The EFI Conversion Debacle - An Overcomplicated, Finicky, Failure Prone Solution To A Simple Problem

Our friends at DD Speedshop recently went through hell installing and attempting to troubleshoot and repair a Holley Sniper EFI system on their Chevy Nomad Power Tour ride. Ultimately, they ended up pulling the entire system and replaced it with a carb.
Here is our perspective on the history of these systems, how they differ from OEM units, and specifically why the perceived need for these conversions evolved and the problems they are attempting to overcome.
The cause and possible solutions may surprise you.
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[@ninjajunpei1984]

Luke over at Thunderhead289 would be someone to discuss this with. His "carb cheater" system he has come up with is a start in that direction. I think if you were to pose this to him, I think he might be able to create that work around you are pondering on. I think a collaboration between you two would be interesting.

[@UncleTonysGarage]

This keeps coming up in the comments. Luke has been trolling me hard for a few years now...and that's after he outright accused me of copying him. Collaboration? Not likely!

[@Mongoose3769]

With modern computers I think a realistic computer-controlled/assisted carburetor is very viable. By the time carbs died in the '80s the computer technology just wasn't there yet, but now, you could have electronic throttle control, fuel temp sensors, bowl cutoffs like UTG said, automatic idle circuit tuning, all controlled by a little Raspberry Pi or similar box with infinite tuning and customization. It could definitely be designed in such a way where if the computer failed, it would still operate like a normal carb to retain the reliability. That's the dream at least. Thunderhead289 definitely has the killer combo of extensive carb knowledge and computer programming skill.

[@rondye9398]

@@Mongoose3769 Are we talking the Variable Venturi nightmares of the early 80's? Computer controlled carbs, sheesh. Just add an electric pump to the lowest place near the tank you can.

[@rudyjhughes]

Ya because inducing a vacuum leak is the way to go 😶

[@jamesstoy8967]

His device just keep AFR steady for temp an altitude changes. That definitely has it's benefits if the carb is tuned correctly and around it. I think precise ignition timing for the RPM range under different conditions however will be the next big step for him.

[@moparcasey3135]

I work at a hot rod shop and we are a Holley dealer, I’ve installed about 15 snipers and half were junk! Carburetor life forever!!

[@johnanderson591]

Yes

[@olliehopnoodle4628]

Sitting on top of the engine seems like a brutal place for an ECU. Heat is really bad for integrated circuits.

[@BigBing1987]

@@olliehopnoodle4628 you think someone would have learned that fact after chryslers lean burn computers all failed 30 yrs ago. The dealers couldnt even keep those computers alive and a majority failed due to heat fatique because it was mounted on the air cleaner. Or someone would have learned from the gm 6.5 turbo diesel PMD module, there was a whole industry making relocation kits and harnesses for those cause they ALL fail due to heat, since its mounted on the intake in the oem setup.

[@carguy3028]

@@olliehopnoodle4628it’s not located somewhere else, that is really surprising, I have never used an aftermarket efi system, I prefer the factory systems mainly because they are already on the engine like an ls swap for example.

[@Imwright720]

I had an ecu that ran my a15. It kept breaking. My neighbor builds electronic and looked at the first one before they filled them completely with resin. He said oh this part can’t be heat cycled. Originally it was located on top of the engine. It got really hot especially after you turn it off. I made a new longer harness and moved it. Problem solved.

[@r1lark]

Good to see that there is at least ONE old car KZbin channel that's not sponsored by Holley EFI!! 🙂

[@jamesstoy8967]

The EFI itself is like a trend. People don't realize or want to realize the cons out weigh the pros still. Personally, I think the Car Cheater device is really all the average guys need. It's simple and practically fail safe while keeping steady AFR.

[@yamahaguy1732]

I think you would like the craig 909. He does ford stuff. I’m a Chevy guy myself and love his content.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Most sites are going to push EFI and LSx/crate engines because that's where the MONEY for them is...

[@yamahaguy1732]

@@BuzzLOLOL yeah because they run nearly double the carb and sbc

[@JimBronson]

@@BuzzLOLOL New carbs are not cheap anymore. A vacuum secondary 600cfm that used to be less than 200 bucks when I was in high school in the 1980s is now over $400. If you want something fancy like a Holley XP, you can easily double that number. For something really specialized like say a CSU blow through carb you're getting into EFI territory (minus the fuel pumps) anyway. Just goes to say there's money in carbs too. A lot of money in some cases. So it's not just the marketing.

[@JimLBon]

I think the 90’s/early 00’s was the pinnacle. The cars then were very well made and the management systems were not overly complicated. My current 97 F250 with 460 is a great truck. OBD1, one O2 sensor, doesn’t even have a MAF. If you’re a hot rodder it’s a bottleneck system but it’s simple, reliable and very easy to work with.

[@mikeg3529]

I agree. In my opinion the peak of reliability was right after distributors went away but before throttle bodies went to drive by wire. At that point alot of engines needed nothing but fluid and filters up to 100,000 miles...at which point you might do sparkplugs and accessory belt. Any other work was to replace parts on a wear and tear basis. Now we've gone too far where the systems designed to increase efficiency and power introduce new problems and failures. A great example is how direct injection engines suffer from intake valve carbon fouling.

[@caseyorosz3619]

Your 97 should be OBD2. My 96 f150 is

[@indicasativa8542]

I installed dozens of aftermarket EFI systems and have come to realize that most people who complain about them just don’t really understand how to tune them.

[@bighoudini6130]

You need to smoke some killer weed first and stand back and let the magic happen.

[@matthewmonsees8288]

I think that they like to compare bolting on an efi system and expecting it to work, vs spending the time working on and tuning a carb. They both need tuning to run right, the big difference is that the EFI only needs "tuned" when you change something big. Regressing to points and carbs because you don't like efi is purposeful ignorance. I will at least give credit when it's "just not my thing" instead of "carbs are better because I won't learn anything new"

[@username-kl1gj]

I used to think the same thing about carbs. Thought they were better. Now that I'm learning and working on my efi I realize that the tunability with the efi blows away any carb setup. Especially Holley systems cuz they control boost,nitrous, and you have fuel tables,timing tables etc. You just can't beat that with a carb. You can program and tune to what you want. Carb guys just don't take the time to learn efi. If they did they would be for efi.

[@Impactjunky]

@@username-kl1gj Well you were originally on the right path. It's a shame you stopped learning about them because carbs are indeed superior like you originally suspected. That's why they make carb swap intakes for all these hot new motors. Likewise I ditched the EFI on my street/strip daily driver to jailbreak the engine from a computerized management system so it would actually be reliable, tunable and efficient and have good throttle response. Not only have we seen half a dozen dyno tests that show carbs make superior power throughout the entire RPM range. But it is also common knowledge that a smaller CFM throttle body gives you vastly superior low end torque and response through increased air speed and a larger CFM throttle body gives you more top end power at the cost of low end torque and air speed. Every EFI throttle body that isn't just a glorified computerized 4 barrel carb has one single throttle body in a size that is intended to be a poor compromise between the ideal CFM for low end torque and the ideal CFM for top end power. Any good four barrel carb, particularly the vacuum secondary units give you half or even less of the carbs total CFM at initial throttle and the rest comes in when the engine actually needs it instead of bogging the thing down with max CFM at initial throttle. This is why hot old cars with carbs just snap straight to top RPM when you rev them whereas an EFI car will sluggishly make its way to max RPM after you hold your foot on the pedal for a moment or two. No EFI system on the market gives you the option to drive around on half a fuel system at only 200-300 CFM until engine vacuum or throttle position dictates a need for more CFM. Also the fuel you are sipping around town on is only coming from 2 tiny jets instead of 8 big injectors.

