Casting Out Satan
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By, EZ Rhino


EZ Rhino - Casting Out Satan - Part II

If you missed Part I, click here

EZ Rhino
I love it when all the bolt holes line up!

In Goes The Motor
It's time to finish this project! In goes the new drivetrain. I found that it was easier to bolt it together outside of the vehicle and throw it in all at once. Suprisingly, the bolt holes in my motor mount brackets lined up pretty well with the rubber motor mounts. A check of clearances confirmed no shifting of position during welding.

 

 

 

EZ Rhino
Howell Fuel Injection Kit

Wiring Chores
Here's what I got from Howell: a fuel pump, harness, fuel filter, instructions, computer diagnostic manual (VERY helpful), and Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS). More on this later.

Time for more wiring. I was very nervous about this part. I figured that wiring a fuel injected engine in a vehicle it wasn't meant for would be a daunting task.

It actually wasn't all that bad, though. Howell's fuel injection harness and fuel pump were very simple to figure out. Every wire was labeled and most wires could only be plugged in the correct way. I systematically unplugged the old factory harness from the Blazer and plugged in the new Howell harness.

EZ Rhino
Good shot of where my new computer will reside. It bolted right in to the stock computer's location (obviously, not mounted yet here).
EZ Rhino
Yuck! Do I really have to do it? Here's where 35 wires got lengthened.

Much to my suprise, while scrapping all of the old Jeep wiring harness, I found a computer mounted in the driver-side kick panel, behind the emergency brake. After a little comparison, I realized that the factory Blazer computer would fit into this same location. Very slick! I love it when it goes in 'factory' clean!

However, I had one small problem: after stringing the harness to the computer in this location, I realized that it wouldn't reach! A call to Troy at Howell confirmed that I need a new harness with a longer truck length. However, to do this would require waiting 6 weeks. I think not. So out came the dikes and the soldering iron. I lengthened the trunk of the harness (35 wires!) 14 or so inches using lengths of wire from the old Blazer harness. It only took four tedious hours of cutting, splicing, soldering, and heat shrinking! It was a pain, but it all worked out fine.

EZ Rhino
While I was at it, I ran new steel fuel lines from the pump to the engine. I mounted them on the outside, top corner of the frame.
EZ Rhino
Some day, I need to replace the rusting old factory fuel lines that go in to the tank.

The next item of business was the fuel pump. TBI systems operate properly on about 10-12 psi of pressure. Howell provided me with a fuel pump to match their system and harness. I decided to mount it on the inner frame rail out of harm's way. I fabbed a bracket out of sheet metal and used the provided clamp to snug it down. Perfect.

Once the fuel injection wiring was taken care of, it was time to get the ignition wiring done. This was also simple. The Centech replacement harness was very complete. In fact, maybe a little too complete. It contained a few extra wires for all of those swapping folks out there, so it would remain compatible for any type of engine conversion.

A call to Jim at Centech to answer a question or two took care of the extra wires. Finally, the moment I've been waiting for! It was about 11:30 at night, and after spending all evening in the garage, I was determined to see if this thing would run. I double checked everything. Since the engine had been sitting for such a long time in my garage, I removed the plugs and squirted a little oil in the cylinders. A turn of the key to the accessory position confirmed that my lights and other functions worked properly. The emergency brake indicator light glowed red, and due to my stupidity, the transfer case still remained in 4 low and the light on the dash said so.

OK...cross my fingers, turn the key....crank crank VROOM!!! Sputter sputter die. WOW! ITS ALIVE!! I was so excited. It sounded really mean with no exhaust. Cool...so far, so good. A running project is a very good sign.

MORE --->

RESOURCES  
Novak Adapters
www.novak-adapt.com
Phone: (877) 602-1500
Email: eric@novak-adapt.com
Address:
21014 Northwest 17th Court
Ridgefield, WA 98642

Centech Wiring
www.centechwire.com
Phone: Tech: (610) 754-0740 Orders: (610) 754-0720
Email: centech@centechwire.com
Address:
2190 Colflesh Road
Perkiomenville, PA 18074

Howell
www.howell-efi.com
Phone: (810) 765 5100
Email: tbik@advnet.net
B&M Racing and Performance Products
http://www.bmracing.com
(818) 882-6422
9142 Independence Avenue
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Email: tbik@advnet.net

 

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