[Diy_efi] Introduction

[John Christensen]

Hello everyone!
I have been lurking on the list a while. It's obvious that I am a real
newbie on the Fuel Injection front. 
 
I have had my 1984 El Camino for about 12 years. It became a project about 6
years ago. It's also a daily driver (for lack of funds). The project is
documented in the signature file. 
 
I recently had to convert from a Carter AFB carb setup, to TBI, in order to
pass emissions testing in the Chicago area. I had passed the last 2 rounds
with fine tuning (barely), but the standards are stricter now. The emissions
controls have been modified or excluded for the most part, by the previous
owner, when it was in Iowa, and there was no testing. 
 
After the conversion, I passed with Flying colors, and should not have to
worry about this in the years to come. 
 
There was a recent thread on the air intake, and I wanted to show what we
did on my son's 1996 Bonneville for cold air. I used the Electrical conduit,
and I want to say it was 3", but it fit perfectly in the rubber flex, that
houses the sensor for the system. (Intake Air Temp?). See:
http://home.comcast.net/~sk8nate/intake.htm
Time to clean that filter.... maybe this afternoon. 
 
Now for the series of newbie questions..... 
This is the conversion: http://www.myelcamino.net/tbi1.htm (4 pages) The
part numbers are on a chart pictured on the first page (click for a larger
view). They are basically the numbers suggested by the Painless Performance
kit for wiring this conversion. 
 
I need to make sure I have a complete set of new plugs, cap and rotor to
have a base line. But as I said $$ does not come easy at the moment. Once I
have this done, I want to have a systematic approach to making it run
better, and I think this list can help. 
 
I have some hesitation, and some trouble holding a consistent speed. Of
great annoyance, is the fact that the TCC engages about 30 mph when trying
to drive a steady 30 or 35 mpg, it kicks in & out a lot. I have a switch, to
turn this off, on the dash. I would like it to kick in more at 40 to 45.
Also, when the TCC is engaged, and I try to accelerate abruptly, there is a
real nasty time lag before it disengages, or kicks down. It is much better
with the switch off, but I wondered if there is anything that can be done
about the responsiveness of this feature. I assume it is the MAP sensor
input that controls it. Would a different sensor help?
 
I have a 1 wire O2 sensor, and I really want to put in a 3 or 4 wire sensor.
I have some recommendations for that one. The sensor is welded in just past
the shorty header collector, and may not be getting enough heat to work
right (is my theory, but help me here ;) Do you think this is where I should
start?
 
Could the Throttle position sensor have an effect on these functions? I have
tossed around replacing both that, and the IAC, because it is a little
unsteady at idle, even after resetting the IAC. 
 
Could different injectors help overall performance? Or would it be a waste
of time on such a low pressure system?
 
Is there anyone on the list that burns chips for the ECM, that could tailor
it for a 350, .030 over, TH350C Transmission with a slightly modified
throttle valve spring (it responds a little quicker, but does not shift
hard). I have a stock cam, shorty headers, dual exhaust (2.25"?), dual plane
intake, cold air through the cowl. The thermostat is a 195 now, but the
engine really liked the 180 that I had before the emissions fiasco. What
would a set of custom chips cost?
 
I know this is wide open, and there are a lot of questions. Please let me
know if I am in the right place at all. I don't want to be intruding on your
list, by being off topic. 
Thank you in advance for your input.
 
JC  
 
---
John Christensen     St. Charles, IL
1984 El Camino, 355 TBI
National El Camino Owners Association #042
http://www.myelcamino.net

 

 
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