fuel injectioning the AMC 304

fuel injectioning the AMC 304
GatorBate

GatorBate

Senior Jeeper
Posts
746
Media
57
Thanks
2
Location
Utah
Vehicle(s)
81 CJ5 Renegade, 304,TBI, PaceSetter Headers, T-177, D-300-4:1, AMC-20, D-30,(OX Lockers W/Electric Shifters),3.54, XRC8 winch. OME 2" lift
I tired of restarting my engine just as I start to climb up a rock or steep hill. The guy at the wrecking yard said he would sell me everything for $AMC 150 . so I am trying to find out what it takes to do this. All the thread I try to follow here lead nowhere. I've read about several write up on the subject, but can't seem to find them.:confused:
 
Propane
...ftw :notworthy:
 
Thanks, that exactly what I was looking for. I suppose if I looked for a chev 305 (5.0) instead of the 4.3 it would be the right size for my AMC 304 . Propane? interesting idea. I drove propane conversion on chevy trucks all the time in the 70's and 80's. mmmm.
 
Last edited:
GatorBate said:
Propane? interesting idea. I drove propane conversion on chevy trucks all the time in the 70's and 80's. mmmm.
Click to expand...
It's a whole different animal then it used to be ;)
 
OK, I went down to the local wreaking yard and got the TBI, ECM, and wiring harness along with MAP, O2, ect out of an 89 GMC 1500 with the 5.7L I have spent the last few days going through the wiring and cleaning and rebuilding the TBI. My question now is do I need to re chip the ECM or will the stock settings work for now?
 
You can contact howellefi.com and get a prom chip for the GM ECU. They will have different fuel maps based on your engine build. ;)

Mike
 
GatorBate said:
OK, I went down to the local wreaking yard and got the TBI, ECM, and wiring harness along with MAP, O2, ect out of an 89 GMC 1500 with the 5.7L I have spent the last few days going through the wiring and cleaning and rebuilding the TBI. My question now is do I need to re chip the ECM or will the stock settings work for now?
Click to expand...
I'm subscribed! I am really interested in this, how will it pick up the cam position and the knock sensor? seems that would be the toughest part, and probably have to swith to a gm hei?? Is that where it picks up the cam position?? I have time in my build to possibly do this as well, so keep it coming!! :notworthy:
 
Check out the link Old Dog put in the first reply if you haven't done so yet. It lead me to this site... http://www.viciouscustoms.com/TBI/junkyardtbi.asp.htm
They are using the stock distributor along with the gm hei after removing the vacuum advance and locking down all moving parts. They don't use the knock sensor. I suppose if you could find a place to put the sensor. Here is another link that I found extremely helpful. http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f12/junkyard-tbi-write-up-1066016/
I installed the ECM behind the glove box and ran the wire harness through the firewall next to the battery so far. we'll see how far I get tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
Also Subscribed... Any chance you can post a parts list and some pics of those parts you've got together? :rolleyes:

:popcorn:

~ JR
 
Sure, I can come up with a parts list along with some pitchers. Hopefully by tonight I will be able to take my CJ5 out for a test drive. Then I'll put something together. I'm committed now. I took off my carb and mounted the TBI in it's place.
 
From the 89 GMC 1/2 ton with a 5.7 I took..

ECM (electronic control module) located behind glove box. Try to get part # 1227747 They are the easiest to work with.
TBI (throttle body injection) top center of motor. Attached to it was the TPS (throttle position sensor) and the IAC (Idle Air Control) motor
MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) This is next to the TBI on the passenger side. Take the plate that it mounts on I was able to bend it's tabs a little and made it work on the AMC 304 . I used it to mount the MAP and the Ignition module.
Temperature Sensor Located in front of intake manifold next to radiator hose.
O2 Sensor Located on exhaust manifold driver's side.
HEI (distributor module) located inside distributor.
Wire harness Starting at the ECM their is a plug that runs across the dash to the drivers side. It connects to the ALDL Plug. It also contains a wire for crank signal, power from the fuse block for the Injectors, and one power wire for the ECM. Under the hood, basically take everything under the hood that this harness connects to. it will go back through the fire wall on the drivers side. I just cut it there at the firewall.
Fuel pump relay and fuse This is under a cover on the firewall on the passenger side. There is a power junction block there also. I took that to.
Adapter plate I made mine from a 1/2" X 6" piece of aluminum. I laid my carb gasket on it and traced the holes then laid the TBI gasket on it, centering the intake holes over the outline of the carb intake holes and drilled everything out. Then I used a air dermal with a sanding wheel and worked the two intake holes together. Yes, i Will post pitchers
Fuel pump and filter I used ask the Napa guys for a Airtex E8012s and they gave me their version of it. The pump needs to put out about 14 psi. the regulator on the TBI is set around 12 psi.
I would recommend a TBI rebuild kit and a gallon can of mac's 6402 carburetor cleaner from Napa. I soaked my TBI for 24 hours to get it clean. Check the regulator spring. They tend to rust and break and are hard to find. I got one from SPR Performance (eBay)
I will post some pitchers when i get a chance. By the way, I got mine to fire up this evening. I have to prime it to get it to start and it backfires when I try to open the throttle to much, but it works. Just need to work out some bugs. more than likely a new chip.:chug:
 
Last edited:
I think I connect the injector's power to an accessory fuse. This means power goes away during cranking so i have to prime it to get it to start.
 
