How to go EFI

Engine related articles specific to induction (carby, EFI etc.)
Gene FJ20DEBT
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How to go EFI

Post by Gene FJ20DEBT »

SUBMITTED BY - Gemi Coupe


This only covers fuel injection, no turbos or superchargers.
To fuel inject you ride you will need:
An injection manifold,
An upgraded fuel pump,
An ECU
A bit of ingenuity.

First up, the manifold.

There are a few ways to do this, first and most expensive, build your own. slightly cheaper, build your own plenum and bolt it to a 2.6 Rodeo inlet manifold lower runners. Im pretty sure the piazza manifold also fits?

The easiest way is to use weber style throttle bodys and bolt them to an adaptor or straight to the head if they fit. Or you can use the complete manifold from a 2.6 rodeo, 4 cyl petrol engine. Look for one that has normal looking injectors, its easier to change them than the ones with hose on the end of them. There are also two different types of throttle body, both are oval shaped, both have 2 throats in them, one has a slightly smaller throat on the bottom, they are set up as a staged system, they work but they're fairly ordinary.

You will need sensors on the manifold, you'll need a throttle position sensor, a coolant temp sensor, an inlet air temp sensor, a manifold air pressure sensor (MAP), you may also need a mass air flow sensor depending on the type of ecu you use. Other parts of a computer controlled system can include a speed sensor, an idle control stepper motor, thermo fans, exhaust gas recirculation, O2 sensor in the exhaust, ect ect.

The manifold is bolted to the side of the head (obviously), with the rodeo manifold you will need to remove the upper row of studs in the head and use longer bolts through the manifold. Make sure there is enough room between the manifold and the brake master cylinder; account for room for the engine twisting on the mounts. You will also need to work out other things like the coolant hoses to the heater; they are all fairly similar to the Gemini setup. The inlet piping will be dependant on the setup you are building, eg, blown, turbo, NA.

http://img114.exs.cx/img114/4261/inject ... old9rr.jpg

Next is the fuel pump. (coupe and sedan only, i haven’t seen the pump setup in a wagon, should be similar though)
First, get an in tank pump from a Magna, rodeo, Daewoo ect, they look almost exactly the same as a Gemini in tank pump but they are a little bit wider and longer. Fit it into the standard Gemini cradle, you will need to be a little creative. I used the rubber surround off the old gem pump and modified it to fit around the new pump, then I used a longer bolt in the clamp in the cradle. Make sure the pump filter is in roughly the same position as the old gem one, eg, off to one side, or you will have trouble putting it in the tank. Sorry no pics. It is also a good idea to get the metal pipe increased in diameter to suit the output of the pump, let a pro do this, you don’t want a fuel leak in the boot.

From there you can run it directly to the manifold (through a filter, NOT a plastic one) or you can run it into a surge tank and then through an external pump to the engine. If you do put an external pump in the boot, wire both pumps through separate relays from a dedicated power feed line, use the original pump wire to trigger the relays. Make sure the power wire and ground wires are sufficient for the load, low power can give a low fuel pressure and the car will run like s*#t under load. It may be a good idea to upgrade you fuel delivery line if you are looking for big power outputs, the original delivery line is sufficient for a return line so you don’t need to replace it. I am currently using all the standard lines without a problem.

Next is the ECU.

There is a LOT of choice here depending on how much you want to pay. anywhere from $800 to $3500 is normal, don’t buy something with a million and one functions if your not going to use them, find something that suits YOUR purpose, not your mates full sic 20B.
Look for packages that include wiring looms or you may have to build one, also look at what sort of cam/crank signal it needs, Gemini’s use a Kettering/Points ignition system, some ECU's can't recognize a signal from that. One way to get around that is to custom fit a S5 13B crank sensor to your engine and then run direct fire ignition coils. I haven't done it so don’t ask me, I have seen it a few times, very neat.

The other thing to look at when buying an ecu is who can tune it? It's no good spending $4000 on the latest Trust programmable ecu from Japan if no one knows anything about it. You may also need a laptop to program the system if a hand controller is not available. They are pretty cheap off eBay.
I am using a Kalmaker ECU, its basically a programmable GM delco standard Holden ECU, I had to custom build a dizzy so it had a signal it recognized and there aren't very many people who can tune it, this can be very annoying at times but I had my own reasons for using it. At the moment the ecu thinks it’s connected to a 2L camira.

All up this isn't something to be taken on lightly, you will need some mechanical know how, some electrical know how and a s*#t load of patience. You may also be disappointed if you were expecting heaps more power, its beneficial in reducing you fuel usage, makes starting on cold mornings easier and generally makes the engine smoother and more drivable over the entire rev range. It will make other mods like turbos and superchargers a lot more powerful and fuel efficient though.
It can be difficult to detail a complete system seeing as so many different variations can be done, it is easier just to answer specific questions about particular parts, so if anyone has any queries, hit me and I’ll try to answer them. Generally I would budget around the $3000 mark for an injection system, so shop around and find the best deal that suits you.
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Gene FJ20DEBT
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Post by Gene FJ20DEBT »

Nice write up :D


I have a question or 2 :D

1: Why do u recommend 2 separate relays for the 2 pumps?? Why not run one relay??

