Brad Huff

Guys,
I have been collecting Ford Rotunda test equipment over the last couple of years and I am now at a crossroads. My initial question was going to be whether or not to buy a EEC-IV Monitor 007-00047. The overlays seem hard to come by. My car is a 93 with a slightly modded 5.0 with Edelbrock aluminum heads and a E303 cam. There are other potential issues with the engine which has got me considering a replacement but that is another story. I have gone somewhat down the rabbit hole by purchasing a TFI intermittent ignition analyzer, a Monitor recorder, and some associated wire harnesses. Unfortunately, I bought some of these items in the reverse order of what I should have. I bought the "Monitor Recorder" ahead of the "Monitor", basically buying a useless piece of equipment without the monitor first. My car does not run as well as it could and my "tinkering nature" would like to learn enough about these systems to trouble shoot and repair them. While speaking to a fellow Monster Miata enthusiast yesterday it was suggested that maybe I would be ahead to ditch the old, although chipped, technology and replace it with a Holley Sniper, a device that could learn and somewhat tune itself. I have searched the forum and have found some worthwhile information but I still have a few questions. Ignition for one. Do I want to buy an upgraded unit and let the computer control the timing or go with a garden variety centrifugal distributor? The car has a CCRM which I'm assuming will go away. Just replace it with separate relays to control the fans etc.? What intake manifold should I use? The Holley tech guy said that a dual plane would work as well as a single plane. Do you all agree? I know the dual plane would maybe give better low and mid range response vs the single plane. The single plane winning out at the higher rpms. If it really doesn't matter I have an original Shelby GT350 S2MS dual plane high rise sitting on my shelf that I could use. Probably the same as an Edelbrock F4B. How about the dashboard gauges? Will the stock Miata gauges still work? I know that the stock system uses the VSS signal to control the engine rpms when you approach a stop. How does the Holley handle this or is it just ignored? Right now the car suffers from a low speed bucking or "trailer hitching" problem. The VSS was never hooked up to the computer in my car. Not that that was going to totally solve the problem. I did do the "bolt the rear transmission mount to the floorboard" mod however. I have, in the past, noticed that the Fitech has has some heat and current draw issues. Is the Holley Sniper a better unit in this regard? The car is a street cruiser and will not be raced. I was simply looking for a modern day small block Cobra and I figure that this is a perfect solution, at least a far more affordable one. This is probably enough for now to get me started. I would appreciate any and all responses to my questions and one more thing just came to mind. How much weight will this plan save over the stock Ford intake assembly? Thank you all in advance.-Brad

Brad Huff

After some additional internet snooping it appears that the single plane intake might be a preferred way to go. If that is the case then, along with a new distributor, maybe an Edelbrock Pro 4 system would be better. Looks like it will cost about the same. As long as it will fit under the hood. Thoughts?

MX-Brad

You loose the multi port FI with a sniper or Fitech type deal. If I needed a new harness but had all the OEM FI parts, I might consider going Holley Terminator. Uses your oem intake setup but with a new harness and ecu. If your existing wiring is good though, I don’t think you can beat the reliability of oem. Buy a Quarterhorse for the EEC iv and download Tunerpro RT and either learn to tune or take the lazy way like I did amd pay someone to remote tune it.
EFIDynoTuning is a great way to get started.

Brad Huff

Thanks Brad for the reply. I was beginning to get a complex. LOL. I have posted on a couple of different forums and you are the first to respond to any of them. Interestingly enough I called a gentleman in South Carolina that tunes Ford EEC-IV systems and he convinced me to do just what you are suggesting. He asked me if I was ever going to drive the car out of town. I told him maybe on occasion. He then said "What are you going to do if you have a breakdown on the road away from home, call Holley or Edelbrock and wait on hold for 2 hours to get a tech?" I told him that I could see his point. He said that with the Ford system I could probably go to NAPA and get a part good enough to get me home. Makes good sense. Plus he said that although the aftermarket stuff looks pretty, it's basically inferior Chinese stuff that won't hold up over time. The Ford stuff is pretty well proven. I have always thought that the Fitech and Holley Sniper were just asking for problems with the ECU built in to the base of the unit.
Paperwork that came with the car indicates that the previous owner replaced the computer several years ago. I believe that the original one had a tune. This replacement does not appear to. The cover is still over the J3 port. I found a Tweecer in the trunk and I am debating popping that off and plugging it in. What do you think? Would you be afraid to do that? I don't have the 5 position select switch. Will that matter?
I have also resumed my collecting of antique Ford Rotunda test equipment. I went ahead and bought the Monitor and I am now looking for the overlay that I will need for the 5.0 Mustang. I would like one for a 89-93 and then 94-95. If you know of anyone that has any of that stuff for sale please let me know. I might even be able to recreate one from a photocopy. And I kindly ask all of you guys out there as well that are reading this. It will be very much appreciated. Thanks to all. Take care and I hope all is well with all of you.-Brad

MX-Brad

Yeah, also good points about the parts availability.
Wish I could help you regarding the Tweecer and switch and all that, but I really don’t know much about any of that. I don’t think I’d be hooking it up without knowing what I was doing.
It might be worth posting on the efidynotuning site. Someone there will know how to advise you.
Good luck.

Brad Huff

Good advice about just plugging in the Tweecer, although it should work considering it was originally setup for the car with the previously used computer. I need to slightly put on the brakes with my enthusiasm. I've just figured out that I probably spent money that I could have better used elsewhere. A case in point, I bought all of that legacy Rotunda troubleshooting test equipment only to find out that all I probably need is a Moates Quarterhorse, a laptop, and some free tuner software. I guess it will do more for less money. Oh well, more shelf decorations. LOL. I'll add it all to my "tools I've purchased and only used once" section of my garage. Great hobby isn't it. I see your project is coming along well. Good news. Take care and thanks again-Brad