I finely have the Jeep running again. I've been over at Binder Plant with Bill usn-1 working out the bugs. He has been a great help. If anyone is still following this I will post some pitchers so you can see how I did it.:D
 
Yes still reading this... :chug:

Jr
 


I cut the bottom mounting brackets off the bottom of the ECM mount. Then I put some carriage bolts in it so I could mount it to the fire wall.


Next I cut a hole in the firewall with a dremel. The part you see that the wires go through came with the wire harness. I used a heat gun to soften the glue so I could take it apart and clean it up so I could reuse it.


Next I removed this vacuum valve and replaced it with the engine temp sensor.


Then I made an adapter for the TBI. Using a 6" x 1/2" Aluminum I traced the carb gasket. Then centering the TBI holes over the carb pattern I traced it also. Then drilled the carb's holes out with a hole saw and drilled and taped the bolt holes for the TBI. Then using a sanding wheel on an air dremel I angled the carb holes out to match the TBI holes because the TBI is about a 1/2" wider than the Carb.


Then put it all together. The black plate you see at the bottom with the MAP sensor and the HEI came from the Donner GMC. I was able to bend the tabs on it so I could use one manifold bolt and one of the bolts that holds the cover over the choke spring hole to mount it. Then remounted the MAP and mounted the HEI from the GMC Distributor. I used some thermal bond from radio shack between the HEI and the plate as the HEI gets hot and needs a heat sink.


Next I removed the fly weights and springs from the distributor and using aircraft tie wire I locked every thing down so it could not move. They recommend welding everything together. Then I ran a screw through the magnetic pickup so it could not move and removed the vacuum advance. The ECM will now control the spark advance.


I used an Airtex E2000 fuel pump with a filter between it and the tank. The injection system requires 12 psi. The guy a the parts store sold me one that only put out 10 psi at the most and I fought a lean fuel errors until I broke down and bought the E2000.


I salvage the 12V connection bar from the GMC because I am always needing to hook up something to the battery and this looks cleaner than half a dozen wires warped around the positive battery cable or starter relay. On the right hand side I mounted the fuel pump relay and fuse. On the left behind the battery is the knock sensor module (ESC). Above the starter on the block is a freeze plug. Next to it is a block drain plug. I removed this plug drilled it out and retreaded it for the knock sensor.


To run the ECM and power the injectors you need a 12V source that is on when the ingition is on and, very important, during cranking. ( I had to prime the engine to get it to start at first. the source I was using to power the injectors turned off during cranking.) and you need a 12V source that is only on during cranking. I found both of these in the two wire connection to the old electronic ignition module. The blue wire is on during crank and the red is on when the ignition is on and during cranking.

To mount the O2 sensor I drilled a hole in the collector of my header and welded a 18mm bung. The O2 sensor has to be hot to work, above 600* I think. So if you put it more than 12" from the exhaust port you need to use a heated or 3 wire O2 sensor.

Sorting out what wires you need and witch one you don't from the GM wire harness takes time and can be a pain. You need to go to BinderPlanit.com and go the the injection tech form and read the three stickys there. one has a very good drawing of the wire harness and the pin out of the ECM connectors. other wise Howell will sell you one for $325.

With the TBI, ECM, wire harness, and sensor ($AMC 150 ) and rebuild kit for the TBI($45) and fuel pump ($80 at amazon) I am into it about $300. Not bad for a fuel injection system.:D
​
 
Last edited:
The pitchers did not work for me in the last post. I will come back later and fix them.
 
At first it was running lean. It would back fire and lose power when I would try to drive it. No power at all above 1500 rpms. The fuel pump that I was sold only put out 10 psi. I changed it out with a Airtex E2000, problem solved.
It is running a little rich now. I monitor its performance with WinALDL. The BLM shows what adjustment the ECM needed to make to the table to keep the fuel air mix at 14:1. Its range is 0 to 255 With 128 meaning no adjustment necessary. I am running between 108 to 128. Below 128 is a shorter pulse width to cut back on the fuel for a rich condition. where above 128 is a longer pulse to make up for running lean. My altitude is a mile high so that may be why it has to constantly adjust my fuel down.
The hardest part of the project was cleaning up the wire harness. Bill at binder Planet has a great drawing that someone made that help a lot with that.
So far I am very pleased with how it is performing. No stalling or flooding, now if I can only break the habit of pumping the gas twice before turning the key.:D
 
Just to toss this out there for those that dont want to tackle the factory wiring harness painless makes a standalone tbi harness that works great. I used it when i put a v8 in my s-10 a while back it was one of the easiest wiring jobs i have ever done just an option. And i may have missed it but what did you do for the vehicle speed sensor?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Jeep-CJ Donation Drive

Help support Jeep-CJ.com by making a donation.

Help support Jeep-CJ.com by making a donation.
Goal
$200.00
Earned
$0.00
This donation drive ends in
Donate
Back
Top Bottom