Fitech FCC fuel command center issues

[ShagWagon]

Ok I called them and told me my jeep buddy said that the FCC won't work in an off-road situation.

He said yeah if your extreme and at a 75degree+ angle for over ten minutes it may run out of gas so you'd have to turn off engine and let the surge tank refill. It hold 2 quarts from your mechanical pump and your good till that runs out.

He didn't like it when I told him that their website claims FCC as a prevention to fuel starvation on steep inclines as a selling point and what kinda crap is this you are telling me now. He said it wasnt false advertising. I beg to differ but he says it has to be real extreme to the point of the jeep lying on its doors, so I guess I'll see.

He also said they were developing an extreme version for extreme off road and racing due out in about six months. I'll test it out and if gives me any problems I'll make em send me the new one when it comes out.

[GI-John]

Ok I called them and told me my jeep buddy said that the FCC won't work in an off-road situation.

He said yeah if your extreme and at a 75degree+ angle for over ten minutes it may run out of gas so you'd have to turn off engine and let the surge tank refill. It hold 2 quarts from your mechanical pump and your good till that runs out.

How much more do you want? Does the Holley Avenger do this? How about our beloved 2100/2150?

Not sure what the gripe is...

[rws31]

Ok I called them and told me my jeep buddy said that the FCC won't work in an off-road situation.

He said yeah if your extreme and at a 75degree+ angle for over ten minutes it may run out of gas so you'd have to turn off engine and let the surge tank refill. It hold 2 quarts from your mechanical pump and your good till that runs out.

He didn't like it when I told him that their website claims FCC as a prevention to fuel starvation on steep inclines as a selling point and what kinda crap is this you are telling me now. He said it wasnt false advertising. I beg to differ but he says it has to be real extreme to the point of the jeep lying on its doors, so I guess I'll see.

He also said they were developing an extreme version for extreme off road and racing due out in about six months. I'll test it out and if gives me any problems I'll make em send me the new one when it comes out.

Do I have this right, he said turn off your engine so your mechanical pump, that is bolted to the engine that needs to be running in order to work, can refill the surge tank?

[ShagWagon]

Yeah, don't make sense but that's what they said. I wrote this up as soon as I got off the phone.

Maybe meant turn off FCC till it refills.

I'm still working on getting it up and running and installed. Then I'll test it.

[ShagWagon]

Issue with the low pressure gauge. Reads zero.

Called fitech. Spoke to customer rep. Seemed like the most overwhelmed, stressed out guy ever. He said the gauges were a bad batch and he could send me a new one but it would have the same problem.

Replaced with $40 same kind gauge from autozone.

Same problem.

Tore apart FCC (sorry forgot pics. Was trying to stay focused) all was clean inside, no plugs.. Put back together, still no reading.....

Gauge works intermittently now. Seems it always got the fuel, just that the gauges don't work sometimes. Don't know what to make of it. But it works well enough, just not perfectly dammit!

[ShagWagon]

Oh yeah. Jeep did great 150 mile round trip. Except when we did a little slow wheelin to get to the top and idled for a few minutes to take some pics and hang out and things got warm.

Engine did great but the FCC cooked up the fuel pump some exposing a major flaw for off roading and it got hot and shut off and wouldn't restart. Combined with the extra heat from the hills we climbed, elevation, and idling. Not enough fuel seems to circulate from the gas tank to keep the sump cool enough as it doesn't draw enough cool gas when it idles... A couple handfuls of ice and a few minutes wait it started back up and cooled off just fine all the way back np once the air circulation and gas circulation did its thing.

Im building an in tank hi pressure fuel pump system tomorrow and FCC will go back to summit with no good recommendations from me.

[chuckdds]

FCC

So, I just saw your post and just had the worst day with my FCC.

I just rebuilt my 360 and installed the Fitech EFI and FCC. Yesterday- the car stalls out on the road and I thought I had just run out of gas (bad fuel gauge maybe?)
Today twice it dies where there was no fuel in the sump after what I can only surmise is boil off.

