Powerjection III Install and Review

Discussion in 'High Tech for Old Iron' started by theone61636, Apr 6, 2010.

  1. theone61636

    theone61636 Well-Known Member

    Well, I figured I might as well at least start this thread since I'm pretty far along already. I'll update with the pictures I've taken so far once I get home from work today.
    The whole setup is actually very minimalistic. The throttle body (t/b) houses the ECU and the wiring is so simple it's almost unbelievable. I started by disconnecting the battery and removing the stock quadrajet.
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    I needed a 1" spacer to get the t/b high enough to get enough clearance for the regulator. Even with the spacer I still had to cant the regulator at an angle to clear the manifold and grind a little off of the body to clear the secondary linkage. I'm sure I could've used a 1.5" spacer and had no issues but I wanted to use the stock air cleaner.
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    I am running -6 SS Braided hose for the feed line all the way from the tank to the t/b and connected the return to the stock feed hard line also utilizing -6 hose. I routed the feed line along the original feed line route using the stock connection points. Anywhere the SS hose touched the brake line, I used some rubber hose to cover the break line.
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    The fuel pump was a bitch to mount. The only place i could thing to mount it was on the floor pan almost directly next to the fwd mounting point for the lower control arm. Trying to tighten bolts when one side is inside the car by yourself is a bitch. Creativity, patience, and long arms helped a lot.

    I removed the fuel tank and will be adding a sump to it this weekend. Don't know if this is something I will have someone else do or if I will give it a shot. I'm still a beginner welder but it seems pretty easy and straight forward. I bought a new fuel send unit and will cap off the original return line. I have three options for a return: 1) use the stock feed line 2) use the middle vent tube (3/8") or 3) install a -6 90* fitting. Obviously the fitting is probably the smartest thing to do, but will require me to drill into the tank and or sender. The other two SHOULD work but i don't know if there's an issue with the return line actually returning fuel INTO the fuel in the tank vice on top of it.

    I also installed a t-fitting for my oil pressure gauge using a brass line instead of the Teflon one provided in the kit. And I also ran the line for the water temp gauge and removed the stock fuel pump and bolted on a BBC fuel block off plate.
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    This weekend, I'll hopefully get the gas tank done and re-installed, finish running the fuel lines and get the wiring done so I can try and start her up. More pictures to follow.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2010
  2. TheSilverBuick

    TheSilverBuick In the Middle of No Where

    Pictures?
     
  3. theone61636

    theone61636 Well-Known Member

    I take it you didn't see the last 3 words I wrote...:spank:
    LOL, once I get home from work I'll upload them.
     
  4. TheSilverBuick

    TheSilverBuick In the Middle of No Where

    D'oh, nope, read up until the oil pressure gauge line =P
     
  5. theone61636

    theone61636 Well-Known Member

    Pics added. I realized some of the pics I took were accidentally deleted so tomorrow I'll take some more.
     
  6. sean Buick 76

    sean Buick 76 Buick Nut

    Cool, thanks for sharing
     
  7. bobc455

    bobc455 Well-Known Member

    Be sure the pump has some sort of a rubber or foam insulation pad, otherwise the pump will reverberate the floor pan and make the ride very loud.

    Also, I recommend running no filter on the inlet to the fuel pump. These are a restriction, and the pump hates to have to suck fuel through those things. I used to go through 1 - 2 pumps per year, but since I removed my inlet filter I've had the same pump for about 3 years now. Using high quality gas is obviously a requirement, don't buy gas from some el-cheapo gas station which can have dirt (I only use Shell, ExxonMobil, or Sunoco).

    And I'm not exactly sure where you mounted the pump, but be sure it is as low as possible. I mounted mine on the frame rail in front of the driver's side rear wheel.

    -Bob C.
     
  8. theone61636

    theone61636 Well-Known Member

    I didn't even think about using a rubber mounting pad between the pump mounting plate and the car.:Dou: I'll see how loud it gets and if it's too much i'll take it out and add one. I hadn't planned on using a pre-filter based on the products recommendation. I mounted the pump on the floor pan right next to the frame rail. I didn't have anywhere on the rail to mount it unfortunitley. Once I get back under the car I'll take some pictures of the fuel pump.
    I started fitting the sump to the tank last night. I got the outlined scribed and the drain holes drilled. I got the pan valleys formed into the aft part of the sump so this evening ill do the fwd ones and hopefully start burning some metal.
    I'm still conflicted as to what to do with the return. I placed my 90* AN fitting on the top of the tank and there's no way I'll have clearanc for that so it's either putting the return on the vertical part of the tank right behind the differential or use the middle vent of the tank as the return. The middle vent has an inner diameter of .320 and empties out in the aft portion of the tank. I think for the hp I'm making it'll be fine doing it that way but if I ever want to step it up, i'll obviously have to go the other route. My only concern is if I put the bulkhead fitting on the vertical part of the gas tank, I can only get it so high up so if i have a full tank the outlet might be submerged in gas. I almost thought about putting the return in the tank filler neck but i didn't think that would be the smartest idea. Desisions, decisions.
     