[@michaellowe3665]

EFI certainly can work better, and it does when it works at all. It also makes some things much easier. Blowing turbo pressure through a carburetor or blowing air/fuel mix through your turbo impeller are both terrible options. EFI just needs a reference line to boost fuel pressure with intake pressure. Tony is talking about putting one of those junky aftermarket universal systems on an otherwise functional but inefficient V8. You aren't solving any problems or making it more efficient. You are adding $1500 worth of expense that relies on Chinese radio parts to run. There is nothing wrong with learning more about technology. It's just that the side of the road 500 miles from home isn't the best time to do that. If you can assemble or adapt a functional OEM EFI to your vehicle and fully understand how it works so you can fix it when it doesn't, that is great, but don't expect to buy one designed by someone that has never seen your car to be reliable or efficient. I have seen the difference between testing procedures at OEMs vs aftermarket companies. OEMs spend millions of dollars and years of time to make sure it works in the vehicle they designed it for. Aftermarket companies test it on the same Chevy 350 they use for all their testing. If it runs, they build 1000 more and ship them.

[@zjw3504]

As a Honda mechanic, I haven't seen any issues with the factory EFI system until they switched to Direct Injection, and now we do lots of injectors and throttle body cleanings. They should have stopped at MPFI and been happy with it!

[@tabbott429]

Ive avoided any direct injected car for the carbon buildup issue thats inevitable. I keep cars to long to wanna deal with that nonsense.

[@manitoba-op4jx]

i'm looking into putting a 2bbl carb onto my 2002 mazda tribute.

[@TheJustintyper]

They have fixed most of the carbon build up issues with adding port injection back in to work in concert direct with injection. Ford and a few other manufacturers are doing this now.

[@ratdog7050]

@@tabbott429 Add a catch can in line with the PVC to get most of the oil out of the air flowing into the intake. I installed on on my 2015 CRV with direct injection at 30K today still runs like a top over 120K.

[@mattheiustwittyham5501]

@@TheJustintyper Only a few have both direct and port injection. Ford still does. Toyota did that for a while, they are now whole hog on direct injection.

[@zjw3504]

I am not a master of carburetors since I'm 27 and didn't grow up with them, but after working on modern cars for a living, I want to daily drive cars from the 40s, 50s, and 60s because I'll only need basic hand tools to fix it!

[@colinl5951]

Good luck finding parts. Look before you buy an old car.

[@zjw3504]

@@colinl5951 I plan on buying a 1948-50 Packard soon, and we have a Packard parts place in my state. Heck we have a harder time getting parts for modern cars at work than I'd have getting parts even for a Packard!

[@jemcnair76]

I drive a 22 year old Dodge and a 1973 Super Beetle. The Dodge needs the IAC and IAC bore cleaned out about every year. Do everything else you should do. Check the wheel bearings yearly and do the timing chain and sprockets when you should. And the bands in the tranny and new fluid and filters. The Beetle is not much different. Do the valves 2 times a year. Check the belt every time before you start it, or at least once a week of driving. Look for leaks of fuel and oil when you have the bay open. Don't ignore your nose. Or your gut. Or your ears. Your nose, gut, and ears are powerful tools in your arsenal. That goes with anything, not just vehicles.

[@timewa851]

@@colinl5951 he can get a 265in Chev 2 dr, And then expand it to 283, then a 327.......lol

[@MrTheHillfolk]

And the other thing ,those tools will get used more as ya adjust points every 5-10k or so and plugs too and whatnot. Even stuff from the 60s was pretty tired by 75k and 100 was a lot. (This is also why I laugh at a barn find 1961 something with 55k on it , the darn things 3/4 played😂) Getting 100k average out of a vehicle didn't happen till the 80s or so.

[@MickeyMishra]

I was no fan of carbs. Then one day? I realized how they worked. Now love them.

[@RealGenX]

I’m the founder of FiTech “sold the company a few years ago” and you are correct! The systems were designed to work on Everything and with that they don’t really work well on anything. As a tuner I can make it damn near perfect on almost any combination but it’s far from a bolt and go

[@Ratridez]

Had a Fitech ( Fi-crap) , the brain crapped out . I threw it in the corner and put the 850 thermoquad back on and never looked back .

[@harleysgarage327]

I installed a FiTech on my daily driver 350 chevy, never ran right, sent it back under warranty, when it returned it ran perfectly for about a month, then one morning quit working completely.

[@bennyhelgeson401]

Mr. FITech founder is it true that you or one of your associates grew up near small town in Iowa called Kensett? LocaL Hot rodders referred to FiTech as "Kensett Carburetor". Just curious. Thanks

[@legros731]

No different than a carburetor he can't even make is car run on supposedly so superior carb without tuning you got a shit engine what engine management you use is irrelevant

[@antuanperez426]

@@bennyhelgeson401No

[@randyturner6111]

85% of aftermarket EFI conversion failures can be traced back to installation shortcuts and shitty wiring connections. The other 15% can be attributed to the fact that the damn ECU is inside the throttle body. Sitting atop a giant stove in the harshest environment possible. Spend a little more time wiring it EXACTLY how they tell you to, and a little more coin on a system with a remote ECU and put it somewhere besides directly on top of the engine and you’ll be just fine. Times change, dude. Can a you make 1,000 horsepower with a 70’s style 350? Sure, for about 10 grand. Or you can pluck an LS from a Tahoe and put about a thousand bucks into and make the same power. You say stop trying to reinvent the wheel, but you want them to reinvent the carburetor. They’re not going to. There’s no money in it. Love you man! Enjoy your weekend!

[@mcasteel2112]

I concur.

[@chrisl6492]

Yep

[@cuzz63]

Janky wiring on old cars is alot of it.

[@peanutbutterisfu]

My 1992 mustang I built a stroker and converted to carb and I had so many problems with the shitty wiring from the aftermarket wiring for the digital ignition, coil and distributor the pins where the harnesses plugged into each other would get loose and have a shitty connection all the aftermarket racing stuff is junk unless u spend a ton of money. And the cheap bolt on efi conversion kits are nothing like a real efi they are so basic

[@fastcars1173]

I'm a wire nut and have been for most of my life. I started out at 8 years old helping my Mom build early PC boards by bending/placing/ and later soldering resistors as well as wire wrapping. My first car was a 74 Nova with points and a 2 barrel. I've been building drag cars and street cars for 25+ years. I mainly do wiring anymore but can do it all except transmissions, just never got into them. I've done a bunch of EFI systems over the years including Accel DFI, FAST XFI/Easy EFI 2.0, Big Stuff, AEM, Electromotive Tech 3R and most recently I have been doing a bunch of the Holley Terminator Stealth systems with no real issues. I've done 3 Holley Sniper systems and had issues with all 3 of them. I recently had one come in that was customer installed to troubleshoot. It was doing the exact thing the others were doing. I dove headfirst into it to figure it out. So far after a month of "fixing" it, no problems to report. I even messaged DD on IG and his video on it about what I did and also left a comment on one of your previous vids about it. The Sniper systems are a very low budget/cheaply made unit. The ECU is a part of the throttle body and subject to heat/ignition interference/etc.. , even the wiring is Chinese made crap. After years of seeing and using different types of wire, that stuff is the worst! The Terminator Stealth does at least use TXL type wiring as well as the ECU being separate from the unit. In my opinion makes a world of difference. I've installed 15+ in the past few years with great success! The FAST Easy EFI 2.0 is a great setup. Moral of the story is that the Holley Sniper is total junk!!!! Holley just has not done anything to remedy it and just keeps pumping them out, bad on them for doing so! Unfortunately it's a bad apple that's spoiling the bunch. Don't judge them all based off of that particular model line. There are many out there that are great setups and many will be happy with them, just spend the extra and get a reliable setup!

[@belindakt]

I have been a shop owner since the early 70s - watched all of this actually happen exactly as Tony has described . Couldn't have said it better!

[@DragPakMerc]

One of the issues you mention is why I always wire electric chokes directly to the "STA" terminal on the alternator. They only get power when the engine is running.

[@ronpflugrath2712]

Electric inline fuel pump never noticed thanks.

