.

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