FiTech EFI system

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Thanks Ken,
I will give that a try but now I've got a new issue. I had the Dart out on Friday heading to a cruise when it just plane started cutting out. I was just cruising heading to the gas station as my gauge was on 1/8 of a tank when it started acting like it was out of gas. I made it to the gas station and filled it up but the car just kept acting the same. Luckily I was only a couple of miles from my house and managed to limp it home having to restart it about 15 times. When I got it back to my garage I discovered that it wasn't only under load but in park as well. If I raise and hold the throttle to 2500 RPMs it will come up and then after a few seconds the RPMs drop and die like it's running out of fuel. I figured it might be that Tanks Inc (Walbro 255) pump as I read about a lot of people having trouble with them. So I went to Summit and bought a Aeromotive 300 LPH pump, dropped the tank and replaced it. Well as luck would have it, no change. I've e-mailed Fitech, we'll see what happens.


ken5124 said:
I would watch your map numbers at the time you get that lean issue when getting back on it.. You may be at the point where fuel is being shut off. DFCO cut fuel map
If you are, then try lowering the dfco number to slightly less than what the MAP numbers say. Bring the DFCO return map just above the number you set the DFCO Cut fuel map to.
There is also the DFCO return fuel setting to consider

Ken
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I am also getting an exhaust pop during decel. I will be waiting to hear back from others on their findings.

Here is another view of how I ran my fuel lines. (notice how I could disguise it as a charcoal canister?)

This ground strap (from Napa's help section) fits from the rear of a head to a "carb stud". I did have to open one hole slightly with a round file.

Also note that using the right wrench prevents marring fittings

Fuel line routing.png


Ground strap.jpg


wrench.jpg
 
UCUDANT said:
Maybe you missed my point previously you stated "ported" vacuum (above the throttle blades) what I found stated "manifold" vacuum
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All,

I wanted to report that I have been struggling with hi idle temps on my new 360 build. I switched my vac advance over to manifold port for my source on the FiTech. I dialed down the throttle body to get the IAC and the idle right and she runs and stays cool very well now. I lost some of the cam lope but the engine is as smooth as butter and staying at 179 degrees. I still need to sort out the whole timing scheme, as the starter still drags some @ 190 deg but for now I much happier. The engine combo could not tolerate no timing at idle and was reading 215 deg at a light after a put around for 10 minutes.

Marion
 
Hey Guys,
This guy from YouTube has a bunch of helpful videos on you tube. He explains how to fix a lot of the Fitech problems some of you are having. Check out this link.

 
just had a quick few questions I can't seem to find searching..

On timing and the SPARK MAP

1. During cranking, is the engine starting on base timing then advances to idle advance once idle RPM is met? Or is it starting on idle advance?
Scenario: I would like to run 18*btdc at idle, but I want to only crank/start at 14*btdc to help hot starts. Can this be achieved with base timing(14*btdc) idle advance(18*btdc), or would it be better to set the idle advance at 14*btdc and have (1100 45kPa) set to 18*btdc

2. Are you inputting the target degrees you want to advance to, or the number of degrees you want to advance to?
Example: Idle timing is set at 18*btdc, I want (WOT 3000 95kPa) to be 34*btdc. On the handheld do I input 34* to indicate the target degrees, or 16* to direct how many degrees to advance. basically who does the math, me or the handheld
Thanks in advance (pun intended)
 
JoeSBP said:
just had a quick few questions I can't seem to find searching..

On timing and the SPARK MAP

1. During cranking, is the engine starting on base timing then advances to idle advance once idle RPM is met? Or is it starting on idle advance?
Scenario: I would like to run 18*btdc at idle, but I want to only crank/start at 14*btdc to help hot starts. Can this be achieved with base timing(14*btdc) idle advance(18*btdc), or would it be better to set the idle advance at 14*btdc and have (1100 45kPa) set to 18*btdc

2. Are you inputting the target degrees you want to advance to, or the number of degrees you want to advance to?
Example: Idle timing is set at 18*btdc, I want (WOT 3000 95kPa) to be 34*btdc. On the handheld do I input 34* to indicate the target degrees, or 16* to direct how many degrees to advance. basically who does the math, me or the handheld
Thanks in advance (pun intended)
Click to expand...

