Which is better? Carburetor or Fuel Injection?

[Chuckanoo]

As with the title, I would like to which is better:confused:

My wife's car is now in being repaired due to another fuel injector failing:mad:

This is the second time this has happened (first one failed in November 2007). And at about $400 each to replace the faulty injector(s), makes me wonder if the old Carby system is not more superior:confused:

The first one had its internal coil burn out, and this one, We don't know yet.

Compared to fuel injection, if the something went wrong the old carby system, there is a good chance you can fix it, especially if your out bush somewhere.

Fuel injection, welllll, you may be in for a long wait for a tow back to civilisation. Unless you travel with all the specialised equipment with you, you may no chance to get moving again.

Certainly fuel injection is alleged to improve fuel economy, but what about the hesitation when you first put your foot down from a standing start

You don't get that from Carbie's.

I don't know how hard (or easy) it is to fit LPG to a fuel injected system, but with Carby's, it's looks easy.


This sounds prejudiced towards carby systems, but I'm trying not to be.
Both systems have their good sides and bad sides.:thumb:

I would just like your honest opinion on which is better, and if you've had any problems with them.


By the way, the wife's cars is a Nissan Pulsar, N14 model (with some models having a 4WD kit available). Mine is a '82 Hilux, RN46 18R motor.

[disco_nex]

Even with the problems you are getting, I still reckon fuel injectio is the way to go. Even though the old carbys can be easier to tweak with and fix, a serviced and well looked after fuel injection system provides better efficency, gets better economy, and rund smoother. On a 4WD perspective, it is possible for a carby to not work as properly on a steep hill compared to the fuel injected system, though that is only a little niggle.

[toy yoda]

EFI is more powerful, responsive, efficient and ecconomic
but it is more expensive to maintain/repair and service, near impossible to repair in the bush and allergic to water
Lpg into efi is really nearly as simple a carby, but you still use the elec engine management system to run ignition ect

Carby, is less ecconomical and efficient,as said doesnt like inclines ( some carbys)........LPG is purely simple....and solves the carby angle issue
they are , usually repairable .....independant of an engine management system...Not as allergic to water

even though a carby is not as efficient (in theory) as efi a correctly tuned and jetted carby is near as ecconomical as efi......with efi you also dont realise when injectors have been partially blocked for some time


The water issuse is more directed at elec ignition systems which some carby but ALL efi systems run

besides an filter and fluid change theres not a lot of diy maintainace available on efi

I love my carby. im happy to run an elec distributor , but alway carry a points dizzy for when the elecky one gets wet

[duza]

I've owned many EFI and carby motors and I now would never go back to carbys. I have never had an injector play up. Maybe you are just unlucky or more likely there is a problem with that particular model. I remember in the bad old days, changing plugs and points every few thousand kays, setting dwell angles and timing because of poor running of bad fuel consumption and when a motor had done 100 thou it was starting to burn oil and needing new rings. EFI systems allow the motor to run in an optimal way and in my opinion maintenance costs and time are way down on carby motors. Bring back the carby..... Yeah right.

[toy yoda]

I've owned many EFI and carby motors and I now would never go back to carbys. I have never had an injector play up. Maybe you are just unlucky or more likely there is a problem with that particular model. I remember in the bad old days, changing plugs and points every few thousand kays, setting dwell angles and timing because of poor running of bad fuel consumption and when a motor had done 100 thou it was starting to burn oil and needing new rings. EFI systems allow the motor to run in an optimal way and in my opinion maintenance costs and time are way down on carby motors. Bring back the carby..... Yeah right.

*Yes you need to change points......elec ignition conversions easy..no points set,so no dwell, timing shouldnt have changed
*spark plug interval is NO different on efi.....use iridium plugs in either......set a carby and ignition correctly and plugs wont burn out prematurely
* you've never seen an efi car shit due to water.....ive had to repair more than i can count ....towed home for 2000k on a truck ...

**and please explain how a carby has caused an engine to burn oil and kill rings at 100 thou
:D

[zoomer]

Even with the problems you are getting, I still reckon fuel injectio is the way to go. Even though the old carbys can be easier to tweak with and fix, a serviced and well looked after fuel injection system provides better efficency, gets better economy, and rund smoother. On a 4WD perspective, it is possible for a carby to not work as properly on a steep hill compared to the fuel injected system, though that is only a little niggle.
With a zook it may be a little niggle, it's not such a little niggle with somthing like a hollie , even shaking them around can be upsetting for them. Yes there are things you can do with them but they never realy cure them. Most standard 4X4 carbs are ok but. Price is the main reason I still run a carb.
I'd try a different mechanic if your still haveng dramas and stick with fuel injection.

