Quote:
Originally Posted by GregWeld
I wasn't suggesting that at all.
What I AM SUGGESTING is that many (most) of the time it's not a defective part - it's a defective install. Yet people are most apt to quickly blame the EFI as the culprit.
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The "horror stories" are what scare people away from doing EFI AT ALL and that's more my point, because I'm a firm believer in EFI. Install the stuff with CARE and follow the instructions and most of the time the outcome will be very satisfying.
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Agreed. The two cases I mentioned above were the
only cases in 15 years of installing and/or tuning dozens of systems - FAST, Accel, Holley, AEM, BugStuff3, Mast, Motec, GM and Ford OEM - where I didn't get what I'd consider to be an acceptable result, which is an engine that works better than a carb under almost all conditions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ketzer
I guess I would have to admit fear. While I do understand the basics of AFR, timing, fuel delivery, etc., I would be quite lost jumping into programming/modifying all those tables all by myself. I think there are a bunch like me out there too because the main focus of these latest systems (FAST, MSD, Holley) are developing a plug-n-play with a simple handheld and yes/no questions. I realize these simplified systems are insulting to you computer literate in the crowd and you cannot understand why we don't just do our own programming. It is the intimidation from the unknown but more than that, I'm not willing to learn at the expense of my engine or spend hours and hours just trying to get it to run slightly better than a carb. I very much enjoy working on my cars but am not excited about chasing these EFI gremlins we so ften read about. THAT is the appeal of a plug-n-play self learning system.
About the tuning side of it, There are also a ton of folks out there (several here in my hometown) that swear they are the best EFI gurus on the planet. How do you know if they are FOS until you turn them loose on your baby?
Jeff-
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I
totally get the appeal and the promise of these systems, even for me - provided they work. I have no more desire than the next guy to ditz around with unnecessary work or arcane knowledge, which is why I recommended the EZ-EFI setup to customers in earlier days when it seemed to get nothing but positive press and feedback on the forums. But now I feel responsible for wasting other people's money on one car that doesn't run like it should, and another that barely runs at all, despite many hours of frustrating effort. I hate disappointing people, which is probably why I'm overreacting a bit here
BTW, lest it seem I'm just picking on FAST, we've recently had two potential customers drop in with the same kind of issues using the MSD "Atomic" system. We've told them we can try to help within the parameters provided by the hand held tuner, but there are no guarantees or even high confidence we'll fix their problems. So far, no takers on that bet ... Maybe I just live in some kind of vortex that attracts these problems