Best fuel injection for 258

[EVERYUSERNAMEISTAKEN]

After doing some searching, this form seems to be lacking on EFI info for the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l 258. There is quite a bit of info on other forms for the junkyard EFI swap. I don’t think it is really any cheaper once you consider time invested. With that said, I would appreciate any advice towards the best over the counter EFI system for the CJ 258. Thanks in advance!

 

[j6824]

After doing some searching, this form seems to be lacking on EFI info for the 4.2l 258. There is quite a bit of info on other forms for the junkyard EFI swap. I don’t think it is really any cheaper once you consider time invested. With that said, I would appreciate any advice towards the best over the counter EFI system for the CJ 258. Thanks in advance!

funny you should ask this, as I was just pondering this myself the other day

Gr8dain just installed the Holley Sniper kit this past weekend. I'm sure he will chime in as to the install and the subsequent performance.

Aside from this one and the Howell, I'm not aware of another aftermarket kit for the CJ. There is, however, a fair amount of troubleshooting/Q&A regarding tuning, setup, etc. with the Howell right here on this site, not to mention others, which is a bit disconcerting.

Not sure the Holley has been around long enough to have generated the amount of feedback, but I myself was hoping maybe it was more straightforward and less hiccup laden...I guess time will tell.

Here's a link to an install: Holley Sniper EFI Meets Old Jeep

 

[hole]

I'm partial to the Mopar MPI set-up from Hesco, or JY route if you are inclined, but it's the only one I've known . Cant say I've heard the TBI guys complaining much about their set-ups either, to be fair. Personal preference and budget are the biggest deciding factors usually. Familiarity with one system over another my sway you as well. In my travels, GM guys seem to lean towards the TBI, Ford and Mopar guys the MPI. If you have emission testing to deal with, make sure you do your research into the legalities of the swap. In the -hole state I currently call home that likes to think it's the leader in saving the planet from the evil combustion engine, both set-ups are legal (done correctly).

 

[gr8dain]

As mentioned above, I did just install the Holley Sniper. I went with the 4bbl version since I was replacing a 4bbl carb and did not want to go get a stock intake.

The install was straight forward and it fired right up. So far my issues are idle related. It was way high at first. But all I had to do was turn the idle screw. But now I am stalling as I approach a stop before the Jeep gets to operating temp. So I may need to turn the screw a little back the other way. The system is still learning as well.

There is no separate “brain” to install so there are only a few parts to deal with.

 

[Posi]

I currently have a Mopar MPI set-up on my 77, and GM on my 54.
I feel with a 6cyl a yj Mopar MPI then GM is the way to go
For 8 cyl I prefer GM.
I've purchased a couple Howell fuel injection (GM) equipped Jeeps that came with major performance issues.....both had a speed limit of 35-40 with backfiring, and stalling (both V8s).
I purchased both excepting the issues and the price reflected the condition.
In one case it was owner/Howell related issue, the other an owner issue.
Both ran fantastic once repaired.
From my experience Howell writes a a good program for the 6 cylinder engines but not so much for the 8 cylinders.
I'm sure there's a lot of Howell 8 cylinders that preform well just the two 8's I worked on had program writing issues.
For my 79 CJ I bought a 87 Suburban for $400, parted it out for just over $1000 and kept the GM fuel injection system plus $600.

 

[ttuseth]

I bought my tbi system through affordable fuel injection. It basically a low cost version of the jy tbi but new parts from a guy who knows what he is doing. Install was straight forward and he even helped me fix an issue I had once installed.
Best mod I have done to date, just put the key in and it starts right up.
I highly recommend it. He sells through his website and through eBay.

Seth

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[Torxhead]

I have the smog legal Howell t.b.i. kit. This is mostly a complete GM system. I purchased it in '07 as the oem carb kept stalling out on the steeper hills. Solved that issue, plus got better gas mileage and more power. I also like the simplicity of the system and can still use regular gas. Although comparing it to a carb setup it is a whole new can of worms which has been a lot of fun to figure out.

 

[EVERYUSERNAMEISTAKEN]

Wow, thanks for all of the reply’s! If the MOPAR system from Hesco was still available I would probably go with that. The junk yard route isn’t really an option due to my current unpredictable work schedule.

The Holley Sniper kit caught my eye due to the least amount of parts involved. I’m going to try and follow along with Gr8dain’s results.

The Howell seems to be pretty popular but I couldn’t find many reviews. It’s interesting to hear that it doesn’t have the best results in the V8. I did read that a guy was having several programs written to help him correct the issues he was having but I can’t remember if it was an 8 or a 6.

The Affordable Fuel Injection kit on eBay also caught my eye and looked similar to the MOPAR system. The price was a little better than the Howell as well. I wish there were more reviews on this system.

I probably should have mentioned earlier than I currently have the Weber carb on my jeep and it runs ok.. Not great but it starts and runs down the road. Seems like there is power missing and it isn’t the best off road.

 

[gr8dain]

I could not find many reviews either. Even on Holley’s Sniper Facebook page, most applications were on Chevy V8s.

I do know someone who has installed a few Snipers who told me an idiot could install them. So I had to prove him right. And I did. [emoji12]

Still holding out for more experience with it before I go screaming from the rooftops about it. But so far so good.

 

[j6824]

I could not find many reviews either. Even on Holley’s Sniper Facebook page, most applications were on Chevy V8s.

I do know someone who has installed a few Snipers who told me an idiot could install them. So I had to prove him right. And I did. [emoji12]

Still holding out for more experience with it before I go screaming from the rooftops about it. But so far so good.

I was under the impression maybe it hadn't been out all that long...that article from Four wheeler was from July '17

 

[gr8dain]

I was under the impression maybe it hadn't been out all that long...that article from Four wheeler was from July '17

For the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l ? I thought that was a new release as well. Maybe the just did a big marketing push recently.

 

[Belizean]

007 on this site installed a Sniper a couple of years ago. I bought one a couple of months ago to install on a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l I'm building. If all the parts for a Hesco system was still available I probably would have gone that direction

 

[oldjeeplady]

We installed a 2 barrel Sniper in our CJ almost a year ago. They are less expensive than the 4 barrel system but plenty for our AMC 304 . Although ours runs a bit rich, we have had great success with the performance. Just need to run some logs and fine tune it a bit more. Good luck!

 

[Torxhead]

Another thing to consider is the manufacturer customer support. As for my Howell unit, I would say that it is not as good as it was. This means for issues that I have, I have to solve my own problems. Sometimes it is more fun that way.

 

[Kane]

The Howell system may have a lot of troubleshooting thread but I think it is due to the fact the system has been around for over 20 years and many people have older ones. I have one on my Jeep and I got it used. The date on it is from 2002 but it still works pretty good. With that though I am converting over to multiport from a 95 YJ for the performance and efficiency plus it will work better with my 4.0 head.