YAJFIP (Yet Another Jeep Fuel Injection Project)

[ThunderWagon]

A small update: I had a work related trip to the area near the local u-pull-it so of course I had to swing in and check things out.

Scored a '92 454 TBI and 4 coils + a complete set of COP brackets/wiring. The TBI is the only one I saw that was complete (350 or 454), almost all were missing injectors and most were missing the pod assembly. Of course when I got it home, found out why... Some one nerfed the hell out of the supply & return fuel fittings/sockets. Some much for my plan to sell the 350 TBI to offset cost, I'll have to scavenge the injector pod bottom housing to fix up the 454. (Side note; I was grumbling (in my head) about the cost of the 454 tbi, but then I looked at eBay prices... ~$60 for a complete unit, even if it needs some work, doesn't seem so bad. )

Same deal with the coils, they were the only ones I could find and then only because someone was lazy or didn't have the right tools. The first two coils on each side were pulled but the brackets and rear coils were left behind. I think the coils are a hot item at this yard, they sell the 4 coils & bracket as a "pack" for $25; people probably turn around and sell them on eBay for $50+. At any rate, with the brackets & wiring, I will be able to get them wired & set up so all I should have to do is bolt on & plug in the coils when I find/buy more.

Some pics this weekend, maybe.

This will be the end of any significant progress for a while, burned through my little bit of saved project money and I have some other home/family related projects that need attention. Hopefully I can find some time to get some parts up for sale and get the project moving again.

(On another side note; posting from a tablet is okay, posting from my phone.... ugh. Had to get on the computer to fix this post. )

[ThunderWagon]

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. Unfortunately, not much progress in recent months.

The wife's car needed some maintenance/repair so that ate up most of the parts fund I had saved up to this point for the EFI project. Silly BMW and their staked u-joints... one starts to go and you have to replace the whole dang driveshaft. Plus side is that the wife is happy with a smooth driving car again.

I did manage to order a wide band O2 controller & sensor; figured I was going with a DIY fuel controller so might as well go with a DIY wide band controller too. I will post up when I receive it and get it put together.

Another small measure of progress, I have sourced some 3/8 stainless tubing for my fuel supply & return lines. One of the other groups at the company I work for does some work with 3/8 stainless and they generate a fair amount of drop material. They saved me a couple of the longer pieces so one of my closer/sooner projects will be to drop the gas tank and sort out the fuel pickup, supply & return runs. I had to wait for pieces to turn up in sufficient length, but I can't complain about free.

One good sized setback, my friend with the machine shop setup is now in the middle of a divorce and having to relocate all of his machines. This has thrown a wrench in my plans for mounting my timing wheel so I'll need to figure out something new or just wait for him to get relocated.

[shimniok]

My wide band controller just arrived today, coincidentally enough. Good luck. Took me quite awhile to get mine running and all I did was a simple GM TBI kit I got years before.

[ThunderWagon]

My wide band controller just arrived today, coincidentally enough. Good luck. Took me quite awhile to get mine running and all I did was a simple GM TBI kit I got years before.

Cool, I received mine but haven't done much aside from looking through the parts. It doesn't look any more difficult to assemble than the Megasquirt was.

In other news, I went into the u-pull-it yard last week looking for a few things for my daily driver (1st gen Toyota Tundra) and struck out on those... however, I found a full set & a half of coils! And they are LS2 truck coils also! The others I had found were LS1's, which would have worked fine but they weren't a complete set.



The ones with the wiring still attached are a full set from one engine and the other four will be spares. I was pretty stoked, not sure if I just had good timing or luck or what, but the last time I was in there everything was pretty much picked clean aside from the four coils I had found. Now I'll try to sell the four LS1's on craigslist or something, I guess. It would be nice to offset the cost of the new ones a little bit at least.

Now I have some parts and work available to do without spending much money so I'll hopefully be able to make some install progress . It still won't be very fast though, in case anyone was wondering!

[243]

What is the reason for multiple coils on an old school, wet manifold TBI system set up to run fuel management only?

I put together two systems, one for the 258 in my CJ and the second for the 360 in my FSJ using the FAQ on Binder Planet. I don't want to deter you from following through with your plan but I doubt you will see any benefit with 8 coils and MS over one coil and a 1227747 ECM, it's still a wet manifold system.

