efi

i am probably rehashing old topics here, but i would like to know if i can get an aftermarket harness and computer so i can use late model efi 302's in a boat, i like the instant start and sealed systems you get with efi, i am not worried about the mechanical part of the job ie: fitting in tank pumps and return lines, but i am not very good with the computer side of things. can you bypass temp and oxygen sensors with after market computer. i just want a basic system if thats possible using as much of the original system as possible.

 

Marine EFI does not have a return line. It is a bolt on to a carburated if you get the Throttle body injection.

 

i understand what you are saying but i am talking about 302 rollercam efi engines that were in ford cars here from 1992 to 2000, they are plentiful and a very good engine, i need to know how to set up the computer side of things for marine use. the auto computer is connected to a lot of sytems in the car and will not run unless it modified.

 

I don´t know about the car version, but is it spark proof on the relays, etc? Also, the camshaft is not ideal for a boat installation. You will find it hard to get up on plane.

 

i doubt if it is spark proof but a good bilge blower and vents will take care of that. i have had a few auto engines in boats and i haven't blown up yet. the last three boats i have known to burn to the water line were all diesel powered. i witnessed one of them and it took about 20 minutes till there was nothing left. back to the subject, i think it will get on the plane no problem, if not i can get the cams ground. it would be nice to go out and buy 2 new marine engines but i don't have a spare $50000 laying around. good used marine engines are rare in aus and still to expensive anyway. anything here with marine written on cost 2 to 3 times more than other countrys.

 

A bilge blower will not take care of that. As a surveyor and marine accident investigator I have too many burned boats. A few casualties too. I think that by the time you do all the modifications it is going to be quite expensive. Have you considered buying something from the US or Canada? I don't know if you have to pay import duties, but shipping shouldn't be too much. In marine installations the injectors are different too.

 

to ship an engine in from the states is a major headache and there are duties and tax to pay. as far burned boats go , like i said i am still alive and i know a lot of boats with auto conversions and they have never burnt. i am a mechanic myself but have been out of the trade for a few years. bilge blowers do work, i noticed you had no comment about diesel boats burning. 1 was a new charter cat on its first trip, diesel and caught fire, 2 was a 45 ft cruiser, diesel burnt to the waterline, 3 a 45 ft gameboat, the crew didn't even have time to radio a mayday, diesel powered, 4 a 32 ft powercat diesel burnt to the waterline. now i have had petrol and diesel boats and get annoyed with this theory that all petrol inboards are dangerous, proper maintenance and inspections are all that is needed to have a safe boat. i don't know if you have been to australia but there are thousands of boats here and fires are pretty rare,

 

i have to go to bed now but can we not get hung up on safety, i really want to know about computer setup and if there are aftermarket computers available that will run factory fitted systems.

 

It really depends on the computer that you use, an after market one is probably just as cheap as trying to figure out the wiring that came from the car. That said with something like a megasquirt you can get an engine to run with a crank position/distributor, TPS and MAP signals. Then on top of that you would want the inlet air temp and probably coolant temp. The oxygen sensors are usually just used during idle so you can ignore that, most car ECUs are essentially open loop control systems. There are plenty of systems that should run your engine fine, Link, Microtech, Wolf etc

This link has a couple of pictures that may help, they dont show the ignition output though.

http://www.megamanual.com/v22manual/mwire.htm

If you wanted to it would also be possible to run a returnless fuel system, I have no idea why marine engines are different in this department though

 

thanks cheesy, i will get a lot of info off that site.

 

WP - disgard Gonzo's advice with caution... I think you'll find that it is illegal to install a petrol engine in a boat that isn't 'marine rated' - ie spark protected etc. At least check the regs... otherwise you may wind up with something that is not only unsafe, but unsaleable.
Most bilge-blowers are only short-duty rated too... you can't simply leave them on. But even a continuous-rated bilge blower won't make up for a (possibly) dangerous installation.
As I said, there are laws that govern this stuff... and they are there as the result of fatal errors....

 

oh... and BTW... I know of a couple of people who have imported engines from the US - both inboard and outboard - with little trouble... definitely worth considering...

 

i understand what gonzo is saying, but i am asking about efi setup at the moment, if i do anything with it i can spark proof the engine as well, at the moment all i want to know about is getting efi to work in a boat, i will more than likely stick to the carby engines it has anyway which are mercruisers, i thought this was going to be a good site to get info but so far all i seem to do is argue with people that want to talk about spark proofing. gonzo tells me how wrong i am yet he is running a post on the merits of making a boat out of a sea container. hope he spark proofs it.

 

LOL....
You have to understand that there are a LOT of people who jump on here who have no idea about anything to do with boats... so when someone suggests something that is either dumb (Gonzo's container boat? ) or potentially dangerous (like a poor engine installation) they usually get told as much.
Now Gonzo may have valid reasoning behind his box-boat, just as you may have the knowledge and understanding to safely marinise an auto-engine....but we have no way of knowing that, so please forgive the lecture you feel you are copping at every turn....

 

its no problem, i am sure you and gonzo both know what you are talking about, i was just making the point that it is frustating to get hung up on a subject which is not the one i am asking about, i certainly don't claim to be an expert but i do have a lot of experience. anyway i have been reading the forums cheesy directed me to and it looks extremely complicated as the aftermarket computer people recomend using the original sensors , not impossible but a lot of work, it would mean freshwater cooling and custom exhaust to fit ox sensor. i think i will stick to the mercs for now and lf i don't like the fuel usage i can always marinise a pair of nissan or toyota diesels. i have made my own ex manifolds and gearbox adaptors before. with our new business i only get to the boat a couple of times a month anyway.