[Diy_efi] Introduction

[Rick McLeod]

Welcome, if you're looking for a programmer then my
suggestion would be call SuperChips in Longwood, FL,
they do good work; you may find others, but read on.

Most of the folks on this board are DoItYourselfers!
They are more than willing to offer advise (and good
at that) but this is a do it yourself world.

Now, if you plan to keep the ride I recommend you get
involved w/ tunning your own ecm, doesn't take much, a
computer, some relatively easy to locate software, an
eprom burner & eraser (or use EEproms), and you're
good to go. Obviously from the postings you're quite
capable so get with it, having someone else burn chips
for you is like sending your AFB to someone to adjust,
then putting it back on the car and testing. By doing
it yourself, you're in control! (and in the long run
results will be better and much less expensive)

Otherwise, the conversion looks decent, you're off to
a great start.

BTW, (Off-topic) the Bonny could use a big fat stab to
correct some of that fierce body roll, but that's
another board.

Good luck, hope you stay on the path of self
gratification, otherwise known as DIY!


--- John Christensen <johncgg at comcast.net> wrote:

> 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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