Sorry I don't have answer, but wanted to commend you on your clear question, and I am interested also. :)
 
JoeSBP said:
just had a quick few questions I can't seem to find searching..

On timing and the SPARK MAP

1. During cranking, is the engine starting on base timing then advances to idle advance once idle RPM is met? Or is it starting on idle advance?
Scenario: I would like to run 18*btdc at idle, but I want to only crank/start at 14*btdc to help hot starts. Can this be achieved with base timing(14*btdc) idle advance(18*btdc), or would it be better to set the idle advance at 14*btdc and have (1100 45kPa) set to 18*btdc

2. Are you inputting the target degrees you want to advance to, or the number of degrees you want to advance to?
Example: Idle timing is set at 18*btdc, I want (WOT 3000 95kPa) to be 34*btdc. On the handheld do I input 34* to indicate the target degrees, or 16* to direct how many degrees to advance. basically who does the math, me or the handheld
Thanks in advance (pun intended)
Click to expand...

From what I have learned.. The engine will crank on your base timing 14.. then once running will adjust to what you would like, 18. Set the timing at the various breakpoints to the timing that you want it to run at.. I use 34 on my WOT settings for 3000 and 6000 rpm, and higher settings for the cruise or 45 KPA settings ( i use 44 degrees, at 45kpa, to bring in more advance at cruise or light loads) at 3000 and 6000.

At 1100 rpm , if increase from my idle of 18 to about 23 for light load and about 20 for WOT

If you want 34 degrees at 3000 95KPA, then enter 34 degrees.

See here: Handheld Controller Feature Definitions – FiTech Fuel Injection
Hope that helps
Ken
 
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so if your idle is 18* and your max advance is 44*, that is 26*, even more if your base is less than 18*.

I thought the unit could only produce a 20* total sweep?
 
JoeSBP said:
so if your idle is 18* and your max advance is 44*, that is 26*, even more if your base is less than 18*.

I thought the unit could only produce a 20* total sweep?
Click to expand...

yes mine will only got to 44. then it indicates max value, so it appears it can do 30 degrees from distrib base setting of 14.
Ken
 
So I am still fighting mine. It's acting like it's running out of fuel. It will just die when you pull out and when in the driveway and revved to 3000 RPM it will stall when I let up off of the gas. I emailed Bryce from Fitech my log file and he has confirmed that it is indeed running out of fuel. I replaced my brand new Walbro pump with another Areomotive 400 LPH pump with no change. I will keep you guys informed.
 
superchargeddrt said:
I will keep you guys informed.
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Yes please do. This sounds scary. I would hate to be driving along and all of a sudden something like this happens. Mine has been in for almost a year now, of course it sat in the garage for 4-5 months over winter. Knock on wood so far it's still running well. I'm looking into switching to EFI on my Duster to run at the track. FiTech is the front runner but was looking at the Holley Sniper too.
 
superchargeddrt said:
So I am still fighting mine. It's acting like it's running out of fuel. It will just die when you pull out and when in the driveway and revved to 3000 RPM it will stall when I let up off of the gas. I emailed Bryce from Fitech my log file and he has confirmed that it is indeed running out of fuel. I replaced my brand new Walbro pump with another Areomotive 400 LPH pump with no change. I will keep you guys informed.
Click to expand...
Tried the pump on a switch or right to the battery instead of through the unit? For trouble shooting purposes?
 
Okay,
So here's a little story for you. While my buddy Larry and I were troubleshooting the issue with the Fitech system just letting engine die when letting up off of the gas free revving or driving down the street, I notice smoke coming out of the engine compartment. Panic sets in as the engine stops and everything goes black. I jump out of the car and race to the trunk with the key and a 1/2" wrench to disconnect the battery, I went as fast as I could but the damage was already done. I fried the fusable link I put in for the 8 gauge alternator wire I put in when I put the headlight relays.in (thank God I did that it could have been much worse), the feed wire going from the relay to the starter and the fusable link going into the interior. After the panic subsided we did a little forensics and found that the 8 gauge wire to the alternator had came into contact with the header and melted through causing all of the excitement.

