Carbureted vs Electronic Fuel Injection Road Tripping

[garystaven88]

When it comes to reliability/dependability and least likely to keep you completely stranded thousands of miles away from home, when it comes to older/classic vehicles which fuel system do you prefer….. carburetor or electronic fuel injection?

I’m considering an older Dodge van to cross country….”adventure style” if you will. I’m a Mopar guy so it’s gotta be a Dodge. I’m talking B-Series or later called Ram Van. Mid-70s thru 2003 (when they stopped producing the traditional Dodge van). 318/360 engine with a Torqueflite or the later 46RE.

I feel when going old-classic era that a well setup and maintained carburetor with mechanical fuel pump would give a more bulletproof albeit less efficient way of reliably getting around the country.

Older fuel injected vehicles can leave you stranded with a failed pump, computer, injector(s) etc.

Obviously things like transmission/rear end issues, aged hoses and belts, and other gremlins have their cause for concern but that would plague both an older carbureted and fuel injected classic vehicle.

 

[fantastic]

EFI

 

[demarpaint]

EFI, and EFI over DI as well.

 

[Pelican]

When it comes to reliability/dependability and least likely to keep you completely stranded thousands of miles away from home, when it comes to older/classic vehicles which fuel system do you prefer….. carburetor or electronic fuel injection?

I’m considering an older Dodge van to cross country….”adventure style” if you will. I’m a Mopar guy so it’s gotta be a Dodge. I’m talking B-Series or later called Ram Van. Mid-70s thru 2003 (when they stopped producing the traditional Dodge van). 318/360 engine with a Torqueflite or the later 46RE.

I feel when going old-classic era that a well setup and maintained carburetor with mechanical fuel pump would give a more bulletproof albeit less efficient way of reliably getting around the country.

Older fuel injected vehicles can leave you stranded with a failed pump, computer, injector(s) etc.

Obviously things like transmission/rear end issues, aged hoses and belts, and other gremlins have their cause for concern but that would plague both an older carbureted and fuel injected classic vehicle.

EFI over the years has proven to be more reliable than carburetors, also where would you find a mechanic that will known about, float, needle, venturi, choke etc in case of breakdown?

 

[Jetronic]

Age is a factor but if you go through the trouble of rebuilding the carb(s) and distributor, why not put in a fresh fuel pump in an EFI?

moisture and changing weather is definitely less of a concern to EFI and ignition. it was without a doubt what enabled cars to go big distances without engine rebuilds.

 

[Cujet]

Modern injection systems use fuel filters and last chance filters to prevent problems. Carbs are subject to contamination not just from the fuel, but from internal components like gasket/o-ring bits, the air flowing through the carb and of course, any intake manifold carbon that gets spit back. There is absolutely no question a proper EFI setup is more reliable, as it has far fewer chances for physical contamination or mechanical problems, such as a worn needle and seat, leaking gaskets or sinking floats.

Certainly there are well maintained carb systems that go for decades without issues. I'd argue that for every one of those, there are 10 that can't make it without difficulty.

 

[eljefino]

Scientifically, EFI all day long.

Philosophically, if you want to drive across the country with a spare carb, fuel pump, and toolkit in the back "to make you happy" then why not. I would also include a voltage regulator and ballast resistor.

It's like saying, what's the most reliable way to drive from LA to Chicago? The interstate. But Route 66 has more personality.

 

[BituminousCoal]

When it comes to reliability/dependability and least likely to keep you completely stranded thousands of miles away from home, when it comes to older/classic vehicles which fuel system do you prefer….. carburetor or electronic fuel injection?

I’m considering an older Dodge van to cross country….”adventure style” if you will. I’m a Mopar guy so it’s gotta be a Dodge. I’m talking B-Series or later called Ram Van. Mid-70s thru 2003 (when they stopped producing the traditional Dodge van). 318/360 engine with a Torqueflite or the later 46RE.

I feel when going old-classic era that a well setup and maintained carburetor with mechanical fuel pump would give a more bulletproof albeit less efficient way of reliably getting around the country.

Older fuel injected vehicles can leave you stranded with a failed pump, computer, injector(s) etc.

Obviously things like transmission/rear end issues, aged hoses and belts, and other gremlins have their cause for concern but that would plague both an older carbureted and fuel injected classic vehicle.

Carburetor is more reliable hands down.
For the cost of a carburetor, you could easily bing a spare with you and change the whole thing in a few minutes should there be an issue.

