FITech Street 400 Hard Starting

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  • unclbuk
    230 Tornado
    • Jun 30, 2019
    • 4

    FITech Street 400 Hard Starting

    Has anyone installed a FITech Street 400 system on a stock AMC 360 V8? Mine was recently installed by a shop with a good reputation. I am able to start it when cold, but once warmed up, it is really hard to start. Cranks over and almost catches, but won't fire up.

    My Prime Fuel Mult is set at 259.
    Crank Fuel 20F is set at 0.8
    Crank Fuel 65F is set at -21.1
    Crank Fuel 170F is set at -40.6

    Has anyone had success with different settings on a stock 360?
  • unclbuk
    230 Tornado
    • Jun 30, 2019
    • 4

    #2
    Wow - 60 views and no responses...guess I'll keep tinkering with the settings.

    Comment

    • acct21
      327 Rambler
      • May 20, 2014
      • 735

      #3
      Sorry -- this forum is getting less and less traffic by the day. Sad result of the "instant satisfaction" people get from posting on social media forums. Only problem with that is there is no way to archive -- or really search -- for the information. So the same questions get asked over and over.

      Not much experience here on the forum with the Fitech from what I've seen through the years -- mainly guys with GM TBI, Howell, and Holley.

      Problems with warm starts may be timing related. What is your base timing?
      1990 Grand Wagoneer with HD towing package -- everything works! (for now...)

      Comment

      • unclbuk
        230 Tornado
        • Jun 30, 2019
        • 4

        #4
        Well, thanks for the reply! Interesting observation on the reason for less traffic on the forum. I don't use social media, so I'll have to keep resorting to other ways to learn!


        My mechanic said Fitech is owned by Holley, but I have no way to confirm that.


        Anyway, we've tinkered with the settings and the car is getting easier to start.

        Comment

        • UnkleMunky
          350 Buick
          • Oct 17, 2000
          • 1236

          #5
          I think the mention that there was limited experience with FiTech on here is spot on. I have no knowledge about their products really, so couldn't be of any help to you directly. And gather many others are in the same boat.

          Have you tried contacting the company directly? It looks like this is their website:

          FiTech Fuel Injection is the leader in fuel injection systems for classic cars and trucks. Check out our featured products online.


          Other than continuing to tinker as you are, and probably searching elsewhere online for suggestions, that is probably going to be your best help. Feel free to post back when you get things working better as it could help others down the line.

          What do you think of the system otherwise? They seem to have a lot of options on their site and I couldn't see an easy way to narrow down choices to what might be needed for a FSJ. Why did you go with the Street 400 over any of their other options?
          Michael (UnkleMunky)
          '78 J10: 258, 4 speed(T18), longbed, topper
          '01 Oldsmobile Sihouette
          Some dogs, a few fountain pens...and too many sewing machines...

          Comment

          • Full Size Jeeper
            304 AMC
            • Jul 20, 2014
            • 2475

            #6
            No harm in asking here, but you will have better luck at Fitech forums. I have the Holley Sniper and have used Holley Sniper forums. Good luck.
            1978 Wagoneer

            401/turbo 400 trans. Quadra-Trac BW1339 (with Low) 4" Rusty's lift with 31" Summit Mud Dawgs

            Mods:
            Fuel Tank, Red Holley Fuel Pump, Razor Grill (profile pic out dated), Rebuilt steering box

            Comment

            • unclbuk
              230 Tornado
              • Jun 30, 2019
              • 4

              #7
              I had the system installed by a local performance tuning shop. They recommended the Fitech system and I followed their advice. As it turns out, they were ill-prepared to "dial in" the system properly.


              I did contact Fitech's tech support. After a couple of days waiting, they basically told me to keep tinkering with the settings.



              I took it to a shop I trust and they have been working on the settings. It's hardest to start after the car is completely warmed up, shut off, and a re-start is attempted shortly thereafter. I have it back there now to fix the A/C. They will continue to tinker with it.


              Once it's started, it runs beautifully. That alone is encouragement to keep trying to get the start up settings right. Once we have it dialed in, I'll post the settings for the next brave soul who dares to go down this path.


              Having said all this, I am really enjoying this car. One of my big concerns is the people who are following me taking photos of it while they drive!



              Thanks for the feedback!

              Comment

              • Crankyolman
                350 Buick
                • Sep 27, 2017
                • 891

                #8
                I have the Fitech 2 barrel on my '72 J4500. It's off getting body work right now so can't look at what I have the fuel set to. It has a 360 that was rebuilt to stock and I have never had problems starting it, although it doesn't start as fast as it did with a carburetor.



