My TBI adventure...so far

[cruiser enthuiser]

I'm still a newb at this swap so I must be missing something obvious, but why didn't you just get an adapter plate for the throttle body to the 4 barrel intake manifold you had on there already?

I thought about that option. After doing a fair bit of reading and web searching on the subject I came to this very unscientific conclusion: GM designed this intake to work specifically with their TBI system. Would bolting the throttle body to an intake manifold designed for carburation yield equal performance? I have no way to know so I'm siding with GM on this one. If it didn't make a difference I don't think they would have re-designed it. Plus, I already had the manifold from the donor engine and I think an adapter plate is about $60.

Maybe someone else can offer additional insight on this?

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

Good point . Looks great though at any rate . What are you hoping to gain from this conversion?

There are a number of obvious benefits for electronic fuel injection like improved off-road performance, fuel efficiency, no more carb tuning, etc. For me the most important thing is reliability. I want to turn the key and hear it purr (ok, maybe not purr but rumble softly)...everytime.

 

[3doghouse]

Great thread, please keep us posted!

 

[Mr. Notorious]

Good Enough answer for me! Did you pick out the fuel pump yet? I think I may copy your part numbers

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

Holidays = Slow Going

I have made frustratingly little progress on my TBI conversion during the holidays - lots of family in town and lots of commitments. Every time I thought I had a few free hours to work on the Land Cruiser something would come up . As a result my intake manifold is still sitting on the bench.

That's not to say I didn't make some progress. I continued to read all the information I could find on TBI conversions and spent some more time identifying and cleaning parts.

Below: Knock sensor - this threads into the water drain plug on the side of the block by the starter.

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

Electric Spark Control Module on left, Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor on right.

Pic Below that is oil pressure switch.

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

Painless or Painful?

I have given a lot of thought to the wiring harness and whether to go with a Painless or use the stock GM harness. Here's the argument as I see it:

Painless= easier installation with new wires/connectors
GM= great price! PITA installation with old wires/connectors

I have nearly zero experience with automotive wiring until this project, so the idea of tearing into the stock harness is intimidating as hell. $370.00 for the Painless may save me weeks (or months) of cursing and spitting in my driveway.

On the other hand, there is loads of information out there from others who have used the stock harness including wiring diagrams, etc. and I would like to put that $370 towards something a little more sexy (new shocks would be nice!). With that in mind I started looking at the harness.

The connectors are all very self explanatory as to where they are supposed to go. I connected everything I could on the intake manifold and labeled it. There are a few cut wires and I am very concerned that the connectors to the fuel injectors look a bit melted (kinda tough to see in pics). Should I find new ones?

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

Pics of what I labeled so far. Tomorrow: install the new manifold!

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

I bolted on the TBI intake manifold today. I used these funky bolts that were on my old Edelbrock. They have a small 12 point head which worked out nicely because of the very tight space on a couple of the bolts. Hooked up as much as I could for today. Need to deal with the new fuel system next.

Couple pics to show the progress. Notice I installed the oil pressure sender first for ease of access.

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

Manifold installed.

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

Removed water drain plug, installed knock sensor.

 

[FJFOOL]

Hey, good progress !! Which fuel pump are you going to use ?

 

[Bennett]

looks good

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

Hey, good progress !! Which fuel pump are you going to use ?

I decided on the Airtex E8153. I read comments on the Pirate 4x4 forum that others who have also done the GM TBI conversion have had good success with this pump. I found it on Amazon.com, of all places, for a mere $54.00. I hope it delivers adequate pressure. it was such a good price I figure if it doesn't I'm not really out much money.

EDIT: Do not use this pump! It does not deliver enough pressure. See page 4 of this post for discussion.

Will post more pics of my progress soon.

 

[cruiserbrett]

did you see this? google search on E8153

E8153 fuel pump pressure - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

 

[CruisinGA]

did you see this? google search on E8153

E8153 fuel pump pressure - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

I wonder if his pump may have been located too far from the fuel tank.

I've been told that electric pumps need to be mounted as close to the tank as possible, as they are typically "pushers," and mechanical pumps are better "pullers" which is why they work great being in the engine bay attached to the block.

That fellow could have also had restrictive small lines etc. There are several variables at play here.

If I ever do a fuel injection setup, my plan is to use either the mechanical pump or a low pressure electric to move fuel to the tall, slender "surge tank" mounted vertically under the hood that the high pressure fuel injection pump will draw from, this should do a pretty good job of preventing fuel starvation on hills etc.

 

[FJBen]

On my TBI conversion, I used a master 2182 pump. Worked awesome, no starvation and PLENTY of PSI for TBI. I got it at Autozone.

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

did you see this? google search on E8153

E8153 fuel pump pressure - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

I did see this post. It was the only negative comment I read where I must have read 8-10 positive comments from guys running the E8153. I am inclined to agree with the comment above that maybe this guy had other issues like running it too far from the tank or something. Believe me, I don't want fuel starvation and I will check PSI once it's running.

My next choice for a fuel pump is the Carter P5001, supposedly designed for TBI conversions and runs 20 PSI max. I found one on-line for $115.00 at Parts America. I don't want to spend the extra money if I don't have to - I hope I don't regret it later .

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

The Conversion Continues

I made some good progress this week and I have a lot of pictures to post up. Read on and enjoy!

When I bought the donor engine I failed to get the ALDL connector. This connector is required for use of on-board diagnostics. I visited the local Pick-n-pull on Friday and was pleased to find several '87 to '90 GM Trucks/Suburbans and it was a simple matter to grab an ALDL connector. You may recall in an earlier post I complained that my injector connectors were kind of melted. I snipped a couple decent looking ones and also a fuel pump relay with bracket. The best part, it only cost $6!

Here's a pic:

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

After Pick-n-pull I went on to one of my favorite stores, Summit Racing. Were lucky to have a Summit retail store in town and it's only a ten minute drive from my house. They are open 7 days a week until 9pm - incredible, huh?

I picked up the remaining things to complete the installation of the new fuel system.