I am bummed and pissed that this unit could perform so badly just driving in regular traffic here in ABQ.

Do you think a drop-in or rail mount electronic fuel pump is the answer?

Chuck

[ShagWagon]

Could be plugged fuel filter or bad mechanical. Or the FCC

It gets gas to it it just doesn't circulate it fast enough to keep it cool so the pump shuts down when it gets hot at an idle for a while.

It does well cruising around because it gets airflow and gasflow. When it doesn't get enough gas flowing around the pump it re circulates the same gas that the,pump is heating up inside the can.

[ShagWagon]

Ya drop on or rail mount would be the answer but I think you probably have some other issue.

I'd return the FCC either way.

[chuckdds]

So the two last times it shut down it was driving without any real sitting around. And when it dies it is just a silent cut out- I will be driving and then all goes quiet. No sputtering, nothing. The weather has been in the 90's here.

I did notice that when the it gets hot, the intake gauge will sometimes show "0" psi.

I am going to look at the mechanical fuel pump. Also, on the fuel filter between the mechanical pump and the FCC it has a second vent line (that is supposed to go back to the carb when it had it). We called FiTech about his last week and they had no clue what we were talking about- very frustrating. Should I replace with a filter that does not have this extra vent line?

What other issues will I run into with a rail mount? I am not offloading at all. This is an everyday street driver. I am looking for dependable drivability. The EFI seems to be working fine.

My setup:
AMC 360 (recently rebuilt) 9.5:1 compression, FiTech EFI 400HP, MSD 6A ignition module and MSD distributor, FCC.

Any insight would help,
Chuck

[ShagWagon]

Yep low intake reading zero means that the level is slowly going down inside. I had this issue at first too if you read it. Sounds like it's heating up and pump is shutting down failsafe. Did it restart after a while? Did it occur after some idling? Was it installed in a very cool area? It's all,the little things that add up.

When it first starts cold you low pressure should read accurate then slowly drop off to zero as it gets warmer. So if it reads 3-6 then your mechanical pump is probably working.

I'd say check the FCC can when it shuts down and see if it doesn't burn your hand.

You want a filter low pressure before the mechanical. The FCC has a sump filter, then a hi pressure filter before the TB. You might be able to plug the filter return line, but I'd just get the right one for this.

The only return is from the FCC to the gas tank returnt line. They have it labeled wrong as vent. Should bentank return.

If you use an inline or tank pump then the return to tank is on the back of throttle body and the mechanical pump should be blocked off.

Inline pump is exposed to the open heat and maybe loud is only problems I know of.

I didn't want any problems so I went in tank. I went with the FCC because they claim it solves all this. It FAR from does that...

[chuckdds]

Yes-- when cold, I will get 6lbs reading on the low pressure side. Then when it heats up, the pressure goes to zero. Today, I had it running in the driveway idling for 30 minutes in 90 degree weather. Water temp was 205 while playing with the FiTech controller. The engine then just died. Fuel canister was hot! Pulled the vent line (no bubbling). Immediately re- primed the reservoir and it fired right up.

It is installed in the same position you had installed yours.

So, one of the following is happening:
1. Overheating and forcing fuel out the vent line
2. overheating and pump shuts down
3. The vent line off the low pressure filter is causing issues.

Do you know at what temp the Fitech pump shuts down?

I am very frustrated,
Chuck

[chuckdds]

Another question-- why would the intake pressure drop to zero when hot? Doesn't that gauge read the pressure going in from the mechanical pump, or does it read the pressure going into the electric pump?
If it is going into the pump, then it makes sense of the resevoir empties, but what does it empty? Not getting filled or boiling off faster than filling?

[babywag]

Sounds like a turd (FCC), just get rid of it.
Either an external frame pump, or an in tank pump will work fine.
Have external frame pump on my '90, can barely hear it.
Have an in-tank pump on my '88.
Neither has given me any problems. GM TBI, but either setup would feed a fitech TBI.

[chuckdds]

what in tank pump did you use?