[@mattdonna9677]

I'm content with my 1 barrel Carter carburetor on my old F-150 , have a rebuild kit and float if needed. It's been 43 years now and no rebuild yet.

[@pauldulworth2768]

Yet another masterclass from your favorite uncle and mine.

[@Daniel-fd3wp]

I really appreciate how Uncle Tony doesn’t need a teller prompter. He speaks from knowledge. 👍

[@MoparRob440]

He doesn't fall either.

[@Anarchy-Is-Liberty]

Really? You don't know many people who have any "knowledge", huh? FFS SMH

[@lifelinefabllc]

I am an old school guy but in the off road world efi is so much better than even the best sorted carb. I have edelbrock proflo4 on my Bronco and it has been flawless for three years. Runs like a mid 90s factory car. Easy to tune and has spark control along with fueling tables. I love it.

[@FrankF-vp4pt]

Having fun is keeping it simply Uncle Tony. I agree with you. I could get my old stuff running on pennies with duct tape and bailer wire. My friends dad tells a story about losing a rod bearing in a model T. 4 farm boys in the car, drained the oil in a jug, tipped the car on it's side and used a leather belt as a makeshift bearing to get home. And they did.

[@johnanderson591]

Seen it

[@bradpnw1897]

Damn

[@bw3506]

My grandpa used a slice of bacon.

[@timc9893]

Bring back the old days of pouring babbitt bearings!

[@mikebougher3731]

Done that on a 5.9 cummins to make on more round at the drag strip.

[@keninhb2196]

Exactly why I took the Sniper off of my '69 Road Runner within 6 months of buying the car. It never worked correctly for me.

[@jimcosklo701]

Uncle Tony and Paul Shinn are my favorite car-tubers. I mainly just want a simple, reliable car that I can learn to fix, maintain, and keep running forever.

[@7080nik]

When it comes to the carb/efi argument on reliability, I always think of the cars I had in the 70s. All were very reliable. My parents had a 1968 Ford station wagon with the 390 engine. Old school everything. We had that car for 250000 miles. I always remember how it started....a half a crank on the starter and it was running. A tad more in cold weather. Just so absolutely reliable. When my Father sold it to a painter, he came back as said he couldn't believe how well that car ran. Although it helped my Father was a mechanic, he was the type that just did the basic maintenance on his own cars.

[@thejourney7395]

I was going to put dual throttle body efi on my car. Worried about potential problems and complexity. I decided to go with dual carbs instead and it works really great! No regrets. Been 2yrs now.

[@nitromyke]

On a GM product? I was thinking about a similar setup for my 1991 454TBI truck, using a dual carb intake to craft a custom ''CrossFire Injection''... I'll end up like DD with something that won't run lol !!

[@harrypalmer291]

The carburetor is a marvel of engineering that can (certain types in educated hands) be 99.9995% as effective in proper stochiometric ratios as a fuel injection system. Fuel injection has distinct advantages, but in the world of racing I'll usually lean towards a system of analog reliability and almost infinite tuning potential!

[@TheeAbstractHero]

​@@harrypalmer291 Carbs have far more finite tuning potential than EFI systems. I was talking to some dudes at a NPK event last summer, those particular guys using an optical sensor to measure front ride height, and vary things like wastegate, throttle, and timing via data acquired to keep the nose of the car down. Modern EFI is as complex as you make it to be.

[@hydroy1]

@@nitromyke Yep, the internet is FULL of problems with EFI but not much on old carbs as they just WORK ! and are simple to adjust or rebuild. Plus the carbs are putting out more horsepower on the Dyno.

[@briankennedy5578]

@@nitromyke there was good reason behind them discontinue the crossfire setup

[@2ndgendreamin779]

As someone who grew up as a teenager in the late 80s, I was raised with the early EFI systems. Carbs always seemed like a magical ju-ju box that were becoming a dead technology and sure to end up in the scrap yard. Fast forward 35 years to today, and I'm become a huge fan of Quickfuel/Holley Carbs and have run them on all of my vintage vehicles. They do, generally speaking, run reliably and strong after they are dialed in properly.

[@michaelharrison7072]

Fuel injection is superior to carbs

[@2ndgendreamin779]

@@michaelharrison7072 Sometimes. When it works. If it works. Clearly, if you watched the video and read the comments, the aftermarket stuff doesn't always work as promised. I'm happy with EFI on my modern vehicles, but am just fine running carbs on the vintage stuff.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

I like em both, depends on mood. But if you've got a decent running old carbed car, it's lasted this long with it and it'll last that long ,meaning if it's been trucking along for 50yrs it'll be fine for another 50. Not like you'd get a ton of power (unless your carb was undersized) Drivability and cold starts are better, sure, but how long has it had a carb and been running for again?

[@shadowopsairman1583]

Uncle Tony is right here. If You can get the 327 FI from 1965 Vette to work like a watch, you can handle carbs and FI systems. It's an interesting setup. Now understand FI was established to reduce or eliminate vapor lock in Automotive and General Aviation. EPA stuck their gubby hands in it claiming better fuel economy/less emissions just like them trying to push EVs on us. There are carb engines that produce more power and torque and are better for emissions than TBI and TPI (FI) even. EFI, you can have the electronic fuel pump fail, TBI the diaphragm fails. Mechanical Fuel pumps will outlast electronic units and are easier to change, there are no harnesses to get cut or worn out like on fi systems. 1976 Chevrolet C10 Scottsdale and 1984 C10 Silverado, both were carbed and I never had an issue starting them or running them, pump pedal 3 times and start. Funny thing is I've ran out of fuel in my 07 Classic Silverado and after getting a gallon in, I would hold the pedal in partway to get it to start lol.

[@rogersmith7396]

One Mikuni carb per cylinder like on super bikes is about as good as it gets.

[@cadenbecker2952]

Had a snioer come into our shop, such a headache but then again I might be the only apprentice left in Australia that knows and daily drives carbs. my mates at tech school think its voodoo magic ahah

[@virtuestreams2616]

When I saw the rocking chair, I knew we were in for a lengthy lecture from Uncle Tony-grab a cold snack or some popcorn and enjoy.

[@frh-freerangehuman]

Your chat reminded me of the 1978 dodge magnum 360 I bought around 1990. It had the dreaded lean burn system. I could not get it to run reliably. I knew nothing about vehicle electronics. But I learned fast when I switched the system to a regular electronic ignition with an orange box and a good quality ballast resistor (remember those?) The car was super reliable and ran beautifully after that.

[@deborahward9324]

I transplanted a 92 5.2 magnum with factory fi in my 68 cuda. I used headers and an hi performance computer from dodge. I had the engine harness from the donor truck. Only had to add a brake on/off switch and speedo cable vss from a dakota. Its been a finished car since 06. Never broke down, using it for my daughter's wedding next week.

[@frh-freerangehuman]

@@deborahward9324 sounds sweet.

[@frigglebiscuit7484]

@@deborahward9324 well yea, 90s dodge obd1 was awesome.