 

[meep]

Idk - EFI has been pretty darn solid. A carb seems simpler … but it’s really all about what spare parts you choose to carry, because whatever component might break, is hard to manufacture under a pine tree. Perhaps more to the point, which one do you feel better servicing yourself?

Old dodge 318 with a decent carb on top will be thirsty and may hate the cold, but can run all day long. SPFI is also pretty dead nuts reliable, like an EFI conversion.

 

[dishdude]

It doesn't get any more simpler or reliable than a TBI setup.

Fuel pump failures? Mechanical fuel pumps fail at a much higher rate than electric pumps.

And for the model years you're referring to, you're getting into feedback carbs and lean burn

 

[garystaven88]

It doesn't get any more simpler or reliable than a TBI setup.

Fuel pump failures? Mechanical fuel pumps fail at a much higher rate than electric pumps.

And for the model years you're referring to, you're getting into feedback carbs and lean burn

I had a Chevy truck with a 350 TBI… dead nuts reliable. I have zero experience with Chrysler’s TBI setup of the 80s/90s but from what I have gathered in forum surfing they can be a bit cantankerous.

If I were to get a carb model I’d be ripping out all associated lean burn and feedback carb for a proven simple setup.

 

[dishdude]

I had a Chevy truck with a 350 TBI… dead nuts reliable. I have zero experience with Chrysler’s TBI setup of the 80s/90s but from what I have gathered in forum surfing they can be a bit cantankerous.

If I were to get a carb model I’d be ripping out all associated lean burn and feedback carb for a proven simple setup.

Chrysler TBI from that era was as reliable as the GM setup, other than an occasional map sensor but it'll continue to run in limp mode.

 

[czgunner]

You couldn't pay me to go back to carbs. That said, I'd avoid DI like the plague.

 

[Exhaustgases]

In the old days of the mid to late 1970's, the wife at the time had a Duster of that time period, she liked to leave the ignition on to listen to the radio and would ruin a component in the ignition system, so I had a good old fashioned point distributor, to make the service call with, and rescue the car from her place of work. Electronics? Yeah all okay as long as in emergency's you have to option to install the old school items to get the job done quick. And then fool with the electronics when you have it home and have time to play with it.
No one whats to be tracing wires and circuits when stuck in the middle of nowhere, especially if it is some sort of not so fun weather to be working in. Yeah electronic is great when it is working good, and no bad wiring or connectors etc.

 

[rijndael]

IME: Quality parts for old fuel injection systems are unobtainable.

 

[Wylie6G72]

There are some cases where you're better off with a carburetor, such as with '90s GM vehicles. I worked in the parts department of a Pontiac Olds GMC dealership from '89 to '92, and I amassed quite a collection of ECMs in the far corner of the receiving room from where they simply failed and were replaced under warranty. Stacks and stacks and stacks of them. A computer problem on a road trip on an old car could prove to be nightmarish, whereas with a carburetor you just toss on a new one and keep going. I guess if you travel with a proven spare ECM, you're good.

 

[D60]

I had my EEC-IV Bronco on the PCH in CA and at 14,100 on Mt Antero. Very few carbs can do that with never opening the hood. Furthermore the EFI will be the most efficient at either altitude and start at any temp. Cold soaking overnight at -30F? Doesn't matter. Parked in PHX all day at 115F? No problem, and fire up the a/c right away - it'll compensate the idle.

I'd rather carry a scanner than spare carb parts. EFI tends to be good about fail safe or limp modes, but now in our hubris we're seeing things like leaking taillights pull down the whole CAN and cause a no-start. Unfortunate that we couldn't leave well-enough alone. So yeah, something with "earlier" EFI is arguably more reliable. It doesn't have to be TBI, but every time you add a module you add a weakness IMO. I don't necessarily want my PCM to know what my taillights are doing. Or my stereo. Or my power windows. Or my doors (I'm looking at you AutoPark). I don't even want it to know what my brake pedal is doing aside from maybe canceling cruise control, depending upon the system.

 

[rijndael]

I'd rather carry a scanner than spare carb parts.

A scanner won't fix a leaky injector.

 

[Opelman]

I would happily without question go with carburetion. I am still driving points and carb daily as long as the road salt is gone. My experience has been that electronics just up and fail leaving one stuck. Mechanical systems normally give indication that there is an issue well before total failure. Slap a new AFB clone Edelbrock on there and drive happily. My 383 and Poly 318 Dodges have been trouble free with this setup for years.

 

[Hohn]

Carburetor is more reliable hands down.
For the cost of a carburetor, you could easily bing a spare with you and change the whole thing in a few minutes should there be an issue.

Three spare carburetors is less reliable than one EFI system.