I immediately went to work replacing the fried wiring but while we were doing that Larry said "hey, what's this?" as he picks up what looked like a clear vacuum cap. Turns out it WAS a clear vacuum cap that came off of the throttle body! Watch out for this boys and girls, these caps fit very loosely and I don't know if it was knocked off or if a backfire popped it off but it was definitely off. We replaced it with a real cap and fired the car up (this time without any fire external to the engine LOL). I was sure that this would cure the engine dying problem but not quite. The IAC counts we're waaaaayyyy off and we had to adjust them down from 125. They were running at 10 before but they must have been adjusted with the vacuum cap off. I tried revving the engine again with hopes for better results but no such luck arrrrgh. We then did some research and found this Decel RPM Decay setting. This setting controls how quickly your engine returns to idle. I lowered the value and boom!!!! fixed. See what I pasted from Fitech below. Also, if you are having trouble, like I was when letting up off of the gas while cruising and the engine feeling like it's surging up and down you might want to disable the DFCO (deceleration fuel cutoff). This is used to save fuel but I am more interested in the car running correctly. To disable raise the temperature that it's supposed to come in at from 68° to 300°. I hope that this helps everyone.


Decel RPM Decay = When the throttle is closed, and the engine is returning to idle speeds, the Idle Closed loop will use Target RPM to control the speed during that period. The Target RPM will decay to the normal idle speed in a controlled manner. A smaller “Decel RPM Decay” value will be SLOWER.
 
superchargeddrt said:
... We then did some research and found this Decel RPM Decay setting. This setting controls how quickly your engine returns to idle. I lowered the value and boom!!!! fixed. ...
Click to expand...

First of all sorry to hear about the fire / smokeout. Hope it's not too bad to get back to normal.

One question, why did that value get so high? I'm glad you were able to find it but just wondering how it got there. Good to know it was nothing hardware-wise and just a setting. Thanks for the tip on the vacuum caps too.
 
superchargeddrt, Thanks as I read what you wrote started to get concerned as I JUST upgraded my headlights with a relay set up and also ran an 8 gauge wire and fusible link too. Glad you found it was simply a misplaced/burnt wire. I hope everything else is OK.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to share what they learn, it really does help the rest of us.
 
UCUDANT said:
superchargeddrt, Thanks as I read what you wrote started to get concerned as I JUST upgraded my headlights with a relay set up and also ran an 8 gauge wire and fusible link too. Glad you found it was simply a misplaced/burnt wire. I hope everything else is OK.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to share what they learn, it really does help the rest of us.
Click to expand...
You're absolutely welcome. I have benefited from all of the info here. I am just happy to be able to give back.
 
SalC said:
First of all sorry to hear about the fire / smokeout. Hope it's not too bad to get back to normal.

One question, why did that value get so high? I'm glad you were able to find it but just wondering how it got there. Good to know it was nothing hardware-wise and just a setting. Thanks for the tip on the vacuum caps too.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I think that the RPM Decay was set at factory default which might not work for everybody's engine. The Deceleration Fuel Cutoff (DFCO) is supposed to cut off the fuel during deceleration to save fuel. I think the setting is set up for a automatic car and not a automatic that has a manual valve body that coasts in first and third gear (same for an manual transmission). They say that the deceleration fuel cutoff should be around 16 and the deceleration fuel return should be around 18 for a manual transmission vehicle. I just raised the temperature that the DFCO comes in at from 68° to 300° effectively turning it off. I am more worried about performance than gas mileage.
 
Ok, so another piece in combating the dreaded RPM noise fault code.Even after all of the shielding I did on the coil pickup, coil pickup wire and O2 sensor, I would still occasionally get a RPM noise fault. I decided that this could also be coming from AC ripple coming from the alternator. My battery is in the trunk and even though I ran the wires for the Fitech all the way to the battery It's such a long run I didn't think that the filtering from just the battery was enough. I made this filter to help with the noise. I have included a couple of pictures of the oscilloscope trace for you guys to see.