Reason being I’m running a carter lift pump (5 amp draw) and a VL-T pump (10 amp draw) and most car relays are 30 amp.. so is there specific any reason 4 the 2 relays

And
2: u said to upgrade the intake pump for the new efi system to an in-tank efi pump.. Fair enough, I agree.. but then u said if u are running a surge tank to still use this pump to fill the surge tank....? If you’re running a surge tank there is no real reason to be upgrading the in-tank pump (unless u have a lot of power in the engine bay). And even if u did u would want a high volume low pressure pump to fill the surge tank, not a EFI high pressure pump…
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Gemi Coupe
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Post by Gemi Coupe »

first the relays, its more of a backup thing that i do, if one relay dies (which isn't that likeley) the engine will still run, albeit with low fuel pressure, but it will get you home.
second, the surge tank. the fuel pump creates pressure by flowing fuel against a restriction, eg, a fuel rail, pressure reg and injectors. the efi pumps have a higher flow rating than the gemini pump so they can supply a sufficient amount of fuel against the restriction/pressure. if your in tank pump is too small you can run your surge tank dry, which can be REAL bad. i usually plumb the fuel return line into the surge tank just to keep it as full as possible. the in tank pump i have reccomended is also extremely common and generally pretty cheap. it will also run the engine by itself if need be.
BTW, i generally have a habit of over engineering things, better to have too much than not enough :D
Boosted TG
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Post by Boosted TG »

3k hmm lol might stick to the carbi's :( the injection setup would cost more than my paint job, engine and car hahaha
Boosted TG
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Post by Boosted TG »

sounds good, i'd much rather go efi with a decent comp and get more out of the g200 than i would with carbi's . . . just money is an issue at the moment :( but i'll pm if i come accross a cash flow :D
gemmy1984
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Post by gemmy1984 »

You can also use a ECU out of a n13 pulsar and then get it reprogrammed and a new memcal ship put into it. One of my mates did that and cut about 800 off the price.
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Gemi Coupe
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Post by Gemi Coupe »

you mean memcal Chip?

and that pretty much the pov version of the kalmaker, my system uses the delco ECU, out of the astra, camira ect, and is fully programmable in realtime whenever i want.

getting just a new memcal is all good, until you want to do something else and need it retuned, then you need a new chip.
powerhorse
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Post by powerhorse »

if i wanted to get an ecu system that i can adapt to a laptop so while driving i could change specs n stuff....wat system would work for it
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Gene FJ20DEBT
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Post by Gene FJ20DEBT »

most of them allow u to do that
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kaddis
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Post by kaddis »

Gemi Coupe wrote:you mean memcal Chip?

and that pretty much the pov version of the kalmaker, my system uses the delco ECU, out of the astra, camira ect, and is fully programmable in realtime whenever i want.

getting just a new memcal is all good, until you want to do something else and need it retuned, then you need a new chip.
is the delco ecu the stock computer out of the astra? how is it programmable? what program, etc and would it connect up?
Gemi Coupe
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Post by Gemi Coupe »

yea, the delco is the stock computer out of the astra, but only the model thats the same as the pulsar (n13?)
Its also found in the JE camira, and VN-VR commodores.

yuo have to make sure you get the delco 808 ECU.

the factory computer isnt programmable as such, but can be fitted with a 'realtime board' making it programmable.
the Kalmaker realtime board and software is whats used to tune the ECU.
The advantage with the 1.8L Astra ECU is its allready perfect for a 1.8L EFI conversion, and the JE Camira 2.0L ECU is perfect for a 2.0L conversion as the fuel maps and engine sizes are allready set with the right values, or pretty damn close anyway.

If your really keen on learning about the Delco, and the Kalmaker system then jump onto www.kalmaker.com.au and have a good look around, they go pretty indepth over the whole system.
If you still have questions after that, they also have their own forum, that can be linked to from the front page, or via here http://kalmaker.hotrodhandbooks.com.au/phpBB2/index.php
they are all a very friendly bunch.
I can answer a lot of your questions, but not as much as they can.
kaddis
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Post by kaddis »

thanks! i've posted asking the info i need about the computer but im not sure what inlet to use i've heard alot about rodeo manifolds are they a strait bolt on?? or need modding? what models are these off aswell?

thanks
Gemi Coupe
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Post by Gemi Coupe »

yea, you can use the rodeo manifold, It'll bolt straight on.

Im thinking about selling my kalmaker ECU as i have a CA18 in my gem now, and im looking at getting into the megasquirt system.
If your interested, I have a kalmaker ECU with 4 cyl engine resistor pack, Rodeo manifold (no injectors, or throttle body) and an old laptop that will run kalmaker.
I also have the ECU plug harness, salvaged from a commodore, Or i think i have a whole 2L camira loom somewhere.
I could probably rustle up a commodore throttle body for you if you wanted, that'll work perfectly with the kalmaker.

PM if your interested and we can get into more details
sammy
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Post by sammy »

So i can use a astra delco ecu form this??
Isnt there like crank angle sensors and other sensors that need to be used?
Would it be easier to use something like the LT-4 from microtech that controls just fuel??? and just use that?
Thanks
IZU069

Post by IZU069 »

Maybe the microtech can use Kettering ignition etc - you can figure that out.
This covers the EFI only and points out the 4ZE1 manifold & Delco 808 etc.
The Delcos are available for under $80, and RodeoBob has written a good article about (click...) HowToRemoveDelcoFromPulsarAstra.
I think it also mentions CAS, but there are other posts on that too (eg 4ZE1 dizzy etc.)
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