  9. theone61636

    theone61636 Well-Known Member

    Here are some more pics for everyone. I finally installed the tank on Saturday, put some fuel in, and pressurized the fuel system. Of course, leaks everywhere on the throttle body. All the fittings on the regulator were leaking. The two on the flow side were easy to fix. The return fitting however was locktited from the factory and when i tried to shear the fitting and then back it out it stripped the threads. I had to drill and tap the hole for a 1/2" flare and now it's good to go. But of course as soon as the regulator stopped leaking both of the intake tubes attached to the throttle body started leaking. Luckily, that only required me to tighten them up. So after I pressurise the system to check and get no leaks i run through the start up procedures on my laptop, turn the key and she started right up. I DID have to adjust the throttles since they were setup for a small block, but once i figured that out she idled great and boy I tell you what the throttle response is crazy! It sounded like it revs so much faster now and is absolutely more powerful sounding. So i go in the car and decided to take it for a quick test drive. The whole time, I'm thinking, man that fuel pump is loud! lol. anyway, i get on the main road and i know i still need to adjust the throttle opening some more but man that thing is quick. I make it not even 400 yards to where my turn around is and the fuel pump died on me. :( I KNEW i should've used a pre-filter at least for the first tank or two of gas but i thought i had cleaned out the tank enough to not have to worry about it. WRONG! Let me tell you...pushing a 4400lb+ vehicle 400 yards while having to steer all by yourself is a great leg workout. So anyway, I've got a Walbro 255lph pump on the way along with a 40 micron pre-pump filter. I hope the filter will keep me from burning up another pump and will most likely take it off after 2 or 3 tanks of gas. I also need to find a better way to mount the pump so it's quieter...if i can hear it over my exhaust it's DEFINTELY too loud. SO anyway, here are some more pics. Stayed tuned as the saga continues...i also burped the coolant system so it didn't overheat, but i may change the thermostat to a lower one because it was at a steady 201* while running and that was only in 68* weather.
    [​IMG][​IMG]
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    [​IMG][​IMG]
     
  10. TheSilverBuick

    TheSilverBuick In the Middle of No Where

    Bummer on the Pump. One thing I noticed on mine going from an untuned Q-jet to the EFI, was as I got the EFI dialed in the exhaust got a ton quieter and it loped a lot less.

    What were your AFR's idling and driving?
     
  11. theone61636

    theone61636 Well-Known Member

    I believe the AFR's were in the mid tens when idling...way rich I know, but like i said, I still need to get the throttle adjustment set correctly. i wasn't really paying attention when i was driving as it was only for about 2 minutes before the pump blew.
     
  12. theone61636

    theone61636 Well-Known Member

    I got my new fuel pump (Walbro 255lph), filter, and fittings in yesterday. I installed the fittings on the hoses, removed the old fuel pump and prepped the new pump and filter for install. I was originally going to put the pre-pump filter inline with the hose right after the sump opening but I decided instead to couple it directly to the pump inlet. So, today I will hook up the new pump and pressurize the system and hopefully get her to run again. Although, this time I don't think I'll take it for a drive just yet until I get the initial tuning taken care of. Wish me luck!
     
  13. arden_dean

    arden_dean Well-Known Member

    Yes, cool !! Is this a Kit if so would you give us the details. ie part numbers

    Thanks for sharing
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2010
  14. Justa350

    Justa350 I'm BACK!

    This kit is something I'm very interested in for the future as it will support a blow through configuration. EFI smoothness, self tuning, AND boost? What could be better?
     
  15. jhut49

    jhut49 Well-Known Member

    What a great project. Thanks for the details. I have also been researching the Powerjection III. If I'm not mistaken, I think they offer a returnless fuel pump to simplify the install. The video on their website claims a one-hour install? Any comments on the returnless pump??
     
  16. theone61636

    theone61636 Well-Known Member

    heres the link to the one I got, although if I could do it all over again I would have gotten my own fuel pump and regulator from the beginning. The new Walbro is way quieter, flows more, smaller and cheaper than the pump that comes with the kit.
    http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PFS-70026/
    I got everything installed and I'm assuming the filter is doing it's job because i ran the car for about an hour and didn't sieze up. However, I think I have a vacuum leak or SOMETHING preventing me from being able to drive the damn car. I just can't get it to idle right and the power brakes are giving me a problems too so I'm assuming these problems are tied together. Sounds pretty wicked when I rev it up though when it's not in gear.
     
  17. Nothingface5384

    Nothingface5384 Detail To Oil - Car Care

    i forget, but what was thr cutoff for the blowthrough 650 hp?

    i've still been checking thosu out too lol
     
  18. theone61636

    theone61636 Well-Known Member

    The standard kit is rated up to 550hp. You can upgrade to larger injectors and fuel pump(s) for more power. They also make a 1200cfm throttle body or you can use dual throttle bodies.
     
  19. Nick A.

    Nick A. Well-Known Member

    You need to take the car for a drive for it to go though its learning cycle. This will get it to idle and get all its cruise, wot tables set. I have the first generation system of this and noticed the same thing crappy idle that sounded wicked until I drove it and got it to go through its learining cycle.

    Have fun with it, I really like mine. I feel like it made my 40 year old motor run and react like a brand new engine, with the smoothness and throttle response it gained.
     
  20. Nick A.

    Nick A. Well-Known Member

    another note here, my original fuel pump died early on as well and was very noisy. Got a warranty replacement one from them and it is very quiet and my pump is located under the hood.
     

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