I hated the frame mounted pump on my CJ, it was too noisy, so I used the 97 Blazer tank in my Cherokee with the factory in tank pump and it's much quieter and no baffles are needed when using the fuel pump module with a reservoir.

[ThunderWagon]

What is the reason for multiple coils on an old school, wet manifold TBI system set up to run fuel management only?

For me, it's more the novelty and the possibility to use it than any practical reason or benefit. I started with the Megasquirt system, not a GM based system, so adding in the COP isn't too much additional work. Now that I have the coils, basically all I need is a mounting solution, some wiring & plug wires and to sort out the settings in the Megasquirt.

If I was starting from scratch right now, I would take a hard look at using an GM system. I've read a lot of good things about them.

I put together two systems, one for the 258 in my CJ and the second for the 360 in my FSJ using the FAQ on Binder Planet. I don't want to deter you from following through with your plan but I doubt you will see any benefit with 8 coils and MS over one coil and a 1227747 ECM, it's still a wet manifold system.

I hated the frame mounted pump on my CJ, it was too noisy, so I used the 97 Blazer tank in my Cherokee with the factory in tank pump and it's much quieter and no baffles are needed when using the fuel pump module with a reservoir.

I'm planning to start off with the inline pump so I can use the stock tank but I am seriously considering some sort of GM rear tank. Higher capacity, baffled, in tank pump make it very appealing. More than likely, a rear tank will be an upgrade/mod after I get it up and running unless I fall into some sort of deal on one.

[ThunderWagon]

Nothing much in the way of updates since last year...

I did buy a fuel pump and have that on hand but not much of anything else going on the the ol' jeep, yet.

However, I did run across a very interesting factoid that I wasn't aware of (while searching for information on titling a cheap chinese atv for my daughter, of all things)... I don't actually need to have an emissions test on the jeep anymore!!! Apparently, the rules have been revised and there is a 35-year rolling cut-off date now instead of a hard cut-off at 1974/5 for the emissions test requirement.

So, bottom line, the jeep is old enough to be exempt from emissions tests!

Now I have a bunch of work to do before I would be comfortable driving it on the street again (general maintenance stuff mostly plus a couple of outstanding moderate issues (& tires!) ) but it is a incredible morale boost to know I could actually be driving it again soon.

(Sorry for all the emoji things, I am just really psyched up. I didn't realize how much I was dreading dealing with the emissions test crap.)

[AwesomeJ10]

no emissions = good

[ferrum]

The GM large cap Coil in cap is not the preferred distr tho. You would be better off just using the stock AMC Duraspark and converting it according the the FAQs on the BP.

I have howell TBI setup with GM large cap coil in cap HEI distributor currently. Can you expand on why this is not the preferred distributor? Reason for asking is I was planning on keeping it and modify to working with timing control.

[FSJ Guy]

You can use it if that's what you already have, but it is not necessary to go out any buy one. AFAIK, you will have to replace the ignition module. Others here have done this. I have the stock duraspark modified simply by welding the mechanical advance so it does' advance anymore.

[ThunderWagon]

So as of last friday, the ThunderWagon is officially road legal again.

Not really drivable yet but it's legal (insured & current registration)...

And of course, just as I'm getting things refreshed and making it drivable, a manual transmission parts rig pops up...

More info to come if the deal goes through, plus I may have another rig to part out to recoup the cost of the purchase.

[ThunderWagon]

So, yeah, I bought another jeep...



'74 Cherokee NT, T-18, D20 (I'm assuming since it's stock)

As you may be able to tell from the picture, the rust is rather extensive. Rockers on both sides, typical rear wheel wells, and the floors are bad from what I've inspected so far.

So, parts rig! I will be taking everything related to doing the manual transmission swap and everything else will be up for grabs, maybe in a month or two. One of the conditions of purchase with the wife was that I finish several home projects before I dig into jeep stuff.

