Fuel Injection vs. Carb
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Jul 2014
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Fuel Injection vs. Carb
Okay, I'll try to keep this short. Currently driving a 1985 F-150 w/ a 4.9 I6 and 4spd trans. I converted it over to Duraspark II when I first got it, and I've loved this truck for the past year. After numerous discussions with the wife, I'm now looking at swapping it for a Bronco so that we have two cars that can haul the whole family.
Here's where my question lies: in poking around the ads in my area, most of the Broncos that are fairly clean in my price range are late 80s - early 90s, and finding a solid mid-80s or earlier is proving to be tough. I have loved the simplicity and lack of computer issues with my DSII setup, but I'm wondering if the fuel injection of these later model broncos is solid and/or simple enough to be worth dealing with. Basically, if anyone has opinions/experiences with this setup, what typically goes wrong, things to look out for, etc., that would be much appreciated.
Before the 85 I sold a 2000 F150 'cause I was sick of computers and chasing technical gremlins and wanted to go back to simple, mechanical carburetion. I would still prefer that, but if I can't find a clean Bronco of that era, I may have to bite the bullet and revisit FI. Thanks guys!
Here's where my question lies: in poking around the ads in my area, most of the Broncos that are fairly clean in my price range are late 80s - early 90s, and finding a solid mid-80s or earlier is proving to be tough. I have loved the simplicity and lack of computer issues with my DSII setup, but I'm wondering if the fuel injection of these later model broncos is solid and/or simple enough to be worth dealing with. Basically, if anyone has opinions/experiences with this setup, what typically goes wrong, things to look out for, etc., that would be much appreciated.
Before the 85 I sold a 2000 F150 'cause I was sick of computers and chasing technical gremlins and wanted to go back to simple, mechanical carburetion. I would still prefer that, but if I can't find a clean Bronco of that era, I may have to bite the bullet and revisit FI. Thanks guys!
FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 31,930
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
My experience with EFI on these trucks is that they are extremely reliable and daily drivability is better than any carb vehicle ever was. But... the EFI system has to be in top operating condition with no codes present and no other gremlins affecting engine operation, when in that state it tends to stay that way. But getting a used vehicle with unknown history back into that condition can be a challenging sometimes, you don't know what hacks have been performed, what has been removed, and so on. The get news about the first generation EFI on these trucks is it's pretty simple, if you get a late '80s truck the computer only controls the engine and not the trans too so it's a very simple system overall, but these trucks are getting old now and 25yr old vacuum lines and wiring are not gonna be that resilient.
Lead Driver
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 5,776
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in reality, this generation of EFI is so simple that its actually easier to mess with than carbs. when carbs work, they work, when they don't.....it takes some tinkering to fix, then tinkering to get it right.
ive played with plenty of carbs....and plenty of modern EFI. when these work properly, they run smooth. when something goes wrong, its about the simplest system on the planet to diagnose and fix. on that same note, it also takes a few hours to familiarize yourself with the components, what they do, and symptoms of failure.
ive played with plenty of carbs....and plenty of modern EFI. when these work properly, they run smooth. when something goes wrong, its about the simplest system on the planet to diagnose and fix. on that same note, it also takes a few hours to familiarize yourself with the components, what they do, and symptoms of failure.
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