What are the main reasons to going EFI?
Posts: 293
What are the main reasons to going EFI?
Location: Syracuse, NY area
Posts: 1,026
My VIN: 10287
Club(s): (DMA)
I'm not an expert on this subject by any means but from my perspective the top reason for converting to an EFI set-up are to eliminate some K-Jet parts (accumulator, fuel distributor, frequency valve) which lessens the likelihood of suffering hot and cold start problems. Some of these items are getting more difficult to obtain over time. From a performance view EFI allows for adjustments to be made more easily (running software as opposed to manually adjusting and swapping parts)
Several members here have already performed EFI swaps, Opethmike and Spittybug readily come to mind. Read their threads to gain some valuable insights. Oh and welcome to the forum
Nick A.
1988 BMW 325is
1982 DeLorean DMC-12
1989 Jaguar XJ6
Location: Florida: Pinellas County
Posts: 2,110
My VIN: 5003 Never placed Concourse
Club(s): (DCF)
I went to EFI because I wanted updated technology as well as the updated even-fire PRV version of the engine which I guess isn't a requirement since you can add EFI to the original engine. But IMO, the even-fire runs extremely smooth compared to the original engine. I also like the fact that you can manipulate settings easily with EFI. Parts are cheaper because you don't have to get DeLorean specific stuff, it is just getting over the expense of installation that you need to get over. I didn't have many issues with K-Jet in my 13 years of ownership, so that was not a main reason for me but it was nice to get rid of that stuff to be truthful...
Last edited by dn010; 02-13-2015 at 09:24 AM.
-----Dan B.
Posts: 4,808
My VIN: 3937
My car is still the stock k-jet. I have not had really any big problems with it and have never given much thought to going EFI.
And maybe that's really all it boils down to for some. If you've had problems with your k-jet system, you might start looking for alternatives. The system does not take well to having old gas sit in it for long periods of time.
That's not the only reason there can be problems, but a car without a history of gummed up fuel components will fair better than one that has. This might be from more of a reliability point of view than a performance one.
The even fire/odd fire thing mentioned is more performance minded than reliability, right? Or a bit of both?
Sept. 81, auto, black interior
Dave M vin 03572
http://dm-eng.weebly.com/
Location: Florida: Pinellas County
Posts: 2,110
My VIN: 5003 Never placed Concourse
Club(s): (DCF)
Even/odd fire is a matter of preference I guess. I had the odd-fire original DeLorean engine, and then I had a Volvo 780 Bertone with the even-fire version. I enjoyed that there was no "rock&roll" with the Volvo and my D's engine vibrated away. As far as performance, I believe there is somewhat of a gain with the even-fire version, but it is not a vast amount so the conversion may not be done for performance reasons alone. As far as reliability, any system that has not been taken care of will not be reliable (Although, K-Jet may be more sensitive to lack of maintenance). My K-Jet was reliable, and so is my EFI. It was easy for me: I didn't have to blow a massive amount of money doing the conversion. As stated, I already had the Even-Fire version of the engine so all it was, was a matter of swapping the crank cases and purchasing the MS system&EDIS.
Last edited by dn010; 02-13-2015 at 11:21 AM.
-----Dan B.
Location: Taylors SC
Posts: 5,326
My VIN: (former)05429
Club(s): (DMWC) (DCUK)
Odd vs Even fire is a bit of a red herring in this discussion - it doesn't have anything do to with using EFI per se, but rather the lack of ability of certain EFI controllers (Megasquirt in particular) to run odd-fire spark. There are folks running Megasquirt odd-fire but they are still using the DMC ignition distributor for spark.
There are/will be other controllers that can run odd-fire spark.
Dave S
DMC Midwest - retired but helping
Greenville SC
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,440
My VIN: 11408
Club(s): (DMWC) (TXDMC) (DCUK) (DOI)
You can run odd fire with megasquirt. But in order to do so you need MS3, and most DMC owners are running MS2 or MS1. Also need to have a crank and cam position sensor. It is much easier to just to get your tach signal off the dizzy and run fuel only. Which eliminates k-jet which is usually the reason to go to EFI (as mentioned in other posts)
Supercharged 5.3L LS4 + Porsche 6spd
[email protected]
lsdelorean.com
I am not affiliated with Delorean Midwest in anyway.
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 2,405
My VIN: 01049
I went to EFI for two reasons:
1. I wanted to tinker and see if I could accomplish the challenge.
2. I planned to (and did) upgrade my heads/cams/exhaust, and you can get a much more optimal tune (and hence power) with full control of the fueling across the power band.
Personally, I think it is much more time consuming and expensive and difficult to convert to EFI than fix an existing K-Jet issue. So personally I wouldn't do an EFI conversion as a way of avoiding K-Jet issues.
-Mike
My engine twists my frame.
1981 DeLorean, Carb LS4 swap completed
1999 Corvette, cam/headers/intake manifold, 400 rwhp
2005 Elise, stock
2016 Chevy Cruze
I'm much happier with EFI than the stock k jet. My k jet was clogged everywhere and the price to replace all of it was to high for me at the time. I run megasquirt 2 with extra running odd fire timing and fuel. Been running it for over 7 years and have not had any problems yet. I love ajustable performance.