[Adventure_Wagon88]

Love those razor grilles, nice score! All 4 original wheels and hubcaps too? Kinda dig the look of those

[ThunderWagon]

Love those razor grilles, nice score! All 4 original wheels and hubcaps too? Kinda dig the look of those

Yep, I like my razor grill too! My 78 is in pretty good shape so this one will probably end up in the sales section. And yep, does appear to be original wheel & hubcaps, unfortunately the caps aren't in the best condition, especially the rear passenger side . Those will also end up in the sales section to see if anyone wants them.

A couple more pictures in case anyone was concerned about the restore-ability (making up a word?) of the 74...


So, yeah, not a lot to work with there... floors are really bad as well. Not going to feel too bad about cutting out some patch panels for the 78 and scrapping the rest of the sheet metal.

And something else I think I've discovered while doing research about swapping locking hubs between Dana 44's, pretty sure the 74 has flat top knuckles...

(Grr.. stupid photos, fixed it on my computer, then it was sideways on PB... fixed it on PB and now it's sideways again... F it. And now it looks like it's fixed... ?? )

So I might end up just rebuilding my widetrack 44 with the flat top knuckles & locking hubs from the narrow track and then cobbling the narrow track back together with the left over parts to sell. Still thinking that over, not really ever planning on needing high steer since my max lift will likely be in the 2-4 inch range but I like to keep my options open.

[Nikkormat]

PM Inbound!

[SJTD]

Haha! Vultures are circling already.

[ThunderWagon]

Haha! Vultures are circling already.

It's all good, sometimes I need a kick in the butt to make progress on a project. And my wife would be quite happy to get the parts jeep carcass out of the driveway!

PM Inbound!

PM Replied!

[Nikkormat]

Replied

[ThunderWagon]

It was a nice day in the Burq today so in addition to working on some lawn care stuff and other outdoor projects, I put in some time on the '78. Changed a couple of vacuum hoses (ended up just plugging the feed for the interior accessories (heater, quadratrac control, cruise)). I have a few more I need to change out but spraying carb cleaner around the other existing lines didn't seem to indicate any leaks. Ran it for a while and then changed to oil (hasn't been changed in way too long). Jeep runs better than it has in a long time but still has power under load issues, I'm guessing probably carb and/or timing related. I also suspect I might have a head gasket issue due to some white smoke at idle but that could be that it has been stored and not seriously run in a while.

Thinking about making my own leak down tester and seeing if I can diagnose it. If it is a leaky/blown head gasket, I'll probably just concentrate on the engine swap, assuming the "new" engine doesn't have any significant problems. And segueing into the '74, it is pretty much "ready to pull engine" condition, the only things connected are the engine & transmission mounts.

The story on the '74 is that the guy I bought it from drove it regularly a number of years for outdoor stuff (hunting/fishing) and then his buddy convinced him to swap the drivetrain into a Wagoneer. He got it swapped and then changed his mind, swapping it back into the Cherokee. At that point, he pretty much gave up since the wiring had been stripped out (for the swap I guess) and he couldn't (or didn't want to) get everything wired back up.

Now I am a little undecided where to go with it; do I wire it up enough to get it to fire to verify that it will run, do I do some diagnostics (compression check, maybe leak down test if I end up putting one together) and go from there, or are there some other tests that can be done on a "stored" engine? I know it doesn't have coolant, I haven't actually verified that the oil was drained yet. He did store it with some MMO in the cylinders so I'm hoping there won't be any issues there.

Since I'm going to have it pulled anyway, would the best course be some tear down to verify cylinder & bearing condition? (Maybe throw in a rv cam? ) I would really like to keep the costs down if possible. I'm hoping the '74 engine will be a "good enough" runner so my vague ideas of either taking my time to either rebuild the original engine or do a diesel swap may come to fruition before any other major engine work is needed.

Sorry this post is kind of rambling on, it's been a long day and I'm beat.

[ThunderWagon]

Nothing much of progress to report. I got the '74 parts rig title transferred over, probably an un-needed step but may make selling the shell easier if I try to do that versus scrap what's left of the sheet metal.

Picked up what I think are all of the needed fittings for the 3/8" fuel supply & return lines. Still need to make or buy fuel lines to go from hard lines to TBI inlet. Those, then sorting out my timing wheel and getting some sort of air cleaner setup are the minimum left to actually start installing stuff. Yay!