Anybody running an FI Tech or similar set up on a 350? I’m pretty sick of tuning adjustments. Always running rich or lean...adjust this or that. That self tuning feature sound REALLY tempting. I’d like to “get smart” before pulling the trigger on a $1500 set up. Thought I read a thread on someone’s set up but a search found nothing.
I don't really have any knowledge on it but I have seen different articles in the "Hi-Tech for old iron" section here on the forum maybe your answer is there
I just finished a fitech install (not on a 350 though) and aside from a self-inflicted electrical issue I'm pretty darn impressed so far. Only have about 25 miles on it so it's not tuned up just yet, but it already is running great, far better than I expected out of the gate. Can't say much to.longevity since it's so new, but so far I'm really pleased with the throttle characteristics over what I thought to be a well tuned Holley carb.
Any lessons learned? Which kit did you buy or did you piece it together yourself? Would you have done anything different in hindsight? I read someone complaining about the quality of the hoses and clamps. Can you run a mechanical fuel pump or is electric a must? I know that’s a lot of questions. Just want to do it right the 1st time with a smooth install.
Oh yeah...forgot about that section. Got a habit of always going to the same 3-4 sections. I’ll take a look. Thanks.
The main problem with fitech is the customer service is very bad. I would suggest Holley or another reputable brand over fitech.
So I've been reading a lot of reviews and I'm finding that the Holley Sniper has a lot more bad reviews than the FI Tech. Reliability and tuning issues. But I am reading a lot of poor reviews about FI Tech tech-support. I'm very tempted to get the Holley because...well....it's Holley.
I installed the Fitech on my 340 last spring. I bought a Tanks tank along with their in tank fuel pump and sender. The biggest hassle was sorting and building brackets for the linkage and trans lashup. Very pleased with the installation and operation of everything. Also got good response from Fitech tech to sort out a couple of issues I had. Have driven it about 1000 miles and very happy. Love the start up. When cold I cycle the ignition a couple of times then it fires right up. When warm turn the key on, wait for the fuel pump to cycle then start. Big change from crank crank kick the peddle and crank some more like in the past. Only down fall is I had to put a spacer between fi and intake to clear everything for the linkages. Then sat high and had to configure a thin air cleaner setup to clear the hood. Also if you think any of the systems are inexpensive to do - think again. Probably have $2k in everything to get it done.
So if I'm understanding correctly, I would either need to get a new fuel tank with a return line going from the TB to the fuel tank OR get the kit that has the fuel command center if I wish to use my existing fuel tank. Is that correct?
You cannot run a mechanical pump, they can't make the pressure needed. I installed a tanks inc tank with in-tank 340 pump and a Corvette filter/regulator with built in bypass. I'm using the mean Street 800 fitech system. The only thing I'd really do different is not make a stupid mistake wiring it like I did causing a fuse to blow! But you know what they say about hindsight.... I too have heard the stories about fitechs customer support, and many who have "heard" the same thing repeat it ad-naseum. I have personally contacted them 3 times and here is my direct personal experience. The average on hold time was about 17 minutes. Yeah, it seems like a long time, and it kinda is. They apologized and said the product has outgrown the company so they're trying to keep up. Kinda crappy waiting that long, but I get it. The texh that helped me with my first issue definitely didn't sound like he wanted to be there. Very him drum and not very friendly. BUT he did solve my issue and that was the entire point of calling, not a friendly conversation. My next two calls to them, the associate was very friendly/personable, extremely knowledgeable, and got my issue sorted quickly, one of which was to send me updated software. Overall, I can't complain too much, and that's coming from someone who did it, not just repeating what I've heard. By way of comparison, I've called Holley a few times and their support was fine, but not heads and tales above my fitech experience. The wait times were shorter, and in the end they helped me as I needed, but nothing miraculous compared to what I experienced with FiTech. Granted, Im a small sample size, but this is all I can tell you from personal experience.
Think I'm going to go with this kit. Seems pretty straight forward. Drop the fuel tank...remove the old fuel sending unit...drop in the new fuel pump...bolt up the throttle body..run the lines, sensor and wiring and I'm off. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fif-34001
I think you'll find it's not quite as simple as that, but those are indeed the cliff notes! I had that same thought process, it's a pinch more involved. But a lot of that may have to do with some of my existing equipment that needed to be worked with/around. All that said, I'm glad I did it.
Oh no doubt about that. That’s true about anything. I was more talking about from an equipment standpoint. So with this sort of set up I would remove the mechanical fuel pump and block off the cavity right?
Cool. Well last question and I think I’m good. I’m running an Ignitor coil and Petronix points eliminator. Can I keep that set up? Or would you recommend a “fancier” ignition system?
As long as everything is sound and functioning properly, you should be fine with that ignition set up. You can lock out your distributor and have the fitech control your timing curve if you want, but it's not required, you can leave your ignition alone to do it's thing if you want. Only thing you'll absolutely have to do with the ignition is to wire a tach signal to the fitech.
When I did mine they didn’t offer that fuel pump affair. I used the existing hard line in the car as my return line and then plumbed a new line with Russell hose and an fittings. I also have a full Petronix electronic distributor that was already installed. Didn’t mess with it - didn’t connect it to the Fitech unit.
Well I bought it last night. Should be here next week. I’ll post pics of the install and lessons learned. I’m thinking about getting an MSD ignition system too. But I like how simple my ignition is now. Wonder if there’s any benefit switching if the timing is controlled with the FiTech unit anyway. I also read that it’s a good idea to get a higher amperage alternator. Not sure what I have in there now.
Which model did you buy? Did you buy the fuel command Center? I wish these were on sale...have my son talked into it...
I bought the 600 HP with the in-tank module. The in-tank module is 1 of the 3 fueling options. The command center (as I understand it) is the easiest to install but also doesn’t perform as well as the other 2. The 3rd option is the G-surge module. I chose the in-tank module because I wanted less clutter. Oh and I chose the 600 over the 400 because they said the 400 is more like an electronic carb than it is an EFI.
