Engine and Transmission Tech

I picked up this month's Hot Rod Magazine, with some interest in the listings of aftermarket fuel injection providers.

It's very worthwhile for stirring the internal gears of planning a project, I'd say. But I can't seem to find the section on HotRod.com, so you'll have to buy it, or see if Mr. Editor can get reproduction rights for the newsletter.

One system in particular caught my eye. While it's expensive, (about $2k), it appears to avoid much of the aggrivation associated with fuel injection units -- two fuel lines, fuel rails, tank mods, an electrical nest of nonsense, etc.

Like I said, the HotRod piece on this is not online, but here's one from SuperChevy: [www.superchevy.com]
I asked the people who produce this unit whether its learning capabilities would allow it to adequately run a 215 V8, being that a 750 cfm unit like this would be way too much for a 215 in carb terms. And, I told them I would be passing their answers on to you all.

While I would guess that junk federal and hotwire EFI systems taken from land rovers and elsewhere could be had for less money, I am interested in what you guys think about the product.

Here's the website for the manufacturer: [www.professional-products.com]

Here is the reply from the manufacturer about whether a 750 cfm throttle body is too much for a 215/3.5:

"The Powerjection 1 will work very well for your engine. Being fuel injection, it is not as picky about the cfm rating. It will taylor itself to your engine, and it is also tunable. Thank you for your inquiry and let me know if you need any more info." Galen

Sure, that would work. The disadvantages of a 4bbl tbi are also common to the carbed engine and involve mainly mixture distribution and puddling of fuel. A heat riser or other means of manifold heat is helpful, and a well designed intake is almost a necessity for a street driven engine. Where a port injected engine will place the fuel right in the cylinder, the tbi relies on the flow characteristics of the manifold to do the same thing. Luckily, 4bbl intakes are pretty good at this but cold conditions will require considerable enrichment, and while most of the bad habits of a carbed engine can be tuned out, those dealing with transfer lag through the induction system cannot, any more than they can be with a carb system, so there might be some conditions of stumble and lag that you just can't fix. In short, it probably isn't going to be quite as responsive as a well tuned port injection system.

Jim

Well, I don't know. I can only rely on the reviews written. They both say cold starts were improved. I suppose this is due to a coolant temperature sensor that you have to plug in somewhere. That's what supposedly controls the rich/lean mixture switchover.

I agree that the well tuned, purpose-built system will be better to some degree. What I don't know is what you can get a hotwire system for these days. Any ideas? That would allow a compairison.

It's of necessity an apples/oranges comparison and will vary enormously depending on how you go about it. Quite a few owners are happy as can be with the late Rover hotwire 14CUX system, while others are contemplating a switch to the MegaSquirt (MS) controller. My own opinion is that you probably can't do better than the late Rover hardware, the MS controller, and a Ford EDIS crank trigger ignition for low cost, ease of installation, and tunability.

Jim

what is the range of prices that one would expect to pay for a hotwire system?

Does it have to be hotwire? I mean are you really that concerned with your emissions? Because that's really about the only concrete advantage you get with hotwire.

As for pricing, it's all over the map. I think you need to do your own research here, but investigate fully. I believe MS is now hotwire capable but it's a much cleaner induction system without the MAF.

Jim

I have an idea for customizing the hotwire system -- more the layout than anything.

If you've seen the layout of the air filter and intake tubing on Steve Ward's Chevy-powered MGB [www.britishv8.org], it's given me an idea.

The hotwire system might work too, but I'd have to look at it apart. to see if it would work.

i would go for the Megasquirt too;
basicly because i have a few;


and this it when it hits a Spitfire;




than this is how it moves;
[www.pluisje.nl]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2008 04:55AM by pluisje.