EFI options

[wayward]

I bought a Holley EFI HP kit 2/3 years ago as I was building my car. Now I'm trying to get the car started and the unit has a bad solid state relay inside the unit. The Holley EFI units are non repairable and will have to be replaced... The whole kit is $1600 and just the ECU is $1100.. The unit is out of warranty but Holley is looking at the unit, I'm hoping they have some logic in the claims management. The unit was new and I provided pictures of the install, I am confident I did cause the failure.

long story short, if I have to spend another $1k or more I want to reevaluate the options out there and see what the best options are today.

• I love the self learning capabilities of the Holley. Would prefer to not have to use a Dyno tuner.
• I find it very alarming the Holley unit is not repairable.
• After sell support needs to be strong and take into account the duration some of these frame off builds take.

Can I get some suggestions on what units to evaluate?

thanks,
Eric

[Ollie8974]

MegaSquirt

Moderator can you delete this double post

[Ollie8974]

MegaSquirt
http://www.msextra.com/forums/

[Bygblok]

Good to know the unit isn't serviceable. I know that I can't recommend FAST at all. My efi has been a thorn in my side. One day it runs great, the next day it doesn't want to idle and acts like it's brain dead. Way to sensitive to emi as well. I hear good things about megasquirt though as mentioned before.

[Red67Mustang]

If I'm not mistaken, the only reason the HolleyEFI units are not repairable is because they are fully 'potted'... IE; filled up with a flowable epoxy resin. That's what I believe is supposed to make them very durable and vibration resistant...so they can be mounted under hood. Please correct if this isn't the whole story.

I would imagine that any high quality EFI unit which is rated for installation under the hood is also going to be fully potted and thus have the same restriction. Something to check for anyway.

[wayward]

That is correct and why this unit is not serviceable.. Although reading the forums and reviews on websites having no to have this need to be replaced is not super uncommon. I have a couple of friends with this unit and they LOVE them.

These issues may be the case with all manufactures but it's a big $ item to me and want to make the best go forward plan.

[705.0Merc]

I'm going with this efi kit soon. I can't find more options for less money anywhere.

[TheJDMan]

Please keep us posted on the FITech setup and performance. I have heard a lot of good things but always interested in first hand experience.

[dirty rick]

I prefer port injection over throttle body injection due to the fuel distribution and airflow limitations of a carb manifold. Compounding these concerns is the increased wetted surface which really jack with the tune up, there is a delay for the fuel to arrive and a delay for it to leave. The air entering the motor is wetted, this makes it heavier and more susceptible to any flow deficiencies in the manifold fuel also has a tendency to fall put of suspension on turns. I likes my fuel sprayed right at the back of the intake valve. Megasquirt will also self tune the fuel table.

[MonzaRacer]

Honestly if they wont fix it, find some local electronics expert and see if they will take time to unpot the unit, test and fix it. It can be done and last time I had a potted electronic unit fixed local place (now closed but another sprung up with different owner both seem to have great reputations) and the fixer installed better parts and actually upgraded several key parts.
NOW on the other hand honestly look at Megasquirt, you can build it, configure it, its resilient, well supported over on the forums and last time I figured it up you wont find a cheaper unit that YOU can build, test, and learn just how to make things operate.
You can buy big dollar units, and I wont knock people who do BUT when it comes to adaptability Megasquirt is hands down the best.
And I doubt you will find as many people willing to chime in and help fix your issues usually.
I watched a guy pull a Microsquirt out of box, wire it to his snow mobile, pull it out, wire it into a bike, pull it out and wire it to car, pull it out and wire it to his drag car and all he had to do was re load a new .msi file applicable to the vehicle involved. All wired to same box, and all ran from a pcm less than $500 http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/m...4e84bc00cbd2b2 and this is just Microsquirt.
Megasquirt can do so much more and all you really need to know is sensor specs/wiring diagrams.
And it can do launch control, boost control etc. And they can also be had as complete units http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/m...lete-c-25.html
Now personally I am saving for a MSIII V3.0 with all bells and whistles. I figure for my twin turbo 283 Monza it should work great. And heck learning about how these things worked I learned a lot about EFI in general.
More you know the less you rely on others.
BUT then I am an automotive diag tech by trade so its handy info.

