6 month write up on Edelbrock EFI for TBI

[LS6TT]

I decided to wait a good 6 months before I did this, just to get a feel of the kit.



The kit has some really good features..the kit looks great, very hotrod esk with a very nice clean look. no welding modifying other then 4 wires you have to cut and re connect.

you can get the optional headers, cam, and heads to add a nice amount of HP, they dynoed a 80 hp gain with all the extras

My overall mind set is that it is a well made and good kit, but it has some problems.

For one, I am having a problem when I don't give it a lot of gas, almost at idle it surges and on some occasions will die.

I figured this is timing. Backed it down to 4 advanced over 10 advanced where I was quoted to do it (gm tech). Nothing changed. Backed it to Zero (stock) nothing changed.

I contact Terry over at Edelbrock and his words were:

Alex,

The MPFI kits do have a pulse at and close to idle that is inherent
in the system and it will not go away. The added advance will usually
help low speed torque but is not a good idea when getting your annual
smog check. Leave the timing at Zero and you will pass emissions.

well that kind of bothers me. Not only will it die, but that left me in a pretty bad place yesterday leaving the post office, I almost got hit when the truck died.

I like the kit, I have increased my gas milage by about 20 a tank so about 260-265 versus my 240 I had before (I also used to have a 305, now I have a 350).

Price wise(about 1010 with fuel pump, add about another 250 for gaskets, etc.), warranty and dependability, it was a good buy. Easy install, took me all of a hour and a half to do. Great well made and nice looking kit.

Would I buy it again. yea I would, but I would be giving the stock TBI beefed up more thought.

For the price of this kit, I could have got a new intake manifold, better TBI unit and a cam and probably had more power and performance then I do now..But hey, im happy with it. So don't let this stop you from buying the kit, it is overall a good choice for that daily driver that you don't want to pump a lot of HP into..

[95_Z71_5.7]

Thanks for the info. Do you have any picks of the engine bay?

[LS6TT]

yup www.cardomain.com/id/ls6tt not great pics, i can see about snapping some tonight with the air cleaner off..

[va454ss]

Did you install their chip?

[LS6TT]

Originally posted by va454ss
Did you install their chip?

you have to, the chip is sent after you recieve the kit and fill out a card..they mail you a chip that allows the computer to work with the efi kit

[va454ss]

Out of curiosity, did you try your stock chip?

Just wondering what is different about theirs............

[97Chebbie]

Originally posted by va454ss
Out of curiosity, did you try your stock chip?

Just wondering what is different about theirs............

The stock chip is prolly encapable of properly controlling 8 fuel injectors because it is made to control only two injectors. This is just my guess.

[LS6TT]

Originally posted by va454ss
Out of curiosity, did you try your stock chip?

Just wondering what is different about theirs............

it is not able to support 4 injectors..it would do nothing but throw codes for the fact that on the stock kit there are two wires per injector..when you install the kit you cut all 4 wires and put them on 4 wires that come from the harness..it wont be able to read the injectors and just throw codes

Originally posted by 97Chebbie
The stock chip is prolly encapable of properly controlling 8 fuel injectors because it is made to control only two injectors. This is just my guess.

[97Chebbie]

Yay! I finally got one right! Btw, cute kid. I'm sooooo bored at work right now and I have to be here for 2 more hours. When I saw your avatar I had to laugh. Well, time to get back to work for a few minutes and then it's back to fsc.

[LS6TT]

yup you got one..lol, thanks..and yea get back to work..

[Uranium-235]

How bad is the hesitation? Seems for $1000 there shouldn't be any hesitation...

[BCossette]

Yeah Alex, I opted to go with a Holley 2 inch bore throttle body, and even on my ****ty little 4.3, I swear I gained about 20 HP. LOL! Overall I have NO complaints about it thus far except for the check engine light, and I haven't bothered looking, I think it may be because I have gassy plugs from when i had 350 injectors in.

When i go with a 350, i'll have a semi-nice 350 bottom end, then all nice edelbrock top end except for this throttle body, then throw on the 350 injectors I already have.

Here's the downside to the holley throttle body:

400.00 for throttle body
if you have a 4.3 - another 160.00 for injectors

Even after that and going all out with a POLISHED manifold or some **** I still think your left cheaper than the MPFI kit. I'm not sure which would yield more HP though.

