My neighbor and I were talking last night ,he's been having alot of trouble with his truck lately,I own a 1982 bronco 300 i-6,c-6,no extras just plain drive train,myself I believe fuel injection and computers in cars,trucks and front wheel drive were made to produce jobs and put money back into the economy,which I understand we need a good economy,but not at such an expense to us poor working shmos. I've owned cars with fuel injection and all but it seemed every time I turned around a sensor or something was going out and just to find out what "may" be the problem can cost alot by hooking up to the diognastics,$600
for me to find out the map sensor went bad and dumped too much gas and all they did was put b-g 28 an injection cleaner in it that flushed the crap on to the0/2 sensor which told the comp, to dump more gas down it and here we go again.Now I know alot of people say fuel injection makes it faster and you get better gas mileage but I did'nt think all that was worth the high maintenance bills.I'm just wondering if anyone else agrees but dont want to start a war here.
I guess I'm stuck in the 70's and early 80's when you could work on your own truck without speical tools and trucks and cars were built to be the only truck you'd ever own not get rid of in five years or it will cost you your first born to maintain.As far as faster ,mine scoots when she has to, I'm not doing daytona anytime soon though and as far as the gas ,I get 400 miles to the tank.Just wondering what you guys think.

 

I'll take fuel injection over a carburetor any day.
My 1st fuel injected vehicle was a '88 Ford Ranger 2.9 V6. I drove it for 13 years 240,000 miles. Never failed, only maintenance, spark plugs, cap, rotor air filter, and oil changes. Always passed smog test and never less than 16 - 20 MPG.
Sometimes old dog needs to learn new trick.

 

Hmm, that is a hard one. Sometimes I wish my Bronco was carbed, but other I am glad it is not. I like fuel injection because you don't have to mess with tweaking it every weekend, also it will adjust too altitude changes and not blow out black smoke when I hit the mountains. Also, when you are wheelin you don't have to worry about fuel not getting into the engine. I do like carbs too. By no means does fuel injection make it faster. You can get a good carb that will make an engine scoot right along. I like carbs because when you slam the pedal there is that immediate dump of fuel and back in the seat feel. F.I. almost has a short pause to it. Some vehicles I would only want if it was carbed and some I would only want if it was F.I. They both have there pros and cons.

 

Both of your opinions are valid,thanks,I'm sure some fuel injection models do work well,
I've just never had one that did,but then again they've all been used.Now I wonder if that "88" you had 93,were built better back then and now the companys make them
cheaper quality wise because of inflation or what.Almost everyone I know has high maintenance bills with nowadays maybe cause thier mid 90's I dont know.
As far as "tweaking every weekend" I dont have that problem,nor have I had a problem
with getting gas to her while wheeling,although it may depend on the terain,we dont have any mountains here,just rocks ,mud,and small hills,so I dont have to adjust for that.I think it may also be that some people have better luck with diverent makes of trucks or cars,I've always had better luck with Ford,same as some may have better luck with carbs than fuel injection.

 

If you are gonna run off road and get into off-camber situations and steep climb and descent angles, fuel injection is ALWAYS the way to go. Even the best carbs. will lose prime or dump extra fuel if they get too far off level.

By the way, all those sensors are associated with emissions control, not fuel injection. EGR, O2 sensors, map sensor, etc. are all morden versions of what were originally mechanical devices or emissions control devices. MAP sensor is the modern equivalent of your vacuum advance for vehicles with electronic ignitions. IAC solenoid is the equivalent of the idle bypass air adjustment on a carburator. Fuel injection shouldn't be blamed for problems with modern electronics. Fuel injection makes controlling emissions easier because of the precise fuel flow control it allows. In the greater scheme of things its a far more efficient fuel delivery system with much less risk of leakage. Don't get me worng I love a good strong V8 with a nice 4 barrel on top. Its easy to work on and I grew up with them so adjusting and tuning is relatively easy. But I have spent a good deal of time learning to understand just how fuel injection systems work so that I can be just as comfortable with either setup.

