Howell TBI kit installation
rlitavecz
Jeeper
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- 141
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- Location
- Merrillville, IN
- Vehicle(s)
- 1973 CJ-5 258 w/7120 head, Comp Cam, Howell TBI, HEI, stock T15 trans, Dana 20 tc, Dana 30 & 44 axles 3.73 gears, Lock Right both ends
I spent Thursday and Friday installing a Howell Fuel Injection kit on my 1973 CJ5 . I ran into a lot of problems with the installation and thought that I would share them with you. I sent Howell an email outlining these problems and will also share any response I receive from them.
The kit itself appears to be high quality with the exception of the nylon tie straps which I replaced with some better quality ones. The instructions can be very vague and incomplete. I needed to install a fuel return line to my gas tank and they make no mention of how to do this on an older Jeep. They do not supply any 1/4" fuel hose to connect the return line to the throttle body. They only cover Jeeps that have a carbon canister. I ran a 1/4" steel line to the vicinity of the gas filler hose and inserted a hose barb through the hose and clamped it into place. I hope that it stays put!
I drilled the 1-1/2" hole for the wiring harness through my firewall at the top of the passenger side above the battery. I should have moved it at least 6" closer to the center of the firewall as the harness was too short to reach the throttle body. The instructions should have given a location for this! The next problem; how do I feed the harness through the hole? The fuel pump relay socket would not fit and the ECU plugs and fuse block would not go through the hole either. I took apart the ECU plugs and removed the wires from the fuse block to feed the harness into the interior. I spent over an hour doing this. Again the instructions make no mention of how to accomplish this job.
The instructions tell you to purchase an indicator light for the Service Engine Soon light. They suggest Radio Shack. Shouldn't a $1200 kit include a $4 light?
There is no vacuum hose supplied for the MAP sensor. I broke the sensor trying to fit a hose to it because I didn't want to make another trip to the auto parts store for parts that should have been included with this kit. The new sensor was $50 and did not fit the application suggested in the instructions.
There is a rubber plug to seal the slot where the injector wires enter the throttle body under the air cleaner. They installed it upside down! I had to fill the slot with silicone to seal it.
The kit includes holders for the wire loom, but there are no sheet metal screws supplied to install them or the other parts that need to be mounted. They also do not supply any means of installing the ECU. I bought 3M extreme mounting tape (another trip to the hardware store!) and stuck it to the back of my dashboard. How much would some screws, mounting tape, and quality tie straps add to a $1200 kit?
OK, enough about the installation problems. I got it installed and I am impressed with the new found power and driveability of my Jeep. I can idle around in second gear at 500 RPM and step on the gas without any hesitation or flat spots. This system really works well! I only wish that the instructions were better and that they would include everything needed make this an easy installation!
The kit itself appears to be high quality with the exception of the nylon tie straps which I replaced with some better quality ones. The instructions can be very vague and incomplete. I needed to install a fuel return line to my gas tank and they make no mention of how to do this on an older Jeep. They do not supply any 1/4" fuel hose to connect the return line to the throttle body. They only cover Jeeps that have a carbon canister. I ran a 1/4" steel line to the vicinity of the gas filler hose and inserted a hose barb through the hose and clamped it into place. I hope that it stays put!
I drilled the 1-1/2" hole for the wiring harness through my firewall at the top of the passenger side above the battery. I should have moved it at least 6" closer to the center of the firewall as the harness was too short to reach the throttle body. The instructions should have given a location for this! The next problem; how do I feed the harness through the hole? The fuel pump relay socket would not fit and the ECU plugs and fuse block would not go through the hole either. I took apart the ECU plugs and removed the wires from the fuse block to feed the harness into the interior. I spent over an hour doing this. Again the instructions make no mention of how to accomplish this job.
The instructions tell you to purchase an indicator light for the Service Engine Soon light. They suggest Radio Shack. Shouldn't a $1200 kit include a $4 light?
There is no vacuum hose supplied for the MAP sensor. I broke the sensor trying to fit a hose to it because I didn't want to make another trip to the auto parts store for parts that should have been included with this kit. The new sensor was $50 and did not fit the application suggested in the instructions.
There is a rubber plug to seal the slot where the injector wires enter the throttle body under the air cleaner. They installed it upside down! I had to fill the slot with silicone to seal it.
The kit includes holders for the wire loom, but there are no sheet metal screws supplied to install them or the other parts that need to be mounted. They also do not supply any means of installing the ECU. I bought 3M extreme mounting tape (another trip to the hardware store!) and stuck it to the back of my dashboard. How much would some screws, mounting tape, and quality tie straps add to a $1200 kit?
OK, enough about the installation problems. I got it installed and I am impressed with the new found power and driveability of my Jeep. I can idle around in second gear at 500 RPM and step on the gas without any hesitation or flat spots. This system really works well! I only wish that the instructions were better and that they would include everything needed make this an easy installation!