Hilborn electronic fuel injection FAQ's

 

Answers

Is your injection streetable?

Very! Combined with EFI technology our fuel injectors offer superior drivability under all types of conditions associated with aftermarket street performance. Although they perform very well on the street, they are not "street legal" or suitable for emission controlled vehicles, so we recommend that you check your local laws first.

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Can I convert my old mechanical unit?

 Although it is possible to convert your old Hilborn Injector to EFI, we have found that after spending the time and money required to accomplish this, it makes better financial sense to buy a new injector already set up for EFI. We’ve redesigned our original castings at the foundry level to accept all the necessary EFI components, which in the long run, can save you money by eliminating costly re-machining for conversion. Because of this, we do not offer machining conversion services at Hilborn Fuel Injection. However, an older hat-style mechanical fuel injector can be easily converted to EFI, since it does not require any re-machining.


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What ECU do you supply?

The Carabine ECU.


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How does your ECU work?

 The Carabine does not require a laptop to tune. It does not require a MAP, MAF or O2 sensor and it is quite easy to install. We pre-program the fuel curve at the factory and simple tuning requires only a screwdriver. The Carabine ECU uses wide open throttle, part throttle, and light throttle inputs for fuel management. There are also inputs for idle quality, cold start, and accelerator pump. A rev limiter is provided for those that require one and optional altitude and air charge temperature sensors are available. For those unsure about a laptop system, we have the perfect answer.


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How can your ECU work without an O2 sensor?

 The Carabine uses a wide open throttle maximum value and then calculates the fuel flow for part throttle. It also looks at RPM, throttle position and acceleration rate to set the air fuel ratio.


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What cam profile works with your ECU?

There is no need to use strictly EFI compatible parts in your engine because the Carabine will work with any camshaft, compression ratio or cubic inch, allowing you to build your engine the way you like.

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Is your ECU sequential?

No, it is batch fire. Sequential helps with low speed drivability but after around 3300 rpm, all sequential systems revert back to batch fire due to the physical limitations of the injector.


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How well does your injection system idle?

As a rule, EFI does smooth the idle and on some applications we have seen a smooth idle all the way down to 700 rpm.


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Can I run my vacuum accessories?

Yes, we provide a vacuum junction block for all of your vacuum accessories, provided your engine makes enough vacuum to power them.


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Will I see a mileage increase?

In some applications we have seen an increase of over two miles to the gallon. In order to get the maximum efficiency out of your EFI system, we recommend you dyno tune.


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Can I run alcohol with electronic fuel injection?

Alcohol is very corrosive and, unless you are prepared to constantly maintain your fuel system, we do not recommend it. Larger injectors and fuel pump are required due to the additional flow required.


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Is the installation difficult?

Although there have been numerous successful home installations, a basic knowledge of engine assembly and electrical skills are required. We also provide an in-depth installation manual, along with free telephone technical support.

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Do I need a return line?

Yes, our injection system requires a return line.


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What if I don’t know my engine’s horse power?

With over 50 years of experience in fuel systems, we can pick a fuel curve based on your engine specifications. Cubic inch, cylinder head, compression ratio, cam shaft profile, rpm range, along with blower size, over/under drive ratio, and boost are some of the specifications required.


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How much CFM does your injector flow?

The standard of using CFM for flow potential was originally designed to aid engine builders in determining correct carburetor size. This was required to make sure that an adequate signal was available at the booster for sufficient fuel flow. Since an injector supplies fuel under pressure for engine demand, and does not use a booster, we have never seen the need to identify CFM. We size our injectors by butterfly size because only so much air can flow through a particular size orifice. It is important to remember that any CFM rating includes a pressure drop to provide a consistent comparison, such as 28 inches of water for cylinder heads.


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Can I get my injector polished or plated?

Our standard process is a clear anodize which produces a matte grey finish. If polishing or powder coating is required, we would prefer to send you an unassembled casting to be finished by your favorite polisher or coating company, and then returned to us for assembly. Or, we can arrange for this optional service for you as a convenience. Due to the machining tolerances, the casting cannot be chrome plated.


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Can I get my ram tubes polished or plated?

Our standard process is cad-plating which produces a silver finish. The steel ram tubes cannot be polished, but may be painted, powder coated, or chromed. We do not offer any of these special services, however, if you plan to use any of these processes, we suggest ordering un-plated ram tubes.


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Do I need to run a thermostat?

Yes, EFI requires a consistent temperature of at least 170 to180 degrees Fahrenheit for the ECU to exit the cold start circuit.


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How much more power will I make?

As a rule, EFI shouldn't make any more power over your current combination, but because of the design of an eight stack injector,  you could see an increase of 30-40 hp and 25-30 ft/lbs of torque. You will definitely feel an improvement in throttle response and low end torque.

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Do you have air filters for my application?

We do offer billet aluminum air filters for some popular Ford and Chevy applications. We also supply sprint car styled filters from K&N. For those wanting to keep the look, our ram tube booties keep large debris out. New to the market are ram tube seals, which are an economical way of attaching a filter base to the ram tubes, thus, allowing a custom filter box to be designed.


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Should I dyno test my system?

Although we can get very close with the fuel curve at the factory, we advise dyno testing to get the most out of your EFI unit. We prefer a chassis dyno since all the subsystems (fuel system, ignition system, injector) are installed on the car. Many customers prefer an engine dyno instead. Although this works fine, there can sometimes be issues with EMI which would not allow for complete and thorough testing.


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What is EMI?

It is short for Electromagnetic Interference. Picture EMI as an invisible Slinky wrapped around a wire that grows as current is increased. Certain components are more prone to producing EMI, such as ignition wires, analog style ignition boxes, and electric motors. When power wires from these accessories are run too close, or tie wrapped to other lower voltage wires, a current could be produced in the lower voltage wire as the EMI Slinky starts to grow, causing an unwanted signal. This creates a problem with all types of electronic equipment such as ECU’s. The remedy is to keep high power wires separated from signal wires, and to attach the power wires directly to the battery. The battery offers a natural buffer to absorb those unwanted EMI pulses.


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What if there isn’t a dyno shop in my area?

If there is no dyno shop and you want to fine tune your injector, we can supply you with an Innovate Motorsports LM1 Air Fuel Ratio Meter. This is a stand alone O2 sensor that does not have to be permanently mounted, allowing easy fine tuning of your injector.

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