My Awakening

Discussion in 'Automotive' started by Frank Sanoica, Apr 27, 2018.

  1. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    Back in the '80s, cars began appearing having "computers". What it meant, I wasn't sure. GM began touting several schemes of "Tuned Port Injection", Central Port Injection", and such. I don't recall Ford or Chrysler saying much of anything, but it turned out, as govt requirements for ever-stricter emissions requirements were being implemented, it became obvious that the old carburetor was doomed.

    Ford seemed to lead the industry in the march towards Electronic Fuel Injection. Their efforts resulted in marketing vehicles with state of the art emissions controls ten years earlier than GM. Why GM was dragging their tails, I dunno.

    I had vowed during this upheaval period in technology to NEVER own a vehicle having a computer. Partly because I had spent a lifetime rebuilding and calibrating carburetors, I guess. Then, on a whim, in about 1992, my wife & I passing by a Chevy Dealership, I spotted a beautiful maroon Mustang on their used lot. We test drove it. Holy crap! It had the Ford state of the art 5.0 Fuel Injected V-8, 5-speed manual transmission, and it started, ran, and performed way beyond expectations I had comparing it to my first Mustang, first-year 1965 with High Performance Package! I was hooked! Computer or not, this car performed way out beyond the earlier stuff I was accustomed to. We bought it.

    Few months later, a 1990 5.0 appeared for sale, and we bought that. These cars provided everyday service and performance beyond compare to the old carburetor-equipped cars. But, I feared the worst: what happens when one "craps out"?

    So, I bought a really good book, "Ford Fuel Injection and Modification", studied it thoroughly, and became easily adept at troubleshooting any problems with the "new era" cars.

    It has been 30+ years since the "Carburetor Dinosaur" became extinct.

    Frank
     
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