 

I stand corrected,Grey,sensors and all,I guess what I should have said was it seems that with all the electronic devices in trucks/cars today that it costs more to do the diognostics and repair than it did in the old days,off road fuel injection may have its benifits but I just cant seem to get out of the 70's.I'll stick with my plain jane and deal with the "teaking"but,I think that 400 miles to the tank ain't bad for the old girl,thats city not highway,but hey, thats what I like about F.T.E. is the variety of people and thier opinions.Thanks guys

 

Sorry theres a "w" in tweaking, guess my left hand was asleep.

 

I really depends what angle you look at it from. F.I. is more efficient, makes more power, and is arguably more reliable. But if I’m stuck on the road at midnight I have a much better chance of diagnosing and fixing a carb vehicle than a F.I. one with all the special sensors and actuators. Which one will climb the steepest angle, F.I. no doubt, but which one will get me home if I’m way off road? Carbs don’t go out like a bad computer or sensor.
As I see it, as the years go by the carb saves a ton in upkeep costs too, as the F.I. owner replaces the IAC, MAP, oxygen sensor, the list goes on. Oh and when you have a problem try to figure which one of those things it is without having a diagnostic computer one of each sensor on the shelf. Problems on a carb motor are much easier to find and fix, no computer to keep happy or go bad. And when the carb needs a rebuild its under $100 for a kit and set for another 7+ years.
It comes down to simplicity vs. high tech for a tad more gain. Nice to see some of the latest HP motors are still playing with carbs. http://www.karkraft.com/engines.htm Trash the computer and come over to the dark side, carb it.

 

Thank you Netfly,sounds like you and I would have alot to agree on!My wife tells me I have the conspiracy theory thing going on but, I still believe they made front wheel drive,fuel injection ,computers,and sensors to generate jobs and put money back into the economy cause when one of those little p_icks goes out and you dont know which one, you HAVE to take it to a shop and spend a butt load of money unless you have all the equipment at home or a relative owns the shop.Its the dark side for me!!

 

I would even agree with you Netfly. If for no other reason than with a carb, you CAN fix the problem at least temoprarily til you can get it home and fix it right. If an electronic component fails, bypassing it of convincing the computer that it can still get the truck (and you) home, isn't always nearly as simple. This is especially true if its late and the parts store is closed for the day.

 

I whole heartedly agree with you. I specifically chose the 87 bronco I now have because I wanted the newer body style bronco with a carb that I can work on. Its a matter of opinion and what one is comfortable with. My 87 with the 351 was the last year you could get the carb (I believe). I used to work in the dealerships pulling wrenches beack when I was 18....( it was a "short time ago" ) and I stopped pulling wrenches because the cars got smaller and me being 6'6" didn't. I wanted something not dependant upon sensors and EProm ECMs, ( Get one wet and see how well it works ). My fuel pump is on the engine where I can replace it without dropping the tank, and $20.00 buys a jiffy kit and walla I have a new carb. All in all I guess it boils down to what you are more confortable with and the tools, equipment and knowledge at your desposal....

 

I've had both fuel injected and carbureted motors. Frankly, I prefer carb'd motor. Sure, fuel injection gives better mileage, and a smoother ride as well as all other sorts of other advantages, but I stick with my choice for the following reasons.

1) The Holley Truck Avenger provides a smooth idle at high angles (no match for fuel injection, but still better than most carbs)

2) Easy maintenance. You can identify and fix fuel/air mixture problem easier than FI.

3) Cost. When problems happen, parts are alot cheaper.

4) Most importantly, upgrades. FI does not like hot cams, intakes, heads etc...without a fight. Converting to Mass-air solves this problem but not without big $$$'s. Carbs dont put up such a fuss.

Just my 2 cents

-Matt

 

Thanks for your two cents Matt but I'm curious does fuel injection really provide better gas milage?My 1982 with a 300 -nline six standard c-6 three speed with overdrive gets 400 miles to the tank,does anyone else have a fuel injected 300,"did they even make that?"and what gas milage do they get?

 

Yes the 300 got multiport injection in 87.

 

Thanks Grey,now I sure would like to hear from guys who have the same motors but different fuel delievery systems to see how much of a differance there is,taking in account tune up and all but just to see if gas milage is better with fuel injection.