96f150351w

I'm looking for opinions on carburetor vs. efi pros and cons. I was thinking about going from efi too carburetor. I know efi is great better mpg. Only reasons I'd like to switch is
1. Get rid of whatever I can in the engine bay
2. Seems like it's easier to build up the engine without having too tune to computer.
3. Get rid of the o2 sensors, egr and whatever else can go.

Also want to know what I would need to change for the carb if go that way. Just asking people opinions and advice before I do anything. Trucks a 96 f150 with 351w. Thanks.

redknight1

well a lot of companies are making efi kits that bolt onto the old small and big block engines. Efi on the old motors is becoming more popular because it's more reliable, better gas mileage. (i've seen a 350 sbc go from 8 to 15 mpg with an efi kit) More reliable especially in winter, and power wise, it's usually a bump up.

96f150351w

Well this computer ****s annoying. The truck I have right nows a daily driver but plan on getting another truck by the end of summer. Then only using the truck I have now to play in the mud.

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

Having lived through both types, I gotta say EFI is way, way better. Once you take the time to understand the system, it's actually very simple. And it has a computer that will tell you what's wrong once you learn how to listen.
Somebody reminded me the other day of what it used to be like leaving a party or such : all those vehicles going wahhwah wah wah wah. and you're waiting to see which ones are going to start and which aren't.
Now they all go click vroom. It's night and day. No brainer. EFI works better all the way around.

96f150351w

I like the fact that if something's not working right or broke, you can hook the scanner up and it tells you what's wrong. My buddy has a 78 camaro and 87 k10 and they both start up pretty good. I'm not really to worried about mpg since it's going to be a play truck soonish (hopefully). Lol like I said I'm just wondering everyone's opinion.

MadMikeyL

EFI wins in every way, hands down. Carburators are a mechanical nightmare with band-aids upon band-aids to try to cover up how horrible a job it really does. You say you don't want to tune the computer, but if you go with a carb, you will have to tune it at least twice a year, and instead of changing a few parameters on a computer screen and seeing instant feedback, you will have tweak idle adjustment screws, and change out jets, then drive it and be pulling plugs to check to see how it is running. Even after all that, once you get a carb dialed in perfectly, it is only going to be set up for a small rpm range. A carb necessarily has to either be running rich at low rpms, or running lean at high rpms, or most of the time it is doing both, but it is all a compromise to get it close enough where the engine will spend most of its time. Also, converting to a carb will not improve reliability in any way. Carburators require regular maintenance. EFI is set it and forget it for the next 200K miles. Carbs gum up if they sit for a while, and will require cleaning. Power valves blow out if you get a back fire, requiring a rebuild. Gaskets on the carb start leaking and require replacement before they become a fire hazard. Also, aside from all of these issues, the fact that a carb runs so rich at idle and when cold means that the fuel washes down the cylinder walls, and it causes excessive wear of the cylinder wall, so your engine after 100K miles will most likely be losing compression and burning oil. On the other hand, thanks to EFI, it is not at all uncommon to see 200K+ miles on modern engines without so much as the valve covers ever having been off. Basically the only place carburators have on vehicles is a numbers matching concourse restoration, or a race car where the class rules require it. Other than that, EFI is the way to go.

96f150351w

Ok so then that pretty much answers my question. I got headers the don't have the bungs for either the o2 sensors or egr. Trucks straight piped right now and no check engine light, but everyone's saying if I get rid of the egr that the engine will ping and mess with stuff?

DanielElfert

I have efi on my 02 f150 and carburetor on my 84 K10 and I personally love the carburetor many times over the efi. Yes efi can push out better performance but I love the simplicity of the carbureted setups. From what I've seen, efi is just more crap that can break. Then again the f150 has 282,000 miles on it

djfllmn

iTrader: (1)

EFI>carb all day every day

redknight1

and what exactly breaks on a fuel injected setup?