[sccacuda]

The Holley you have now is very good stuff. You'll probably find that Holley will replace/repair the ECU. My big question is who did you purchase it from? The after sale support is provided by the dealer unless you bought it direct. This is where the cheapest is not always the best. The Holley systems are pretty bullet proof. A few mis wired harness's is about all I've ever seen. Had people tell me they had a bad computer, but EVERY time it is either a wiring or tuning issue. I did have a customer "lock up" an ECU while updating the software. Being that I was the dealer, I gave him another unit after I verified it and sent his to Holley to reboot. This is where having a good dealer helps and one that understands projects sometimes exceed warranty time!

What internal transistor (relay) circuit was inop?

[wayward]

Resellers can provide some support but not to the level necessary to troubleshoot to bad components or replacing the unit. Based on my experience Holley prices are pretty standard from all authorized resellers. Then it's a Holley kit and a Holley warranty should apply, however the time I've owned the unit technically has expired the warranty. I hope Holley does support the product, otherwise anyone building a car ground up should really evaluate what system and when they buy it to ensure they don't go beyond the warranty.. I would love to have a dealer that would loan me a computer or support me like you do your clients. In the event they do decide its out of warranty and before I commit another $1100 bucks I need to make sure I understand what other options are on the market today.. To be honest I have not paid attention the last year or two as I have had or had my mind made up on my direction on my ecu..

I have provided Holley pictures of the install at every point of the warranty survey and they had no issue with the install. I have a new American Autowire harness, 10 gauge wire to the battery, braided ground wires everywhere, new interstate battery, no other electronics installed, no battery chargers installed, etc... I've had several in depth calls with Holley then as far as my qualifications I'm a liscensed Avionics guy that has been trained to do this type of work and been doing it for a living since 1991..

The first tier support at Holley has verified it is a bad computer and its in their engineering department currently and I'm awaiting their diagnosis. According to the tier 1 support guy at Holley the unit has a bad solid state relay. When I upload the map and cycle the key the unit locks up... Have to remove battery power to get the unit to reset then it acts like a new unit and need to upload a map...

Thanks,
Eric

The Holley you have now is very good stuff. You'll probably find that Holley will replace/repair the ECU. My big question is who did you purchase it from? The after sale support is provided by the dealer unless you bought it direct. This is where the cheapest is not always the best. The Holley systems are pretty bullet proof. A few mis wired harness's is about all I've ever seen. Had people tell me they had a bad computer, but EVERY time it is either a wiring or tuning issue. I did have a customer "lock up" an ECU while updating the software. Being that I was the dealer, I gave him another unit after I verified it and sent his to Holley to reboot. This is where having a good dealer helps and one that understands projects sometimes exceed warranty time!

What internal transistor (relay) circuit was inop?

[70TWO NOVA]

I'm another strong proponent for the micro/mega squirt. I recently adapted a microsquirt to my 355 sbc. Iam very glad I did. The adaptability and cost effectiveness of the overall swap was well worth it. I'm sure the big name tbi swaps are good but the versatility and tunability of the micro and megasquirts is second to none. Plus there is a TON of support.

[wayward]

Well I have an update... Even though my unit was out of warranty Holley stepped up and is replacing the unit.. I was upset that I was in that situation and didn't think they would but the have... This is AWESOME product support!!!

While I wait the for the new unit I decided to verify all the pin outs in the harnesses that come with the kit. The wideband O2, knock and MAP sensors were wired incorrectly according to the diagrams. I noticed the WBO2 last week and spoke to Holley about it after they let me know they would honor the warranty. I checked the two big plugs that go into the unit first yesterday but will check them again this afternoon when I get some help checking off the wires...

Lesson: if someone else provides your wiring take 15 minutes at the kitchen table and verify the connectors with the diagram before you put it the on the car. I believe this would have prevented me some issues, stress, and a lot of weeks time...

I must say again the support from Holley was above and beyond what they put on paper! Thanks-Eric

[67RSRAG]

If I'm not mistaken, the only reason the HolleyEFI units are not repairable is because they are fully 'potted'... IE; filled up with a flowable epoxy resin. That's what I believe is supposed to make them very durable and vibration resistant...so they can be mounted under hood. Please correct if this isn't the whole story.

I would imagine that any high quality EFI unit which is rated for installation under the hood is also going to be fully potted and thus have the same restriction. Something to check for anyway.

The only reason they use epoxy and urethanes is to prevent reverse engineering. If they intended them to be repairable they would use silicone based compounds that gives all the same if not better protection and are repairable. At least they stood behind their product congrats.