Carb? EFI? What to choose.

[Ranger5.0]

and one lesson in life, never you asume you know the 3-4 general reasons why people do somthing. Because as smart as anyone is, there is always someone smarter.

 

[SRL]

If you have an intact EFI system that you know worked, it's not that hard to get it in. All it really needs is power for the ECM, fuel pump, and o2 sensors. On top of that is ignition and dash gauge wiring which you'll have to do regardless of whether you've got a carb or EFI. The only complications come from luxury items like cruise control and A/C. If your ranger doesn't have those (like mine) you don't even have to worry about that.

But like I said, make sure you have a complete system that works. Finding components in a yard will make your life a bazillion times harder and you may as well go for a carb in that case.

 

[baddad457]

There is no "gauge" nor "dash" wiring to do on a swap. The gauge wiring harness is completely separate from the EFI stuff, or at least it was on my 89. The only wiring I had to do was for the fuel pump to run a carb. Only dash wiring I did do was to adjust the factory tach to read with the V8 and a circuit to run my electric fans.

 

[SRL]

Maybe the GenII trucks are different. I know on my 86 I had to wire the gauges up to the senders on my 5.0 for water temp and oil pressure

 

[88mudder]

i like carbs. Simple. They look nicer under the hood too.

 

[Davis]

EFI!

it's not that complex.
and megasquirt II is looking really good for tuning.

 

[mudranger]

carbs...simple, no sensors, codes, extra wiring, useless emissions crap. less stuff to go wrong= better everyday reliability.....all the tech stuff controlled by all the input sensors to a cpu is really great ...until it doesn't work...then its just like every other sophisticated system when it breaks- its a paperweight. for the trail, gimme simple- I can almost always fix it right there well enough to limp home....

 

[88mudder]

im sick of the ECM! If you can wire then go for it but a carb is way more simple for first timers.

 

[Ranger5.0]

carbs are more reliable then EFI? Only to thouse who dont understand it. I understand both, and there is a reason why companys were moving over to efi in the 60's

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

carbs are more reliable then EFI? Only to those who dont understand it. I understand both, and there is a reason why companys were moving over to efi in the 60's

Like who? I always thought the big shift was more in the 80's with increasing emissions. GM had a distant relative of fuel injection in the 50's, it is worth alot of money now because nobody cared for it then making it a rare option.

 

[BigBlockRanger]

EFI > carb

Mechanical fuel injection has been around a loooooooonnnngggg time.

I'll never build another carb'd vehicle. Not with inexpensive EFI stuff like Megasquirt out there. Carbs are definately NOT more reliable than EFI. That's the equivalent of saying a set of points are more reliable than a duraspark ignition. (I'll leave the TFI out of that, LOL) They are reliable to the point that people pay no attention to them. Then when it finally starts causing trouble from lack of basic maintenance, people cuss about 'all them electronics' and want to slap a carb on there.

I can tune a carb, but I find it much easier to plug in the laptop, adjust a few settings, save them and go on about my business without having to pop the hood.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

And everybody has a laptop with the programs to plug into their truck...

And when our Duraspark module was overheating in our one ton coming back from a tractor pull in July a set of points was looking mighty inviting.

 

[Ranger5.0]

HA...See, hears the funny thing. Whne somthing new comes out, thouse who dont undrstand it tend to revert back to old technology, where they are more comfy. Im pritty damn sure everyone has some type of computer these days. Tuning a EEC IV system doesnt requier YOU to have a lap top accessable to "dial in" somthing. Its not like a carb boys, it doesnt need attention. Plug it in, power it up, and play on. When somthing goes wrong, replace the part, dont turn your brain off and start to drool and say you would rather use old school stuff. EFI is NOT hard to work with. Saying that EFI isnt as good as a carb....well, its like this way back when hydraulics were introduced, no one trusted then, and be damned if they were going to use hydraulics on THERE equipment....it was new, different and everyone trusted cables...including cable operated service breaks. NOW where are we? if somone was to tell you to use cable's levers and pully to activate the service breaks on YOUR TRUCK, you would say they are insain and there are better ways. Even tho billy bob can fix them olf breaks with a hammer. The technology is changing, and EFI isnt new any more, the tools are also changing. Accept it, learn how to work with it. But dont claim carbs are juss "better" only because one doesnt understand fuel injection. and EFI was being worked on way befor the 80's, and the principal of fuel injection is even OLDER then that.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Unless you are really good at guessing throwing parts at an EFI system you will not get anywhere without a code reader or scanner of some sort, the more money you spend the more it will tell you. 2/3's of the vehicles that have entered my stable have been fuel injected, I am by no means scared of them. But the 1/3 that are carbed have really given me little reason to ruthlessly bash carbs either.

 

[Ranger5.0]

no ruthless bashing, carbs have there place, and you dont need a code reader to diagnose EFI problems