Howell '81-'86 CJ 4.2L 6cyl Fuel Injection Kit

[Breal]

Hi guys,
It's been awhile since I've posted. I'm considering getting a Howell Fuel Injection Kit. I live at 6,500 ft in elevation and to get out of the valley I have to climb 2,000 ft over Teton Pass at 55 mph. Currently my Scrambler struggles to do this at those speeds. Would a fuel injector kit help overall performance and make that climb a little easier? What are some of the benefits of a fuel injection kit? Any watch outs I should consider? Anyone have experience with this specific kit?

I'll likely have a local mechanic do the install. For anyone that has used this kit, are the instructions pretty thorough so that any regular mechanic could confidently install this or should I have any concerns?

'81-'86 CJ 4.2L 6cyl Fuel Injection Kit

'81-'86 CJ 4.2L 6cyl Fuel Injection Kit from CollinsBros Jeep

collinsbrosjeep.com

 

[John N]

I put it on mine with a 360, the install was pretty easy. It’s worked well for me. Easier starts and consistent power. Pretty country out there, we drove through the Tetons last summer from Yellowstone to Jackson and then west through the pass, so I know what your talking about.

 

[Breal]

Awesome, glad to hear it’s worked well for you and that you’ve been able to see this corner of the state. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[spankrjs]

I don't think he drove the TBI equipped Scrambler through Colorado, but I could be wrong

I have driven my Mopar MPI equipped Scrambler through Colorado and other large elevation changes, no problem. The Howell will control the fuel needs, but IIRC it does NOT control the timing.

That being said, and I'm not an expert, not sure how important the timing issues are with elevation. I know it is, but critical?

Back in the carburetor days you would have high elevation models. I'm sure some idle mixture change and minor base timing settings. From reading the FSM, pretty small timing adjustment needed either way when switching from high to low elevation with the feedback carburetor, no jet changes required.

More modern EFI with timing control will handle the timing needs. Some one from Colorado can hopefully answer you better.

All that being said, a few years back I went with JeepAddict when he went to Colorado to buy two stock CJ's. IIRC the guys house was over 8,000 foot elevation. I drove a bone stock 82 Jamboree (non elevation model) all the way back to Louisiana. I thought for sure I would have to fiddle with it when we got back to lower elevations. Never did. It ran perfect at elevation and back at sea level

 

[Breal]

Great info. Thanks spankjrs

 

[Mancunian]

There are a few options out there, i.e. different manufacturers, look around if you haven;t already. i have FI - (but not Howell), be prepared to mess with it for a while to get it running right, there is usually lots of tuning required even with a self tuning model. Overll im happy with mine as my Carter was pretty much dead.

 

[John N]

I don't think he drove the TBI equipped Scrambler through Colorado, but I could be wrong

Yes, you are correct. I was driving my 2019 Grand Cherokee.

 

[RMNP CJ-8]

I live in Colorado and have the Howell kit on my Scrambler with a 4.2L 258. I live @ 7900ft. and drive anywhere from down in the valley @ 5000ft to over trail ridge road @ 12,000ft.

It provides a more consistent fuel air mix and I haven't had any issues. It seems to have more consistent power than my older carburetor. I initially went with the Howell due to the emissions requirement. If I was doing it again I would probably would go with the Sniper for more adjustability.

My biggest problem now is the need to change my gearing for all the steep inclines (3.31 gears).

Overall, the Howell is a good improvement and worth the change if you are considering it.

 

[Breal]

I live in Colorado and have the Howell kit on my Scrambler with a 4.2L 258. I live @ 7900ft. and drive anywhere from down in the valley @ 5000ft to over trail ridge road @ 12,000ft.

It provides a more consistent fuel air mix and I haven't had any issues. It seems to have more consistent power than my older carburetor. I initially went with the Howell due to the emissions requirement. If I was doing it again I would probably would go with the Sniper for more adjustability.

My biggest problem now is the need to change my gearing for all the steep inclines (3.31 gears).

Overall, the Howell is a good improvement and worth the change if you are considering it.

awesome, thank you!

 

[sdsupilot]

I had a friend that tried a Howell kit in his vehicle. It was my recommendation over the sniper. In his case it didn’t work out. In the end (to howells credit) it was returned and he got his money back. We changed distributors, TPS, tach filters and other parts. Howell did continue to answer their phone and help the whole time. In the end I think there was an issue with the harness or prom. We converted that engine back to carb. Ran it for several months then did an LS swap. Howell did have good support but it was a rough couple months. Your mileage may vary and tons of others have positive reviews with their systems. With the law of averages eventually you will have issues with a product. Still sad it didn’t work out. It was a tire shredder when it was running right.

 

[mtruckstuff]

I don't think he drove the TBI equipped Scrambler through Colorado, but I could be wrong

I have driven my Mopar MPI equipped Scrambler through Colorado and other large elevation changes, no problem. The Howell will control the fuel needs, but IIRC it does NOT control the timing.

That being said, and I'm not an expert, not sure how important the timing issues are with elevation. I know it is, but critical?

Back in the carburetor days you would have high elevation models. I'm sure some idle mixture change and minor base timing settings. From reading the FSM, pretty small timing adjustment needed either way when switching from high to low elevation with the feedback carburetor, no jet changes required.

More modern EFI with timing control will handle the timing needs. Some one from Colorado can hopefully answer you better.

All that being said, a few years back I went with JeepAddict when he went to Colorado to buy two stock CJ's. IIRC the guys house was over 8,000 foot elevation. I drove a bone stock 82 Jamboree (non elevation model) all the way back to Louisiana. I thought for sure I would have to fiddle with it when we got back to lower elevations. Never did. It ran perfect at elevation and back at sea level

MSD makes a Variable ignition control unit. It allows you to adjust through a 15 degree range via a dash mounted control. I had one on my '83 8 with a 258. I live in Colorado at about the 5000 ft range and often went up to about 10,000 ft. It worked great!

 

[mtruckstuff]

This: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...fj3TlI8ka-QdHTiZYNax0ogimhFC7IpYaAqBhEALw_wcB Have to use an MSD box. Right now I run a 4.0 with Davis unified dizzy and MC2150 carb. Works pretty good too. Plan to go with a Clifford intake/header and Howell injection. Thinking about doing the MSD box/timing control setup