[LS6TT]

Originally posted by Uranium-235
How bad is the hesitation? Seems for $1000 there shouldn't be any hesitation...

gotta stress that it isnt everytime..but sometimes its bad and sometimes its really bad, sometimes i can just give it some more gas and its fine, but others it just dies..

and i agree for 1000 it should be perfect

Originally posted by BCossette

Even after that and going all out with a POLISHED manifold or some **** I still think your left cheaper than the MPFI kit. I'm not sure which would yield more HP though.

well here is the problem, I paid 1000 for better gas milage and maybe 10-20 crank hp

for 230 for the manifold and 130 for a almost 400 lift cam (made for the TBI motor power range is idel to 5500), then the tbi unit like yours..400..thats 760..and i bet you will lose gas milage, but gain a nice chunk of HP..

so like i said its all about what your looking for, if i had to do it again, and i didnt want my truck to be the nice family vehicle and when i had the 5K i didnt care about interior and exterior mods..i could have bolted up a crate HO 350 and a tci tranny..but im happy

[PSWired]

I experience the same idle surging you describe, and I'll be working on reducing that as I crank out more chip revisions this summer. It's pretty darn annoying.

[LS6TT]

Originally posted by PSWired
I experience the same idle surging you describe, and I'll be working on reducing that as I crank out more chip revisions this summer. It's pretty darn annoying.

it drives me nuts, if you get it fixed..name your price and tell me what i got to do

ok here are the pics..some with the air cleaner and some without









pardon the mess..everything will be getting cleaned this weekend and all the wires and everything will be organized..lol

[airdeano]

Originally posted by PSWired
I experience the same idle surging you describe...

PS,
what is your timing 30, 40,50,60kPa vs 600, 800, 1000rpm?
whats your block learn at idle?
O2v at idle?
TBI stock do not like a lot of timing. 0° inital and 14-20° in the timing
map of your program.
cammmed you might get away with 4° but youll get surging easily.
airdeano

[Half Ton Rat]

Originally posted by LS6TT
it drives me nuts, if you get it fixed..name your price and tell me what i got to do

I fixed their problem. I worked with one of the guys at Edelbrock a few years back and re-did one of their cals for the 502ci system.

Turns out they are running PFI inectors on TBI injector timing.

The PCM has to be converted to run in PFI, not TBI mode.
The injector timing is different between the two modes and the PFI injectors will misfire at the lower pulsewidth needed for idle, etc.

You can do this yourself, or have a friend with a soldering iron and Tunercat help you out.


No price needed.
Give me a few days and I will do a writeup on our site (HP Tuners).


Ken,
HP Tuners

[Uranium-235]

Originally posted by Half Ton Rat
I fixed their problem. I worked with one of the guys at Edelbrock a few years back and re-did one of their cals for the 502ci system.

Turns out they are running PFI inectors on TBI injector timing.

The PCM has to be converted to run in PFI, not TBI mode.
The injector timing is different between the two modes and the PFI injectors will misfire at the lower pulsewidth needed for idle, etc.

You can do this yourself, or have a friend with a soldering iron and Tunercat help you out.


No price needed.
Give me a few days and I will do a writeup on our site (HP Tuners).


Ken,
HP Tuners

Sounds good, but if it is that easy why doesn't Edelbrock make this right? Not busting on you, just curious.

[airdeano]

Originally posted by Half Ton Rat
The PCM has to be converted to run in PFI, not TBI mode.
The injector timing is different between the two modes and the PFI injectors will misfire at the lower pulsewidth needed for idle, etc.

i know you can on the newer 6395 boxes, but the older 7747
boxes where is the switch for the jumper?
waiting your write up
airdeano

[LS6TT]

Originally posted by Half Ton Rat
I fixed their problem. I worked with one of the guys at Edelbrock a few years back and re-did one of their cals for the 502ci system.

Turns out they are running PFI inectors on TBI injector timing.

The PCM has to be converted to run in PFI, not TBI mode.
The injector timing is different between the two modes and the PFI injectors will misfire at the lower pulsewidth needed for idle, etc.

You can do this yourself, or have a friend with a soldering iron and Tunercat help you out.


No price needed.
Give me a few days and I will do a writeup on our site (HP Tuners).


Ken,
HP Tuners

ok good deal, contact me on here or email me at ls6tt@yahoo.com and let me know..the sooner i can get this fixed the better..lol

Originally posted by Uranium-235
Sounds good, but if it is that easy why doesn't Edelbrock make this right? Not busting on you, just curious.

some times companies put so much r&d time into a project that they decide to stop and leave it as best they can get..even more so if they dont think they will sell a bunch

Originally posted by PSWired
I experience the same idle surging you describe, and I'll be working on reducing that as I crank out more chip revisions this summer. It's pretty darn annoying.

also terry over at edelbrock said that it shouldnt be making my truck die, should i believe him? or might there be another problem? only other thing i can think of is fuel..