Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Bradbury
Hey alright! Like the old vintage with the EFI, let us know if it is worth the price of admission. One thing I do like about my LS swap, is that there is no warm up time in the cold mornings or no fiddling with the carb in the mountains.
Good progress, I feel your frustration with the crank, no start scenarios.
|
This is the second EFI setup I've had. I think it's worth it. Especially for a vehicle that is parked over winter. When I had a carb I ended up having to clean it every spring to make it drivable. These newer throttle bodies are really easy to install and not that much more money than a good carb.
But then again, it's giving me trouble at the moment. It was a firmware problem that kept it from running. Fixed that. Now there's a tuning issue I need to solve. Part of the problem is the old gas for sure. The new engine has much higher compression and I can hear it pinging on acceleration. It's just chugging when I hit the throttle and sounds terrible. Once it's at speed or cruising along it's fine, as you can see in the video. So I'm using up the fuel and will fill up with premium. I have an update to install on the ECU and I'll restart the self tuning process on it again.
I had one concern about this EFI while building the new engine that I hope isn't the problem. I don't think it is but can't rule it out yet. This was the base model EFI rated for up to 400 HP. The new engine is capable of more than that. I figured it wouldn't be a problem other than running full throttle under load, like driving 140 mph. I can't imagine it being a problem at part throttle from 0 to 60.
Also, I don't think my torque converter is locking up. I wired it according to the instructions from the builder. I'll be verifying my connections and test it with a meter before the next drive. The engine RPM is running a couple hundred higher than it should and you can't feel it locking up or releasing for that matter.
Only other thing, and we don't know if it's really anything to be worried about, is vapor coming from the valve covers, mainly the driver side. We finished up the install Saturday, set the timing and went on a test drive. Valve covers don't have the breathers installed, no hood. We're driving along watching the EFI handheld unit for parameters. The tranny is shifting, temps are good, vacuum is good, etc. Everything is ok and we're cruising down the road. I noticed a few wisps of vapor from the valve covers. We go about 5 miles and pull into a lot to look things over. No leaks except for the PS pump cap. Looks and sounds ok. Drive home and vapor is coming out of the driver side cover pretty steady. It's not blowing oil out, just vapor. Get home, look it over, not doing anything weird. Mike, who built the engine is with me and I know he's a bit concerned but we can't figure what would be doing it other than a little blow by on the rings, which may or may not have set yet. I'm thinking it's something nobody would ever notice if they weren't driving around without the hood on. Something to keep an eye on but I'm not worried at this point. I told him I would find him if it goes south.
I know this is a long post but it's how I remember stuff for a later date. Bare with me. Sunday we put the hood on and I put some breathers in the valve covers. Mike heads home, I drive to town for a much needed car wash and then to the store for some supplies. Other than the crappy acceleration issue and no torque converter lock up it's going great. I take some video about 15 miles into my drive. I open the hood before leaving the store, no problems. Have a nice drive home 20 miles and burn up a bunch of old gas.
Here's the vid. I'll update as I solve my problems. BTW overdrive is AWESOME! Oh and my tach isn't hooked up. I need to replace it. I have the new one, just need to install it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1OXCg46Sx4