[@jsimmonstx]

I installed a Sniper on my 2012 Windsor swapped Mustang last year, and it has been a trustworthy system, so far. I benefited from already having an in-tank electric pump, O2 bungs in the exhaust, and a well-implemented electrical system that included hefty grounds. I researched the Sniper system, found out what NOT to do, and I have no RFI issues, and the system starts and runs reliably. I also have a 1964 Fairlane with a 429 that has a 750cfm Holley carb (no choke). It also starts/runs reliably. To be honest, I prefer the carb and don't give the Fairlane a 2nd thought when driving it. In the Mustang, I'm always apprehensive about whether today is the day it's gonna crap all over itself. To be honest, if it ever does, I'm going to take it off the car and replace it with a carb. I found out several things about Snipers - do not waste your money on a "Master Kit". The strap-on O2 bung is a joke, the provided fuel pump is crap. Both of those parts will almost immediately have to be replaced. Also, avoid the non-Stealth model, It has a useless built-in regulator, and ECU placement (at the front of the throttle body) is especially bad for Fords in terms of risking RFI. Get the Stealth, buy a decent (Magnafuel, Fore Innovations, Aeromotive?) external fuel pump, or a tank that supports an in-tank pump (Walbro 255 is good), and a quality pressure regulator. Then before you install ANY of the Sniper stuff, sort out your existing stuff. Fix any vacuum and exhaust leaks, improve your grounds (battery-to-frame, frame-to-block, and head-to-firewall), establish where you will be connecting the sniper to your electrical system, and improve your charging system using AT LEAST a 140-amp alternator. In other words, plan your installation - you can do ALL of that without disabling your car for long periods in the mean time. The Sniper can work, but you have to take steps. Finally, the install is NOT a DIY evolution for most average car guys, regardless of Holley's marketing hype.

[@Marc_Wolfe]

My grandfather (within the last 12 years) had his carbed truck setup to shut off by cutting the fuel pump. The float bowl was always empty when you start it. It was a reliable truck.

[@Rick-Williams59]

Carburetors are great, I like tearing into a Quadrajet or a Holley and doing mods for racing, but I have a '70 GO I installed a Holley Sniper on and I love my Sniper, 6 years and no problems. The failures I've seen is the lack of knowing how to do it right. Every now and again one shows up that just can't be figured out, as in the one on DD Speedshop, shit happens, some things are beyond our control. I grew up working on carbs and I have the utmost respect for them, and still to this day love rebuilding and modifying them. But I have went from 13 mpg with a carb, to 20 mpg with the EFI. Some people don't like change, hell, I'm one of them, but I have the understanding and experience of working on electronic fuel injection systems and they are really simple if people just take time to learn them. I won't ever kick the performance of the carburetor, but until my fuel injection lets me down, I'm sticking with it. Today's gas is not suitable for a carburetor, and that's another reason I chose EFI for my Pontiac, but that's just my opinion, and I still have my carb in case I want to go back to it. Good video.

[@TheCohenGarage]

I've done 3 snipers now. 2 on turbo application. I absolutely love them. I've never had an issue. I've never had an injector clip issue. It starts quick, makes power, and data logs. From my experience, it is installer issues mostly. It's not just a drop on and go thing. You have to take your carb car and convert the entire thing into an EFI car. Carb cars arent made with the power and grounds in place to support EFI, along with many other things

[@fathaar]

Thanks for sharing Uncle Tony! It's great to hear your stories, ideas and thoughts. As a 22 year old lover of anything with pistons its very impactful to hear the input of a guy with your experience. Your channel is full of priceless information and insight that will help guys and gals like me to shape the future without forgetting about the past.

[@crazycoffee]

Happy to see another person my age who doesn't just have a fartcan and stickers. The amount of help Uncle Tony has provided from the information alone is a lifetime at least.

[@Daniel-fd3wp]

Thanks UTG hearing these stories are great subscribed to your channel when you were at your old shop 4 years ago. Your great 👍

[@JimmyMakingitwork]

I remember as a young mechanic in the early 80's, my boss used to remove HEI ignition and install points distributors. He said it was voodoo magic that would leave you stranded and couldn't be trusted. The bigger problem is the aftermarket can't accomplish what the OEM has, when it comes to electronics.

[@jamesmedina2062]

Agreed but aftermarket can if wanted do the R&D. Dynos are pretty common. Flow benches. And they all have laptop computers.

[@giovannicintolo89]

My second car was a 62 falcon, bought it about 2010 when I was 21. It suffered from heat soak fuel problems in the summer. The fuel in the pump would boil and overcome the needle/seat/float. I never sorted it out before I took it off the road 4.5 years and 45k miles later. Ended up with an 89 dodge ram 50 (Mitsubishi). It had its vacuum control computer unhooked and the special carb that went with it replaced with a Weber 32/36 dgv. I had similar issues. I installed a Carter fuel pump on the inner fender, to a Holley pressure regulator, which had one outlet going to the carb. The second outlet I placed a restriction in (1/16” hole) and sent it into the fuel return hose to the tank. The return line kept the pump from losing prime while the engine was running and the float closed. It also prevented any heat soak from being able to flood the carb as there was an unrestricted path back to the tank. From -13 to 105 degrees ambient temp, that truck always started. -13 took three cranks, but it would reliably fire off on the first crank down to 0F

[@jonathangehman4005]

This is the best explanation of the issues with carbs and modern gas that drive people to go for efi conversions. It's also the first time I've heard someone explain that these conversions are based on 90s GM throttle body systems. So helpful. I took a big sip of the kool-aid a few years ago and bought a Holly sniper 2bbl efi system for my 81slant 6 D150, I've never installed it prescisely because of all the reports of guys being stranded with undiagnosable problems. I'm not skeert to drive my junk anywhere if I have some tools and a credit card, balljoint pop out of the control arm in S. Carolina and you're suddenly stanced like a ricer? Ask the first guy in a primer spotted 4x4 if he knows a dude with a Mig close by and an hour later and a "thank you pizza"you're golden. Drop a valve and hole a piston in Tennessee on your way to Texas? Pull the plugwire and take your chances if you and your new friends who wanna' help can't fix it(a million thanks to Jim Bennett(RIP) and all the standup guys in down there). But if I put that sniper in that truck before I head out for Arizona this fall and it takes a dump in Oklahoma, hell, I'm screwed. I'm with you Tony. You were throwing down some great writing back in the day BTW.

[@ericuncapher9922]

I think it would be cool if Tony bought and tried a Holley Sniper. Point out the problems first hand. Great video.

[@fastinradfordable]

DD speed shop. Or should we all just get it

[@rogersmith7396]

"Small Engine Mechanic" put one on a Chrysler 225 slant based generator. He goes through all the set up screens and there are a lot of them. He wanted full reliability on a stationary power plant.

[@jimjamauto]

It would be nice, since you have to sift through dozens of forum threads to figure it out. This is what I found: Mostly it seems to be installation error. All electrical connections have to be done proficiently. You can't have any vacuum leaks and you have to mitigate electrical interference. After that it's O2 sensor install location and injector electrical connector which are solvable. After that it's IAC and TPS which can be sourced elsewhere. After that it's overheating. Very few failures seem to be the electronics themselves.

[@hvspeed6102]

100% agree. I recently opted for a new edelbrock AVS2, spent a little time with jetting, blocking off the exhaust heat crossover in the intake manifold, added a 1” base gasket insulator. Solved all hot-start issues, fuel boiling. Starts great, runs great.

[@ronpflugrath2712]

They do it simply

[@jrfortine9055]

Thanks for the info, so let me see if I get it right. Go with an electric fuel pump plus a one inch or little bit bigger thermal spacer should run well? Would an air gap intake help as well?

[@hvspeed6102]

@@jrfortine9055 Most mechanical fuel pumps these days put out way too much pressure for some reason. My stock type SBC pump was putting out 8 psi. So I added a regulator. An 4-6 psi electric pump would be my next choice. The air gap manifold isn’t necessary unless you’re going to be buying something anyway. I have a Performer RPM and just blocked the exhaust crossover. But I live in a mild climate, so freezing cold isn’t an issue. Probably the 1 inch phenolic spacer did the trick.

[@crsp76691]

Except when you hang a corner the edelbrock sputters and kind of stalls, that used to bother me about flipn carbs

[@grosseileracingteam]

Thank you UT. You and I are the same age. I grew up a gearhead in metro Detroit. Our cars and trucks were our world in high school. I HATE anything computerized-even the one I'm watching right now. I think the problem is "kids" these days think they are so smart that they can make life easier/better by hooking everything to a confuser and the interweb. Heated seats, steering wheel, mirrors? REALLY? ABS GPS EFI MAP MAS blah blah. Too lazy to even say whole words. I restored my 63 Ford with a Holley 600 double pump, manual choke and points distributor. ALWAYS GETS ME HOME! Thanks for posting.

