2.8 liter TBI swap

[dangerranger83]

Okay buy popular demand (lolololool) heres a video of it when first startd up. Thats what 650 rpm sounds like. Then after I reved it up a bit, it went to and idled at 800 rpm. My fuel pressure is at 44 psi.

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I have left the battery in it for awhile now without startig it and it hast drained so I think the power draw is gone, I think I had a relay sticking on me.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Sounds nice do you need a computer to run the TBI system the only time I had a short was the EEC relay was stuck closed. Just a thought

 

[dangerranger83]

The computer controls it all. It advances the timing, and tells the injectors when to open and close. As the accelerator is pressd (and the RPM's increase, it a combo of the two) the injectors go from opening and closing to staying open.

The EEC relay that runs the computer is an aftermarket one that I got from pepboys.

 

[jaymegriffiths]

cool man cant wait to see more of the project.
im startin up my old go cart project in a couple months just got the new motor today u can watch the startup vid too

 

[Twister]

Hey danger. I love you build thread.

I was wondering how hard was the TBI swap. I got an 85 and i hate the carb. I have tried doing research on the duraspark but it is still a mangled mess on paper. The TBI to me seems like a way more straight forward swap.

Is the TBI swap worth it, i am getting tired of the 8mpg carb setup and want something to get more outta my 2.8.

Let me know.

Thanks

 

[dangerranger83]

Well its not hard to set-up there are a few wires that you have to splice form the TBI harness into ones that the ranger hast in but most is plug and play. A good wiring diagram, I have one on my computer, helps out alot. Theres a write-up in the tech library that gives better detail on what you all need. As far as MPG I have no clue yet due to its not insured or plated for the road yet but it runs and drives very nicely, but said to get 20 or so mpg but that guy made the write-up has a modded enigne and igintion system.

In a few months my dad and I will be re-doing his truck top to bottom and will be sticking a TBI in his too, we went last weekend and got his system out of a Thunderbird and with the two of use getting the system out it only took 1 hour taking our time to grab everything we need from the car. My dads TBI system install will be very detailed on what we do.

My dad was going to Durasprk his but seeing that it was going to be cheaper in the end to do the TBI swap he decided to go back and do it.

The one thing that made my truck run right was a $28 dollar fuel regulator off ebay ,as seen in the pictures and video, its a non return style but since the TBI system is a return system it hasn't hurt a thing and that helps to prevent un-need pressure on the fuel pumps.

But make sure that when this swap is done you dont have to do emission testing or stuff like that though with the TBI set-up I guess you could have the Rangers emission system hooked up to it and it work but mine runs just fine with non of it hooked up.

Anymore questions I'll try to answer them the very best I can.

 

[Twister]

sounds good, when will you guys be doing your dads?

The main reason i think i am going to go with the TBI, is with my 85 i have the a4ld and with the duraspark i would have to rig something up to control the converter lock up because it has the overdrive. And i have heard like 6 different carbs that would work with the duraspark. The carb stuff just confuses me more.

You said that you had all the fuel line and fuel pump, would you have any idea as to how hard it would be to swap in the fuel lines and the fuel pump?

 

[dangerranger83]

Well maybe sooner then later on my dads truck we dont have the time now to do the cab swap on it. On my dads truck we will be putting in metal brake lines for the fuel lines and running the return line to the fill we neck hose so that excess fuel will drain back into the tank.

My truck is an 83 but had a 87 FI engine in it at one time and thats why it had the fuel system already in it. My dad got the fuel pumps from the same truck as the 87 engine came out of and said my truck alreday had the holes in the frame to mount Ford factory fuel pumps. What we plan on doing with his is putting an electric fuel pump onto his sending unit, we have a tank and pump from a later Ranger, so he will be running one pump instead of two, thats what he wants to do and an after market fuel regulator will help keep the pressure/flow down to what a 2.8 needs and not what a 3.8 needs, the regulator on the TBI unit cant do it alone.

As soon as the weather outside stays warm wse will be starting on his which may be very soon.

Theres guys on here that are still fine tuning there duraspark set-up on theres even after a year has passed and I love carbed engines but I still have a hard time understanding them and keeping up on the up-keep of them.

I will be hopefully be able to make detailed instructions on what wires go where from the TBI set-up to the Rangers wires. On mine we have like three or so wires that do nothing and are wrapped up and tucked away under my hood.

Our Tbi set-ups came from auto trannies so that might be good for you as when on our manual trannies, mine is fixed not to have a hanging idle, it stays at high idle for 3 seconds think that the auto tranny is shifting gears.

Anymore question I'll try to answer them the best I can.

 

[Twister]

Sounds good. I will be watching.

I dont plan on starting with mine till the summer so i got a lot of time to research, plan and find all the parts.

 

[dangerranger83]

One thing my dad couldnt believe is your 8mpg. ATM he is getting 12 mpg and the exhaust fumes are horrible I can only imagine what yours are like. Thank goodness we got his exhaust fixed and got rid of the leaks, stop lights where fuming us out.

 

[Twister]

My exhaust is really not that bad, my engine burns some oil when i first start it up bu i am pretty sure it goes away. Me and my bro are going to replace the valve stem seals this summer as well.

I am ordering new radiator for it as well.

Just for now i am trying to get it running good, then i am going to start doing other stuff do it.

 

[dangerranger83]

The only reason I have the TBI system is because my dad had put it on his truck but we couldnt get it tuned in time (we needed an after market fuel regulator) and didnt relize it so we put a carb back on his and I got his old engine and swaped out the 1987 2.3 he had put in it 10 years ago for the 2.8 and his TBI system was the only fuel system I had for it and he gave it to me and used my truck as a test one so he can do it in the future and sure enough we got it working right.

Mine and his TBI systems costed us $75 each from the junkyard. That included the air cleaner housing, TBI unit and the wiring harness, computer and sensors.

When he gets the rest of the stuff to do the swap, he says it will take use 2 days to get it all set-up and running, knowing how to wire it now and looking at my truck for referance. This will be our 5th time pulling the bed off the truck if he does put an internal pump in the tank, I brought up how he is going to get power to it and not have the tank leak fumes/gas. That one of those things thats "in the air".

 

[Twister]

So, how is your guys trucks going?

 

[dangerranger83]

I made a build thread for my dads, check it out in my signature, Im about to update his now.

 

[Coyote]

Good job! and good problem solving abilities, too.
Congrates!