The link that I bought was from Lowe's. It is 1/2" and costs about $5.00.
The wire that I used was 14 gauge house wiring.
The capacitor is a 8200 uf @ 35 volts (make sure you use one that is rated at 35 volts just to be safe)
When you wind the wire make sure you keep the wires close and tight.
The capacitor positive lead goes to the positive voltage input wire. Notice that I melted the insulation away and soldered the positive lead of the capacitor to it. I then slid heat shrink tubing over it.. The negative lead of the capacitor just has the purple wire on it that will go to gound.

I black taped the capacitor to the link and then used huge heat shrink to cover it. You probably won't be able to get heat shrink that large (I got mine from work) but you can just electrical tape everything up.

I mounted this just below the firewall (cable tied to the transmission dipstick tube) so you don't see it.
It is a few inches way from the harness connector DO NOT CUT THE HARNESS COMING OUT OF THE THROTTLE BODY, THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY, RATHER CUT THE WIRE ON THE PLUG THAT CONNECTS TO THAT HARNESS.
Pictures.
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EDIT: A good video on Decel cutoff, and correcting popping and stalling etc




Sorry to hear you are still having interference. I have only shield my wires so far, I never had any issues with that as far as I can tell. I did buy the stainless wire, and ground the unit well. I did see numbers moving at and heard/hear clicking KOEO though.

Some updates, I found my damper had slipped. This meant when I pulled and locked the distributor and re-installed it timing was off based on the slipped mark. I also relashed my valves. Adjusting the timing raised vaacuum at idle and altered the IAC reading/fuel trim. I re-adjusted the IAC (TPS at zero) to regain a reading of 3-10.

Then I found that even though I had saved my engine as a 340 cubic inch and selected the #3 cam (twice since it didnt take the first time) the fitech showed it as the base setting 400ci with a #2 cam.

Should I start a relearn or will it adjust?
 
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UCUDANT said:
Sorry to hear you are still having interference. I have only shield my wires so far, I never had any issues with that as far as I can tell. I did buy the stainless wire, and ground the unit well. I did see numbers moving at and heard/hear clicking KOEO though.

Some updates, I found my damper had slipped. This meant when I pulled and locked the distributor and re-timed it timing was off. I also relashed my valves. I found that even though I had saved my engine as a 340 cubic inch and selected the #3 cam (twice since it didnt take the first time) the fitech showed it as the base setting 400ci with a #2 cam.

Should I start a relearn or will it adjust?
Click to expand...

On the issue of key on engine off random numbers, I think you will find that it is the o2 sensor wires, when the o2 heater is active prior to starting. In the most recent software they sent me for Go efi 4 power adder version, it has a setting to turn the pre heat off, and that got rid of those Key on engine off random tach numbers.

It should save your main settings, even with the battery disconnected.

Ken
 
ken5124 said:
On the issue of key on engine off random numbers, I think you will find that it is the o2 sensor wires, when the o2 heater is active prior to starting. In the most recent software they sent me for Go efi 4 power adder version, it has a setting to turn the pre heat off, and that got rid of those Key on engine off random tach numbers.

It should save your main settings, even with the battery disconnected.

Ken
Click to expand...

I am a tad unhappy that the instructions I recieved over a year ago said NOT to connect vacuum to the fuel regulators. Then theres an update.... How do find this out? Thats NOT COOL

I know it should have saved the settings. I sent them to the ECU and powered down?

My main question right now is do I need to start a relearn or is the system going to keep learning? I only had a a few drive cycles on it maybe 30 gallons of gas (so whats that 45 miles LOL)
 
Just wanted to point something out I recently learned. When running FiTech for timing, the car starts/fires at base timing. Once you hit idle rpm, it moves to idle advance. This means you can set your base timing at say 16*btdc for easy starts hot and cold, but run whatever gives you true max vacuum at idle. 20* gave me max vacuum, but would kick back on hot starts, so I ran 18*. Now I'm running 16* base, 20* idle, and WOT is 34*
 
Manifold Vacuum to both throttle body regulator and FCC regulator if you have one, was added as a tip from Fitech on their FAQ sections.. Found it myself , quite by accident as well..

But it lowers Fuel pressure at idle by about 10 on my system.

And a relearn won't hurt to start fresh

Ken
 
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