[@randyrobey5643]

I didn't want to click on the "Like" button for this video, because you already had 383 likes. I guess you will have to go for 440 likes now. Good video.

[@themanwithnoname7576]

I was a body part hair away from doing Holley EFI on my 1972 Corvette 454. When I saw all the problems associated with the EFI systems I decided to get a nicely done Quadrajet put on it. Glad I went that route. I like driving cars versus working on electric gremlins. Also I’m in my mid-30s so not an old guy. Non-OEM electronics suck.

[@kellismith4329]

So do the oem ones

[@duncandmcgrath6290]

I've got lots of love for the old Qjets ...an excellent street carb 👍

[@vtr0104]

What you mentioned around the 13 min mark, is probably what got so many regular people away from carburated cars. Just the lack of knowledge on how the system works and how fuel is nowadays. I'm from an Eastern-block country, Romania, where the only car people really had access to (with a few small exceptions), was a Renault 12 clone called the Dacia 1310. When the license was bought in the early 70s, it was fairly modern car. It was light, had high ground-clearance for bad roads, was FWD (with double-wishbone front-suspension, for some reason) so it could be easily driven in winter and had a lot of room for cargo. It was also, of course, carburated, using an iron-block, aluminium-head, 8-valve, push-rod 4-cylinder with a license-built single 32 Weber on one of those God-forsaken combination intake-exhaust manifolds. There were power-brakes but nothing else was powered, so manual steering, mechanical cable-actuated choke, cable-actuated clutch, mechanical fuel-pump. Due to the Communist regime, the car was built THE SAME from 1969 to basically the early 2000s. It eventually got a Bosch fuel injection unit around 1999, but for the vast majority of its existence it was carburated. In the 90s, when my family eventually got one new, they were still everywhere in the country, and using them was a non-issue. Possibly because of the gas mixture that you mentioned, even leaving the car to sit a few days would have no effect on its startup, only in winter did you have to resort to using the choke. Using modern fuel, if the car is not used daily or at most every couple of days, it refuses to start. However, because of everything being manual, and perhaps also because it is French at heart and they're weird a bit, the fuel pump has an emergency lever on it, that allows you to operate it even with the engine off. After my Dad passed away, my Mom wanted to scrap the car as it seemed to her that it was broken, always refusing to start when she needed to go somewhere. I convinced her to give me the car, just to check if there was something wrong. Turned out it was nothing, just the new kind of fuel evaporating out of the float-bowl and sometimes out of the line too. Using the lever on the pump before going somewhere would prime it and the car would start instantly. I tested it by leaving the car even for one Month between starts and still it had no issue. When I told her about this, with the intent of returning the car, she refused to take it back, mentioning that this was too much of a hassle to remember to do, especially if she just wanted to go shopping in it every couple of weeks. In practice, all it took was maybe 10-15 pumps of the lever to prime the damned thing, which was maybe a minute at most, but somehow this seemed too much for her. It's now still with me, it'll be turning 30 years old in 3 years' time and still works just fine on that tiny carb :)))

[@kylecromp319]

Another youtuber built some kinda system using a lawnmower carb on a ford maverick with a 302 or something in it. I wanna say over 30 mpgs! He had it hooked to his computer also somehow. I wanna say it was thunderhead 289 is his handle on here.

[@GeekGinger]

With so many KZbin car channels being sponsored by Holley I'm sure it will continue to be shoved down our throat.

[@hydroy1]

True, but we can just not waist our time watching them. I will always be 100% anti new anything as I can fix or rebuild anything old.

[@fastcars1173]

The Sniper is a poorly designed/engineered unit with many issues. The Terminator Stealth is a great unit and I have had great luck with all of them that I've installed. The standalone Dominator/Terminator units are also great. Unfortunately the cheap junk Sniper units are giving them all a bad name.

[@intheshoptv]

My channel isn’t sponsored by anyone!

[@BKMDano17]

Hats off!! When I first started watching this channel I thought you were just another guy who like to work on cars which is true but you're also very knowledgeable I have learned quite a bit from you thank you

[@vanstechcorral]

I have had nothing but success using GM TBI EFI for the past 25 years retrofitting to various carbed vehicles from Ford 351W to sixties Chevelle. I now have an 89 truck with that identical stock setup.

[@scottbourret1190]

You're spot on about a black box. It's all about controlling us, and limiting our ability to move freely about. Love what you're doing. Keep up the great content.

[@kencash5339]

Put the tin foil down sir

[@arthurfoyt6727]

I see you've never soldered up your own EFI system nor tried to tun turbo engines that use carbs.

[@fastinradfordable]

@@arthurfoyt6727 I see you haven’t discovered turbo diesels yet😂

[@arthurfoyt6727]

@@fastinradfordable And how many of those are EFI? 100%?

[@douggorton1482]

I have used a Fitech system for 6 years now. Really needed to go there because I run a Procharger. Spent years with blow through carbs and they never work that well on the street. Yes there have been a few problems but the vastly improved drivability has been worth the effort.

[@wyattlennon6505]

I think fitech system is much simpler than holleys and more reliable. My meanstreet 800 has worked flawlessly

[@SweatyFatGuy]

​@@wyattlennon6505 my mean street has worked great since i put it on in 2016. Had an issue with a 400hp system last year, a pinched grommet on the map sensor was the problem. I need to get it on the Cuda

[@slipsonic809]

That's good to hear. I'm in the middle of building my 1964 Impala I've had and drove around as sort of a hot rod beater for years with a carb setup. I'm finally giving it a proper frame-off resto, planning on putting the FiTech Ultra Ram EFI on the crate 350 I have in it. I have the high pressure pump and regulator system set up and ready to go. I got a little discouraged with this video, thinking maybe EFI isn't a good idea, but I think I'll go for it anyway. I've run an HEI distributor for years and never had a single problem. The FiTech system seems pretty simple and straightforward.

[@GnarshredProductions]

@@slipsonic809 Just make sure you follow instructions and install everything properly. EFI isn't that bad it could just be some quality issues with Holley at the moment. Make sure you don't have any exhaust leaks either because these self tuning systems rely heavily on data from the provided oxygen sensor to get the fuel mixture right and exhaust leaks can introduce oxygen into the exhaust system which tricks the computer into thinking that the engine is running too lean and computer tries to compensate by making the engine run stupidly rich lol.

[@gabriellindig]

​@@wyattlennon6505 same here. The only thing that has broken is my tired out tbi 350 that I put it on, and I'm going to put it on my big block swap. My father in law has one on his 68 Camaro that was programmed by the owner of fitech

[@MechanicCompetence]

"...messing with computer chips and altering memories in 10 years will be as natural as changing points and jetting up on the secondaries.." WOW, you were WAY ahead of the curve there Tony! Can you let us know the lottery for next week too? Haha, incredible insight dude :)

[@eatmorecoleslaw]

“Make Carbs Great Again” ~ UTG !!❤

[@toejam503]

Very good vid. My 1st experience with electronic problems was the Ignition box on a 79 Mustang. No start situation, I checked all the normal things known and replaced the box. Worked fine then. I was told I needed to have a special scan tool to diagnose this problem but logic and common sense won the day. I was a dealership mechanic from 97-2019, I hated using scan tools. You spent half a life time going thru checks that simple deduction could find the culprit of the problem. Age and heat, humidity, dirt are a computerized system's downfall.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

I've had quite a chuckle before ,when the ol scan tool gets hooked up and there's nothing .....hmm....but then you visually identify the (blatant) problem (leaking fuel line for example) 😂 Haha all gung ho to plug that scanner in but the blown hole in the trans pan nah that don't mean nothin 😂 And then the stupid code you'd get (running lean) you'd never guess on the evap system not letting air in the tank so fuel could get out .. Sorta lame examples but my point is why not look around for something obvious before jumping right to the scan tool, still probably need it to clear the history when you're done buttfk it 😂

[@warrenpuckett4203]

And electrical/electronic noise. I got called to fix a lot of that when those rolling living room vans got popular. I used two things to diagnose that. A 4 digit VOM and a 2 channel oscilloscope. For some reason Tesla thinks it is not that important for it to be toned down. To where it don't interfer with AM radio. Tesla solution get rid of AM radios.

