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Crusader throttle body fuel injection

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infinityron

Contributing Member
I am helping a friend with possible purchase of a 1998 Silverton with Crusader 454 XL s and throttle body fuel injection. Already had a mechanical survey done and outcome was very good. I am a little unfamiliar with throttle body fuel injection though. What are pros and cons? Also, can someone recommend a scan tool to carry aboard that does not need to be pricey but good enough to do basic troubleshooting if need arises?
 
I'd say the biggest drawback is they had a short production run and many factory parts are NLA....that said, there is decent aftermarket support. when they work, they are decent performers...
They have the early (very simple) ECUs...the 'flasher' is typically adequate for debugging...as long as you have the (GM) factory manual content available.
there have been a few threads in the Crusader section on the TBIs, over the years...
 
makomark said:
I'd say the biggest drawback is they had a short production run and many factory parts are NLA....that said, there is decent aftermarket support. when they work, they are decent performers... They have the early (very simple) ECUs...the 'flasher' is typically adequate for debugging...as long as you have the (GM) factory manual content available. there have been a few threads in the Crusader section on the TBIs, over the years...
Click to expand...
Mark, no one else is chiming in here, but let me ask your opinion in different terms....this potential purchase vessel has received a thorough mechanical survey with good results. Engines only have 350 hours. Start right up. Great compresssion all around both engines (130-140). Oil sample results good. The mechanic doing the survey mentioned that the TBI systems weak link was "idle air control valve" and "throttle position sensor". I looked up and see that Sierra has readily available aftermarkets on these parts and they look like easy replacement items. So, my thinking is stash two of each of these things on board and at the ready. There was a facebook comment about most people with TBI converting to carbs when they go out due to lack of availability of ECU's. What do you think? I'm inclined to advise proceed with purchase based on the overall good condition of engines. What about the ECU issue, and I'd still like to know what kind of scan tool to recommend for self service.
 
I'm not a fan of Sierra in recent years....I think one of each, adequately stored, would be adequate until an issue arises. I'm sure you'd be better off with Delco parts if you can find them. The only PITA operation I remember (been a while since i worked a GM TBI engine) was the fuel pressure check...the TBI doesn't have an integral schrader valve so you can buy or make an adapter...i also recall a couple changes in the fuel pressure spec for their short production run.

On ECU's they rarely fail. If there is a major issue, there are many 'repair shops' that can provide viable units.

On the scanners, Rinda products are the industries gold standard and provide the most flexibility. for basic troubleshooting, you can use the simple diode, resistor, and jumper like was used on a mid-80s GM car...the only difference is the marine version of the OBD connector is different. There are a few articles on the WWW and a search engine with some time will locate them. I think there are a couple of OBDII scanner makers that now cover marine products as well - last time I looked, you can even buy (relatively cheap) tuning software for the MEFI units...
 
infinityron said:
Mark, no one else is chiming in here, but let me ask your opinion in different terms....this potential purchase vessel has received a thorough mechanical survey with good results. Engines only have 350 hours. Start right up. Great compresssion all around both engines (130-140). Oil sample results good. The mechanic doing the survey mentioned that the TBI systems weak link was "idle air control valve" and "throttle position sensor". I looked up and see that Sierra has readily available aftermarkets on these parts and they look like easy replacement items. So, my thinking is stash two of each of these things on board and at the ready. There was a facebook comment about most people with TBI converting to carbs when they go out due to lack of availability of ECU's. What do you think? I'm inclined to advise proceed with purchase based on the overall good condition of engines. What about the ECU issue, and I'd still like to know what kind of scan tool to recommend for self service.
Click to expand...

I can say for certain that the IAC and TPS is nothing more than a GM TBI sensor. I have installed both, both worked perfectly, and neither has been an issue. The same is true for the coolant temp sensor.

The MAP sensor may be a different story, (I have not confirmed that the auto MAP and marine MAP are the same, but they appear to be) and the biggest bitch in trouble shooting these engines, is dealing with the multi-PSI systems (the early systems are 9-10 PSI "low PSI" systems, the 96-later are "high PSI 14ish PSI systems, and discerning parts is a nightmare.).
 
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