                I've found this website very helpful



                but it's one of those things you have to play with, at least warm starts can be done multiple times a day, dialing in the cold start is a pain. I should have my truck back next week and should be able to give you the exact numbers but I don't think it was ever hard to start warm even with the factory settings.
                '72 J4500

                Comment

                • acct21
                  327 Rambler
                  • May 20, 2014
                  • 735

                  #9
                  Unfortunate to hear -- since one of the benefits should be instant starts. Has to be an issue with fueling settings during start, or again possibly a timing issue. Shouldn't be having issues with fuel delivery itself... but what are you using for fuel pump, etc?
                  1990 Grand Wagoneer with HD towing package -- everything works! (for now...)

                  Comment

                  • R69US
                    232 I6
                    • Apr 06, 2015
                    • 65

                    #10
                    Originally posted by unclbuk
                    Has anyone installed a FITech Street 400 system on a stock AMC 360 V8? Mine was recently installed by a shop with a good reputation. I am able to start it when cold, but once warmed up, it is really hard to start. Cranks over and almost catches, but won't fire up.

                    My Prime Fuel Mult is set at 259.
                    Crank Fuel 20F is set at 0.8
                    Crank Fuel 65F is set at -21.1
                    Crank Fuel 170F is set at -40.6

                    Has anyone had success with different settings on a stock 360?
                    I'm running FiTech on my SBC 350...shouldn't be all that different. Those crank fuel numbers seem way off...I have mine all around 0. The multipliers are adjusted off of a zero 'base' number, and yours seem pretty far off, telling me it's not maybe not getting enough cranking fuel.
                    -A couple of things...does the screen stay lit while cranking? If not, you may have the white wire to the FiTech losing power during crank (common mistake during install that I also made, makes it tough to start).
                    -Depending on when you got yours, the temp sensors that came with the unit read pretty low...if you're handheld is reading less than I think 170 or so it won't get into the learn mode. The correct sensor is ACDelco 213-928.
                    This cleaned up a lot of issues on mine, including an annoying off-idle stumble that I was previously unable to get rid of.

                    You should definitely hop over to the fitech tuning forum. Lots of good info there.

                    But to re-cap:
                    -Verify timing
                    -Make sure the unit isn't dropping power during crank
                    -Make sure you have the correct temp sensor

                    Comment

                    • R69US
                      232 I6
                      • Apr 06, 2015
                      • 65

                      #11
                      As I read your initial post again, I'd say definitely look at that white wire source power. What I (and lots of others) did wrong was tie that into a keyed ignition source that drops voltage when the key moves to "crank" position. It tends to start cold because the system gets a good prime when it's cold, will catch and start, then once you're no longer cranking it the voltage comes back and it stays running.

                      Comment

                      • Crankyolman
                        350 Buick
                        • Sep 27, 2017
                        • 891

                        #12
                        Originally posted by R69US
                        I'm running FiTech on my SBC 350...shouldn't be all that different.
                        You might think that but in reality they are significantly different engines. Fitech designed their system around the small block Chevy so those settings wound have been designed to essentially be set at 0 for that engine but requires a lot of tinkering to get it dialed in on a different engine.
                        '72 J4500

                        Comment

                        • Crankyolman
                          350 Buick
                          • Sep 27, 2017
                          • 891

                          #13
                          unclbuk, I finally got my truck back and just went out and checked the settings I have.


                          My settings are


                          Prime fuel multi is -20
                          Crank Fuel 20F is set at 97.7
                          Crank Fuel 65F is set at 97.7
                          Crank Fuel 170F is set at 68.8


                          I think what I did was start at the factory settings then adjust the crank fuel up and down which made little difference so I began turning the prime fuel multi off completely then began turning the others up until I saw improvement. eventually I had the crank fuels maxed out so I then began dialing the prime fuel multi back up until I got the best results for cold and hot starts alike.



                          I will say it still doesn't start as quickly as it did with half a pump with the carb but it is much better than it did with the factory settings.


                          It might be worth noting that I live where summer mornings are usually in the 50s or 60s and winter seldom gets below 20f and when it gets below 35f I have an oil pan heater to keep my oil warm.
                          '72 J4500

                          Comment

                          • Tommy854runner
                            230 Tornado
                            • May 10, 2019
                            • 7

                            #14
                            Haven't logged on in a while but should have a long time ago! I have the 4 barrell FI tech with a edelbrock intake manifold but otherwise stock engine. I had the same exact problem on mine. After it warmed up it wouldn't restart until it cooled back down to around 150 degrees. We attributed it to the fuel pump I used was for a throttle body s10 and swapped to a walboro for a Camaro ss. It starts hot now but does have a little hesitation and sometimes will stall but fire right back up. It does have what feels like a miss at idle too which is super annoying. I might play with my fuel ratios and see what happens. I just put it in self learn mode and rolled with it. It runs fantastic under load though!

                            Comment

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