[@jmanthatsall441]

79 ignition modules lol, I replaced one and still wouldn't start. Banged my head for a bit , had a few beers and shop buddy recommended I pull his of his 78 and what do you know. It's down in the garage right now . Of course the rosin had already melted out all over his inner fender . That's there to let you know it works . New parts were junk although I didn't buy motocraft

[@coyotehater]

Personally, I would put EFI on my lawn mower if it was available. But it took me a long time to learn the ins & outs of an EFI system, & at 58 years old, I am still learning. The biggest issue I have seen is Holley & other companies advertising the set ups as being “self tuning” when nothing could be further from the truth. There are just too many variables that have to be contended with. The other problem is customer service, & one company (not Holley) is absolutely horrible & customer service is non existent. I’m sure there are some systems that hit the shelf & are a lemon, but I’ve seen plenty of cars that had issues right off the showroom floor.

[@smokeatr2391]

I had a sniper efi on my car and ran great once I got the bugs worked out, then was towed twice after the in tank fuel pump quit. That's when I went back to carburetor, haven't had a problem since. I have a mechanical fuel pump with a vapor return built in and works very well.

[@williamrosenow6176]

You thought this through more than I did. I thought about a GM throttle body for a 1966 buick 300 but the main thing I thought about was from a 90s 350 to a 60s 300 was the whole cam, valve train, timing everything that makes it run the only benefit I could see was the fuel injection uses less fuel at idle. A carb just like EFI is made to work with everything on the engine it's made for so a universal EFI will not work as well as a carb GM made for the car. The thing started in Wisconsin no matter how cold and never vapor locked (delt with that on an old crane carrier). I just think what the manufacturer put on the car will work better than some universal EFI thing. Lower gears if you want burn outs and higher gears if you want MPG. My stock 1966 Skylark got 18 MPG so I don't know what an EFI could do unless it was tuned to the car.

[@plainbrownwrapper9688]

Uncle Tony on point again!!! I have a Holley 3310-1 on my 383 and that carb works like EFI. It never has a hiccup and always work amazing. Three pumps on the pedal in the morning, fires right off. After its warm, half a crank it always starts. It always starts no matter what conditions and fires right off. I never would trash can that carb for a efi. Good mechanical fuel pump (not parts jobber garbage) and good carb solves alot of possible problems and makes a great driver.

[@greg227]

I knew a few who worked on the Cross-Fire Injection on the vette back before it came out in 1982. I drove a test car with it and knew a couple people who bought the 82 models. One guy sold it quickly because it was having serious issues like stalling but the other ripped it out after a few months and replaced it with carb setup, it was a better car. Even though he knew the guys who designed the system, he said they could not even get it straight. As of April, he still has the car and it still has the carb on it.

[@jimmyfleetwood1118]

It was called "Cease Fire Injection" for a reason!

[@renchjeep]

My 84 Vette still has the CrossFire, and it still works fine. Granted, it's only at 75k miles, but that TB system is so damn simple. The problem was folks treated it like it was a carb, and tried to "adjust" things. Like the throttle stops, the linkage, the TP sensors, etc. If you know what you are doing, the CrossFire injection system can be made to work just fine as designed, and even better with a few simple mods to the fuel system.

[@timewa851]

@@renchjeep your ringing endorsement means almost zero. You run it less than 2k/year. Not going to even ask. Must be a boring car.

[@doomman700]

@@timewa851 what he said was 100% true. Every crossfire car that came in with problems were self inflicted by guys who didn’t know efi

[@renchjeep]

@Tim Ewa Nope, not a boring car. Just lots of others to drive. Point is that my CrossFire works fine. That is all.

[@ephjay6t87]

I have a functioning Sniper, but whole-heartedly agree. However, it taught me a valuable lesson.

[@aaronstutzman6431]

thank you uncle tony for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. it is invaluable

[@Joesmusclecargarage]

I’d never touch an aftermarket EFI system. I swapped a mild 5.3 and 4L60E into my 67 Chevelle, using all factory sensors, PCM, etc. It is a 12 second car that is reliable as a stump, can be driven anywhere, and gets 24mpg with the A/C on. I can go to any corner parts store and get ANY factory replacement part I need for it. I remember when the analog Holley Pro-Jection hit the scene in the 90s. They were all the rage, but were absolute garbage right out of the box. Aftermarket EFI was junk then, junk now. My other toy is an 89 Mustang. Basic bolt on stuff; AFR heads, upper/lower, exhaust, gears, etc. The 35 year old EEC-IV and 99% of the original sensors are still kicking. Again, deep 12 second car, reliable as can be, and can be driven anywhere coast to coast.

[@gilbertwashburn7095]

Thanks Tony another great video when I was drag racing I always Magneto and carburetors never missed a beat no brain no headache carburetors can always be fixed sniper on the side of the road you're screwed you can even fix the carburetor at night in the rain behind a bar have a great day I wish Didi's Speed Shop could have made it work but too many brain fades and always remember if it ain't got a metal bumper it ain't a real car have a great day

[@danacoy1821]

Your right . I am a old school mechanic. And the only thing that I changes on my old school daily driver was I put a 600 Holly with a manual choke. With a presher value . With the stock elc. pump in tank. And a bigger breather for the tank. . And I put metal sleeve under the metal gas can home made airfilter. With a vent on top of that . That goes in and out blances out are flow. And I drive her all year long. Runs like a champ. Many blessings to you and your family.

[@EconomicNinja]

Hi Tony, keep crushing it!

[@UncleTonysGarage]

Thanks man, we should get together sometime soon and do a live.

[@mudduck754]

I learned about EFI with the 89 cavalier z24. And the 95 Ford probe. I had no problems with the 93 Z71. But I prefer my Holley's.. I can fix it alongside the road. And have quite a few times since I've been driving the same Chevy truck for the last 49 years.

[@thomasdeir6212]

I remember working at a Dodge dealer in the early 90’s when OBD was relatively new. Total game changer for sure

[@user-du8cs8sn2v]

I've done plenty of EFI tuning and I agree wholeheartedly with Uncle Tony. Consumers (ill informed??) want these systems, so Holley makes one to meet the market and make some bucks. I'm sure the guys at Holley are well aware of it's shortcomings.....

[@walkawayjoe]

You are right on here man . I've been a mechanic since the mid 80's and I remember the switch from carbs to efi and all the different setups each manufacturer came up with . I'm still a carb guy but I do have an early FAST efi on one of my cars. It's forced induction so it works well but i agree with you, improving the good ol carburetor to work better with today's fuels is something they should keep focusing on

[@rockymeyers4030]

Personally, I blame EFI

[@natevanlandingham1945]

Personally id blame the squirrels 🐿️😂😂😂

[@baby-sharkgto4902]

Personally I blame John Woodworth

[@unclesquirrel6951]

@@baby-sharkgto4902 😎

[@unclesquirrel6951]

@@natevanlandingham1945 😎

[@unclesquirrel6951]

😎

[@michaeledge8905]

Unlike us they are young and like the new fangled stuff. My experience is if you want EFI on your old ride the retrofit the factory systems. They are proven and you can get parts everywhere.