[Pigdog]

If carbies were superior, new cars would still be using them as they would be cheaper to produce.

[DJR96]

$400 for an injector sounds steep. I'd have thought you could get a whole set for that. Repco or some other aftermarket source should always be cheaper than any dealer. And they're not too hard to replace yourself. Although I've never had a problem either. There's no way I'd ever go back to a carby.:D

[Chuckanoo]

Got the invoice for the job. It cost about $350 (including labour) to have it installed. This was done through Torque Ford, where the wife works.

It may (or may not) have been cheaper doing it at home, but they don't look that easy to replace. Plus I didn't want to risk doing a bodgey job which would have invalidate any later insurance claims. And we would have lost half a tank of fuel by the time she got it home.

Where I work, they have a 1996(?) ute with a carby on it. Can't remember if it was a Ford or Mitsubishi. Will find out and let you all know.

[cac]

EFI for me....with modern engine systems, it tunes itself, and can adjust itself more easily than a carby system to suit different engine loads...

as far as outright power goes though, i don't believe there to be a huge difference in the peak figures achievable....though with the electronics, you can get a better tune right across the rev range...

as far as maintenance goes, EFI tends to be plug in a new part, where carby systems you can spend hours adjusting mixtures and stuff to get the right tune...

[rotate]

I've run both EFI and carby on a performance application (rotary) And wouldn't consider going back to a big set of webers unless i was building something to suit the oldschool genre.
My rb30 patrol chews juice like it's going out of fashion. So bad most don't beleive me. I'm converting to EFI as it's simple and cheap for my particular motor.
injectors are very, very simple to change, and a lot cheaper than what you've been charged. I bought some indy blue's for a previous car that were 1800cc and were less than what you've been charged.

[duza]

*Yes you need to change points......elec ignition conversions easy..no points set,so no dwell, timing shouldnt have changed
*spark plug interval is NO different on efi.....use iridium plugs in either......set a carby and ignition correctly and plugs wont burn out prematurely
* you've never seen an efi car shit due to water.....ive had to repair more than i can count ....towed home for 2000k on a truck ...

**and please explain how a carby has caused an engine to burn oil and kill rings at 100 thou
:D

Any engine which is constantly running at it's optimum is bound to last longer than one which is not. Overfuelling, underfuelling all contribute to incorrect burn temps, valve and seat burning, plug failure and higher fuel consumption, not to mention pollution. Most of the vehicles I have owned recently have done in excess of 200K and do not use oil between oil changes. In fact I don't even bother to check the oil. Prior to the 80s, it was a weekend ritual topping up the oil. In fact you really didn't ever need to change the oil, just keep topping it up.
On the EFI vehicles I have owned, there seems to be very little of the electronics which could be damaged from water ingress. The ECUs are all in the cab, the ingniters are high on the wheel arch (as high as the air cleaner), the distributors are at least as high as a carby motor, crank angle sensor, sealed. When my VP Commy Navara died in the middle of a waterway, I just had to let it dry for 10 mins until the starter motor dried out a little and off I went. It only stopped in the first place because the electric fans wet the ignition module. If I'd had a Blind or the Thermo fans could have been switched off, I wouldn't have had that problem. Any carby motor would have had the same problem. I agree, there is more to potentially go wrong and maybe when it does, we are less likely to be able to fix it on the spot, but overall, engine design has come a long way in the past few years and most people would agree that motors are more reliable and last longer than 20 or 30 years ago and are far less thirsty and cleaner burning. That is why they were made like this. Bring back the SU carby, the 4 barrel Holly, yeah right.

[et4wd]

I have got both,
I have a injected 350 chev in a 62s and that is great! i have dunked it in the drink more times than i can count an it is still going strong! i think the only thing that EFI suffers from is from sensor damage ie Throttle Position Sensor, Oxygen sensor, Crank Angle Sensors etc they seem to be the thing to let a EFI engine down, but saying that there is easy ways to minimise the damage to them as well.
I also have a carby on my race rig, and i have given it a gut full of mud at the last event, and i have manged to get it to work to get me through, and when i got it home it cost me $34 for a carby kit and away she goes as good as new again! I have never had any of the incline issues with the carby set-up, as said before there is easy ways around it if ya know your way around a carby!

So my verdict.................both are good if they are maintained properly, relise the limitations and do what you can to eliminate or lessen them and you will be OK.

Have fun all,

Steve.