Ladies and Gents,

With summer having passed to fall and winter lurking just around the corner I have once again started dreaming and scheming about what I need to get done on my truck. Thoughts of fuel injection have once again come bubbling to the surface.

I have been collecting parts for the transformation and have aquired a port injected intake manifold complete with injectors, fuel rails, regulator, etc for my big Caddy engine. Aftermarket conrollers are becoming more and more available. The website for MegaSquirt, http://www.megasquirt.info/ has lots of info and it seems as this system is what I am looking for.

Does anyone have any opions, feedback, thoughts, smart-alec remarks, suggestions, wisecracks etc pertaining to MegaSquirt? Know anyone running it?

While I'm at it.......

any thoughts about a workable throttle body. I have the throttle body that came with the Caddy EFI intake but the throttle position sensor and the idle air controller are very primitive and weren't the most reliable pieces way back in the 70's when they were new.

Thanks
Bobby

 

Hey Bobby, My granddad had a 1990 Caddy with a 4.5 port efi in it. It had port injectors like your intake and had a throttlebody (for air) and a real distributor in it. Like you said there are several setups that use this configuration out there. I've heard good things about the megasquirt stuff, but it's high in cost? Edelbrock makes a similar setup too.


I'll try to post a site that has small block ford stuff and mostly racing stuff. They have had several posts on the megasquirt stuff. Maybe you can check them out if you get a chance and I can get it to work?http://www.network54.com/Forum/119417/ I dont know if it will work or not? Maybe you can just type it in? Anyway they have alot of good info on there and mostly about racing and stuff but maybe you can use it.

 

Terry,

thanks, I'll look into it.
The megasquirt ECM can be purchased as a kit for less than $300 so its not as pricey as I thought. I have no problems assembling circuit boards (especially if they send some extra smoke with the kit...lol)

I'm still in the early stages of research on this. Right now I'm just gathering info. I'll try and find the forum you referred to this evening (providing the kids don't need too much help with homework)

I suppose I could look at my original throttle body adn see if I could adapt newer components to it. I've heard rumors that people have adapted throttle position sensors and fast idle control motors to stock carbs and have used them as the throttle body

..........research time.......

Bobby

 

You need to talk to WillyB. Here's his website: http://www.old-fords.com/

Clint is the first person I heard about Megasquirt from. He plans to use it on his truck. He has a lot of info about it. I haven't heard from him for awhile, so I don't know how far along his project is.

 

Randy,

thats right! I forgot about Clint. Now that you mention it, I haven't heard from him either. I last talked to him back in late July early August (we were trying to hook up at Bonneville but both had to back out....dang)

I'll send him an email, thanks for reminding me
Bobby

 

I found this:
http://www.eldocountry.com/eldo/megasquirt.html
He put Megasquirt on a 76 Eldorado.

 

Bobby, I've read some stuff about megasquirt on the Hamb. Try doing a search there.

 

I am running an LS6 engine w/EFI and have found a lot of good info on LS1Tech.com...however, if you want to go to the source, look here: http://www.msefi.com/index.php?c=2

 

Nathan,

WOW!! Thats exactly what I needed!! Thank you very much!!! It would appear that this is going to be alot easier than I thought.

Woohoo!! Now I'm pumped up to spend some money

Rusty, good advice, thanks, I'll check it out

Charlie, thanks, I'll give it a read

This is going to be cool!
Bobby

 

go for it . now that it is finally getting cooler here i'm begginning to wish that my flatty was fuel injected , and so do my neighbours i imagine . the ol' girl is kinda noisy trying to keep her running first thing in the morning , and typical ol' ford , cold natured !

 

LOL...

I know what you are talking about. Every Ford I've ever owned would always start right up in the cold adn would idle beautifully......AS LONG AS you sat right there with it freezing your tail off. If you decide to walk into the house the minute you get to your front door and get a foot across the threshold the truck will start to lope and sputter

...OK..how many here have at one time or another tried the old resting a rock or something else heavy on the throttle pedal to keep it idling?? Show of hands
Works real good huh? you come out a few minutes later to hear your truck revving at about a gadzillion RPM....woohooo

Bobby

 

I've done a bunch of cars with megasquirt, an olds 455, SBC, old caddy motor, etc etc.

Megasquirt is amazing, and very cheap, however there is a learning curve; it can be fustrating. You NEED to buy a wideband as well, dont bother to tune without one.

Here are a few of the cars I have done, I do this as a side business of sorts, I am in massachusetts if anyone is local and needs help.

 

OK, what's a "wideband"?

 

I've just been reading up on that,
The older Oxygen sensors (the 1,2,3, and 4 wire factory models) are known as narrow band. They offer a stoichiometric reading at an air fuel ratio of 14.7:1, a lower number is rich, a higher number is lean. Basically the narrow band sensors just tell the ECM (brain box) rich or lean....the computer either sees a low or high voltage from the sensor toggled above or below the 14.7:1 mark

The wideband Oxygen sensors are able to supply a signal the not only indicates rich or lean but "how much" rich or lean. There is a bit more ciruitry, etc but the results are a real time indication of what the engine is doing. Basically the wideband allows you to see a full sliding scale between rich and lean and all ranges inbetween instead of the strict "on or off" of the narrow band.

Don't quote me on this just yet, I'm still in the research stage adn I might have it wrong

mhaskel, thanks

Bobby

 

Modern factory engines are designed to run at 14.7:1 AFR for the most part, as this AFR provides the best emissions. Narrowband sensors are designed to only be accurate at this AFR, anything more or less is either rich or lean. For good economy I run my engines leaner than this at cruise, and richer for more power. (yes I know modern engines do not run stoch at WOT; however they are reading from a table not a sensor).

Without a wideband you only know if you are richer or leaner than 14.7:1; it makes tuning very difficult to get spot on at all conditions, which is the entire point from switching from carb.