[@Carl_Jr]

While I can't say that you're wrong in anything you said, I can tell you that I just installed an MSD Atomic 2 in my 71 Camaro and I love it. I think one thing a lot of people fail to do is to prepare their car for an EFI setup. I took all the necessary precautions like upgraded the alternator to a 100 amp output, I made sure all my grounds were good, I bought a new battery, I went ahead and purchased an electric cooling fan, etc. I mapped out my plan before I installed the system. I think it's more like how people say, about 90% of a good paint job is preparation. I do have to somewhat blame the manufacturer's though because when they advertise these things they make it sound as simple as a "four wire hookup". It's anything but. Once you get past that hurdle and realization it's actually a pretty beneficial conversion. And I'm still running an HEI vacuum advance distributor. I don't have any plans to use the Hyperspark system because the timing table isn't really advantageous in a naturally-aspirated system if you don't have the option to run a knock sensor. It's just basically doing electronically what you can do mechanically, on an HEI. I don't need a $500 system to plot a timing curve that I can do for $25 with a spring kit from AutoZone.

[@vetteluvnh]

Outstanding info, explanation, & perspective! Thank you.

[@wyattlennon6505]

I’ve had the fitech meanstreet 800 on my car for 4 years. I’ve never had an issue and get 15-16mpg (cruising at 70mph) with a 512ci stroker 🤷🏼‍♂️ Luck of the draw I guess

[@b2ja03]

Great video and couldn’t agree more!

[@Comet-hn3gm]

A part that will help with great success is Holley 108-70 referred as a heat shield. In reality it is a heat sink. I have mine produced by a local fab shop that I paid to have them write a program for. I have 2 versions, one the looks much like the Holley and one that is bigger with less detail that work's great under a carb spacer. Use them together and you can see close to a 20° reduction in carb temperature. One by it self will be 10-12° cooler.

[@johnnyboyssite]

Hey Tony pretty cool that you brought up your article about the 86 Regal T type. You called it back then for sure. As a current owner of a stock 87 Buick Turbo T and 85 Monte SS with a Gen 4 454 and QFT slayer 750 , ive got the best of both worlds.. I can get into the Buick and it starts right up, no fuss no muss and get off my driveway as quick as any mondern day car but the Monte is a different story.. After a couple of years with that carb im still fussing with the choke setting.. it cranks over and starts quickly but i need to keep my foot on the gas / rev to prevent stall. the motor warms up quickly and things are good after about a minute or so but damn its annoying. ive considered an FI Tech or sniper but i just dont want to deal with an electric fuel pump and the system cost. Again once the car warms up its awesome no issues no stall runs like it has "FI" .

[@woodywang2911]

Just finished a chevy 406, dart block and heads, 4 bolt mains etc. dyno'ed 508hp and 526tq. Built specifically for a track or canyon running (20k in suspension), very derivable on the street and so far very dependable. The block can easily make 600hp with a different intake and cam and we thought about EFi but eventually went with a 750dp brawler with HEI. Reason being its simple to work on, simple to adjust and you can fix it on the side of the road and limp home if needed, I know because Ive jimmy rigged carbs to get me home before. Just because its old school doesn't mean its not good, actually sometimes its better and def less hassle.

[@harrypalmer291]

Hi Tony love the content and your extensive experience in the motorsports industry. I did A LOT of small engine/carburetor repairs from 2010 to 2014 on generators and pressure washers (Honda, Briggs, Kohler, Champion knock offs, etc.) and I can say that "todays" ethanol containing gas is HORRIBLE on rubber or plastic carburetor parts and corrodes aluminum castings severely if left to sit for long periods of time. 60 - 90 days is average shelf life of ethanol containing gas. And yes, I've seen plenty of brown, sticky, hard , smelly varnish in modern fuel small engine carbs. Engineered fuel without ethanol is small engine carb best friend.

[@KristopherChambers]

I bought one of the OG Fitech units and their "fuel system solutions" years ago and finally put it on, I got about 100 miles out of it before it came off and a carb was put on. If I really wanted to spend my time diagnosing random fuel system issues or electrical issues on the side of the road I would have loved it, but it turns out I just want to drive the thing and have faith it can get me there and back when I do.

[@mikeray1544]

Old Chrysler guy here, been running the original ECM /carb fuel system (1986 RamCharger) with factory 1993 long block , deleted emissions ....single stock exhaust ...runs well with 2bbl stock Holley, driving combo for 11years as daily driver- just found your channel & loved the fuel vaporization show, reminded me of a Napa tech book on "carburetor inlet controlls" my dad gave me, new sub here & great to see the slant 6 with the offy intake/4 bbl.

[@briandetrick2688]

the tbi on my 94 k1500 has been perfect for 350000 miles, that being said my other 2 have carbs

[@motov8-garage832]

I've got a 91 2500 with the tbi, I know nothing about it. I know carbs.. It's set for about 7 or 8 years before I got it. I'm hoping the ol 454 just fires right up🤞🤞 [Edit] 350k? Dang, nice and I was worried about this truck having 189k.

[@IImuchfun]

I agree 100%. I have been watching DD Speed Shop for a long time and was surprised he went that way. I have a carbureted (Holley) SBF with a roller cam and 5 speed in my '63 Falcon and it's dead nuts reliable and drivable with decent gas mileage.

[@Ratridez]

100% I was running a rebuilt holley 600 dp , it ran flawless even stuck in traffic on a hot day .

[@greggwhipple6124]

Totally agree. I restoring a 59 pontiac and thinking of going modern drive train, but after watching DD struggle for awhile and glad he posted those videos. I'm heading to bone stock as possible

[@stevenbongiorno9277]

I know exactly where you’re coming from. I was thinking about going through it, but we could talk for hours. Trust me. I’ve got a street / show car, that came with the old OBII computer system. I got the car 9 years old, in fairly good shape, but the check engine light would not go out. After buying a diagnostic tool for over 100 dollars, it told me that it was a throttle position sensor in the electric Quadrajet. Back then, you couldn’t get a remanufactured unit. I thought, long and hard. I came up with an idea that I thought would work. I replaced the factory intake with a decent dual plane, put a Holley 1850 on it, with an insulated gasket. Ran a Mallory Unilite distributor. A set of Eldelbrock 50 state legal headers, that , once I learned how to weld, I modified the hell outta them. A year later, I had to bring my car in for emissions. I was shitting bricks! They did the test, and it actually came out cleaner than the factory settings. Yeah you can definitely find a way to make old technology work, and maybe even better than it was supposed to. I’ve heavily modified everything ever since, and I have never had any problems. For a major long haul, I’ll always bring a spare carb, and distributor, even though I haven’t needed to change either. But I could always, on the side of the road 👍

[@TomcatSTL]

Bravo, Uncle Tony !!!

[@ozziemcc]

In 1985 and 86 I drove both the Skyhawk and Regal Buick T-Types and had were school girl giggle causing acceleration. They were the first production cars I ever drove that broke the rule "No Replacement for Displacement... as a matter of fact ANY moisture on the road was puckeringly frightening, esp. the regal. Actuallt you could add the Mustang SVO. They had the Euro Built 4 cyl Merker engines and a double rubber wing on the rear window...

[@SugarSpyce]

You didn't have to say you were going to ramble for a little while, that's every video. All in jest, love the stuff, and fuck fuel injection swaps

[@hi-waydreams4284]

Great video. You ask some very good questions. I personally installed my Fitech system in 2016 because of fuel issues. Tried multiple carbs and pumps without results. Already had the Fitech system and the rest is history. I have had a Fitech tuning forum for 7 years now. Installed and/or troubleshooted 100s of systems over the years. To my point. Affordable EFI is still in its infancy. Fitech pioneered this demographic and Holley soon followed. They have their wins and losses. Fitech has continued to update their systems as issues arise. To my knowledge Holley has made no attempt to upgrade since they debuted the Snyper. Anyhow, affordable EFI introduces a demographic that has more credit card than knowledge. This creates a perfect storm of tech hell. I’m not on team Holley, but I don’t believe only half their systems work. They do a great job on their higher end systems, but are fighting to be good at the Snyper. Fitech as well has had to overcome many obstacles. Can affordable EFI work? Yes!!!! My first one has been on for 7 years now and was a daily for 5 years. Still all original. Does it take a learning curve? Definitely!!!! Most of it is basics, yet many users fail to follow the process correctly. Again great video. I like your points and questions you raise. Would be interesting to have a face to face on this subject one day.

