What Is Electronic Fuel Injection?
Electronic fuel injection systems use a series of sensors, a throttle body, fuel injectors and/or rails, high pressure fuel pumps and a computer that uses all the presented information in a fashion that provides seamless operation. Whereas a carbureted system uses a low-pressure fuel pump with a pressure regulator or a mechanical fuel pump, EFI fuel injection systems use a high pressure fuel pump, an adjustable ore preset fuel pressure regulator depending upon the system, fuel injectors, and either throttle body injection in place of a carburetor or a complete intake manifold upgrade for multiport EFI systems where the injectors are placed within each intake runner.
What Are the Advantages of Electronic Fuel Injection?
The advantages of an electronic fuel injection system over a carburetor are many. Improved throttle response, increased fuel mileage, less maintenance, better cold starts, and improved overall drivability. Some love a good carburetor and have the knowledge to make them work well, but self learning EFI systems allow you to put away that screwdriver and quit the guesswork that comes with adjusting a carburetor for different altitudes and engine needs. An electronic fuel injection system does all that adjusting for you.
What Are the Different Types of Electronic Fuel Injection Systems?
There are single point/throttle body fuel injection systems, port/multi point fuel injection and sequential electronic fuel injection. Single point/throttle body fuel injection systems simply have a throttle body in place of a carburetor. This type of throttle body injection typically has a fuel injector positioned within the throttle body for each throttle blade (two injectors in a two barrel throttle body, four injectors in a four barrel throttle body, etc.). Port/multi point fuel injection uses separate fuel injectors spraying into each individual cylinder, while sequential electronic fuel injection systems are like multi point, but each injector sprays its fuel when that individual cylinder needs it, timed with the engine’s firing order. The latest fuel injection system uses direct injection, which uses fuel injectors spraying its fuel vapor directly into the combustion chamber. Direct injection provides a more precise manner of providing the right amount of fuel to an engine. Direct injection is only seen at the OE level right now and is not something you can easily retrofit, but because you might come across it in an engine swap, we wanted to mention it here.
Throttle Body Fuel Injection Vs Carburetor?
An electronic fuel injection system that uses a throttle body in place of a carburetor is a popular choice since there are less components to swap out when making the switch to EFI. With most retrofit standalone fuel system offerings, they use a throttle body that even replicates the look of a carburetor so the end user can utilize the existing intake manifold and air cleaner to retain that classic carburetor look. However, the throttle body will do a much better job of metering fuel as opposed to a carburetor. Plus, there’s no guessing what size throttle body you’ll need like what happens with carburetor cfm ratings. The throttle body fuel injection system handles everything without changing jets, setting the idle screw, or being too rich or too lean. With the use of a wideband oxygen sensor, a throttle body injection system can do a much better job at managing the engine’s air/fuel needs, especially when encountering altitude changes, performance modifications, and changes in weather.
What Is Self Learning EFI?
A self learning EFI system is one that uses a set of parameters to maintain the optimum air/fuel ratio. Most of these standalone fuel injection systems use a set of calibration tables, along with a wideband oxygen sensor, throttle position sensor, idle air control valve, and a fuel pressure regulator to ensure the system provides the correct amount of fuel without a need for custom tuning. These standalone fuel injection systems usually need information from the end user to arrive at a start-up tune, such as displacement, camshaft type, and base idle speed desired, but once the engine is running, then the EFI system adjusts according to what the engine needs to fine-tune the combination. Many of the self learning EFI systems we carry are rated for various horsepower needs, and either include a throttle body injection system, or a complete throttle body and intake manifold combination, along with all required wiring, sensors, fuel injectors, and hardware.