[@0004612]

TONY, I’m in the same boat with my 2004 Jeep GC 4.0 with a dead reliable EFI system too. 200k miles now, and nothing’s been replaced except throttle position sensor. Can’t wait to see the rest of the rebuild of your 4.0.

[@madbrax5184]

Man, you nailed it. I'm close to your age and have been dealing with carbs my whole life. I bought a 2014 CTS-V a few years ago and immediately starting modding, finally getting to the point of tuning. I've spent more time in front of a computer adjusting and tweaking on the tune than I spent building the car. Still to this day there are quirks in the tune that I haven't been able to fix. I can't stand sitting and staring at a computer screen. I just want to be wrenching in the garage. Things like to dome light are controlled by a computer, the starter engagement is controlled by a computer, etc, etc... This one is only fun when I'm driving it! It's also my plan "B" for the power tour because my carbureted 1979 Chevy van won't be ready in time due to a 4x4 conversion. Thanks for these videos Uncle Tony, you help me to understand that it's not just me and I'm not alone.

[@crazycoffee]

I'm 22 and have been messing around with cars and tractors since I was 7. Computers at 10. Out of the two I enjoy working with cars more. I don't like working on new cars mainly because it's like working on computers. You have much more proprietary components and software. You have to hunt down the hundreds of issues it can be. Then when you find that one issue it's either annoying to fix or expensive.

[@GnarshredProductions]

You could just pay someone to tune the car for you if you don't like it. There are reputable professionals who tune with HP tuners for a living you can even have them tune your car remotely then you just have to focus on wrenching. That is what I do I just assemble the car and put everything together and then pay my tuner the $500 to make it run perfect for me its much less stressful that way and I know he will tune the car better than I could ever do it.

[@nicholasagnew2792]

I have a 71 VW squareback that uses the D-Jetronic multi-point EFI (invented by Chrysler) and aside from a MAP sensor making the engine run rich for a bit, its been an endlessly reliable car. The problem with today's cars is that they have a truly stupid number of modules and wires and if any of them go bad or get a small amount of corrosion, the car can no longer be serviced.

[@danh8302]

Around 2000 I just coverted one myself. IH SV motor, using a GM tbi with a plate I made. Converted the distributor. Used the 7747 and tuner cat. It was excellent, never had any problems. Ultimately went with a different engine. I’ve always just made my own so far and never have issues, or rather, work them out in the process and then they are very reliable.

[@bigmotorhead2908]

I live in the middle of America and I have never used the choke on my Holleys. Yeah it would idle rough at first start up and die if you didn't keep gassing it(especially in the winter) but once warmed up it was fine. DIY fuel injection will continue to get better over time.

[@jimanastasio192]

My vehicles are all EFI cars built before Y2K. I like the early OEM EFI systems. They do what's needed to keep an engine running well and nothing more. I like carbs too. I haven't owned a carbureted car in a long time, but I haven't forgotten how well they work when you choose your carb and intake wisely. I wish I could tell you about a friend who has a great running car with aftermarket EFI, but I can't. The few I know who tried it ended up going back to a carburetor.

[@mph5896]

OBD2 makes it MUCH easier to diagnose. 1996-about mid 2000's was the magic point in super reliable modern cars.

[@raymondpetrovits2336]

Big thumbs up to Uncle Tony and his observations on carb/EFI. I own a 1967 GTX and run a new Edlebrock carb but thought I might be missing out on something. Finds out the carb is fine and the EFI is not the solution to the problem. Old school is the way to go. It’s a gasoline problem not the fuel delivery. Thanks Uncle Tony. Loyal fan from CT.

[@Hybridknfgrowchannel]

Ya i use a little booster for the gasoline definitely dont ise what it recommends use way less

[@Daveunruh]

My daily, the fifth one I’ve owned, is an 89 Deville. It’s got TBI, 4 wires power the injection system. Everything’s adjustable, 1 wire ignition, easy to give it a tune up, full size sedan, comfortable, gets great gas mileage, and anything you need to do is easy to replace. As long as there’s 88-89 Devilles around, that’s going to be my comfort level with technology for daily.

[@damarapoledna3636]

Purchased an '81 Cutlass in '82. V6 electric controled carb. 20k miles on it and the carb was all wanky. We replaced the stock 2 barrel with a Rochester 4 barrel off a '63 Chevy. We made an adapter out of wood and the engine ran great and was perfectly reliable.

[@Troy_Built]

I totally agree with you on the aftermarket EFI systems. They are less reliable than the carbs. Friends of mine have used 4 different brands and all have had a lot of trouble. Three of them have had their Snipers sent back and fixed or replaced. They run like a dream until they screw up again. I'm really glad I didn't do it. To help with the starting after sitting a few days some guys I know went to electric in-line pumps that mechanical fuel pumps work with. They just turn on the electric one for a few seconds before starting and it fills the bowl. Then turn it off and the mechanical one works fine until it sits for a few days. It keeps from having to replace a lot of the fuel system and still looks factory.

[@GunnarKennedy]

An electric fuel pump and a return line plumbed into the filler neck makes a carb 80 percent more livable with alcohol. Thunderhead 289 has a project called the Carb Cheater that gives a lot of the usability improvements of a proper EFI setup but still rocks your carb of choice (and a rev limiter if you make the jump to an HEI style ignition)

[@AutoAuctionRebuilds]

I converted my 69 Chevelle SS 396 to Holley Sniper EFI for power tour last year. No issues at all. My 1940 Chevy is MPFI with no issue and 17mpg. The Edelbrock ProFlow 1 is 20+ years old on the Chevy with no issue.

[@sunset1300]

I did FiTech EFI on my 1977 C10. AN fittings and lines, special filers and pump, probably spent $1500. Never worked right. Took original Q-jet to Q-jet specialist and had it rebuilt. Runs perfect now.

[@gadget73]

parts availability is why I stick to OEM stuff. Doesn't have to be original to the car, but it has to be stock on something. Better quality and availability vs custom aftermarket stuff.

[@bizeerog2281]

Great video, I work in the aviation field repairing at component level avionics equipment. The aftermarket companies could build a very reliable EFI however it's the bean counters in these companies are the issue. The circuit components are reduced to bare minimal to function so extra filter caps for example are excluded resulting in noisy power supplies. Also the component ratings are not at 30% over typical operating levels but closer to 5-10% over if not 0% in some cases. Low quality conformity coatings will break down through temperature cycles and moisture creeps under the components resulting in corrosion. Lead was removed from solder resulting in solder cracks overtime and the surface mounted components become intermittent. So Uncle Tony's approach of keep it simple stupid definetely is the right one from what I can see.

[@watsisbuttndo829]

This constant need for touchscreens is now invading our ground support equipment. We see the top shelf stuff in the aircraft that last decades and resists huge heat/cold cycling and stupid g force. Then we go over and try and start a ground cooling cart, and it won't go because it thinks we've left a door ajar. But won't tell you that's the problem or what door it thinks is ajar, just won't start. Old cart just had an on/off switch and only failed to run if it threw a conrod out the block. The contrast is stark!

[@MegaDrewsdad]

thank you for this. everyone always asks why i only build old school carb motors. this is why!! the new stuff is no fun and i dont want an ls computer controlled hot rod or daily driver. i WANT TO BE ABLE TO FIX IT! period! nothin like tuning with the ear! love your channel and never miss a video! please keep going!!!

[@joecoool100]

The old Delco two barrel EFI speed density system was rock solid. One o2 sensor, map sensor, coolant temp and timing. Had a computer with changeable EPROM chip so you could have a hotrod chip and one for gas mileage and emissions. Put these on several vehicles and had zero problems.