more of a general question.
the efi I put on my car was on the cheap, when it started to go out, I tried to fix it on the cheap. Relatively speaking.

Some of the failures, are due to the age of the original engine parts.
coil, distributor etc..

Now something else failed and I can't tell what because it is a diy setup, with no real support other than forums.

It could also be some old wiring causing some flaking thing somewhere.

Should this have been a buy once cry once thing? or would I be just as pissed of but spent 3 times as much to get here?

I’ve got several friends who have bought the current EFI systems on the market. The fitech guy struggled to figured it all out. No help from the tech guys at fitech. Gets worse mileage than the carb it replaced but seems to work ok. He had to have a computer guru help him. MSD guy was never happy with the hot starting of the car. Seemed to run ok but he sold the car before too long. I built him a oem Carter for his 70 440 stick car and he brags on it all the time. Works flawlessly. Friend with the low priced Holley brags about how pleased he is with the system and then starts complaining about the guy that installed it and how it won’t idle. It constantly changes the idle rpm. He has talked to several guys and is constantly “tuning” . He does have really low vacuum at idle. The only personal experience had with FI was the first generation of the old Holley system on an 80 Ford truck with a 300 six. It helped me out until it burned out a relay inside the unit. Of coarse the old Ford carb on those motor was junk. It was not much better than just pouring gas down the carb while you drove down the roads. I’ve got a customer that insists on FI so I’m calling Richard Nedbal for the $2000 system with the tune for my car, AFTER he pays for the system.

I like my FiTech except the underhood Fuel Command Center, as they call it, seems vulnerable to heat issues, making it a better idea to go with the in tank pump. I still have the FCC underhood, and my car runs good. I wrapped the FCC with some heat protective tape and it might be helping. Too soon to be sure. Again, otherwise, like the system a lot.

FiTech's tech support SUCKS!!!!! though. Don't bother asking them for help. When I asked some pretty basic questions, the guy actually told me he wasn't sure and said "I'm more of a Chevy guy".. Yeah, go F yourself.

I think you get what you pay for !!

A member of our 3rd gen. Charger forum has a Fitech. New, it ran like poo. Fitech helped diagnose it down to a badly machined passage, had him return that unit and they sent him another. He was enjoying the turn key driveability, but on his way home from a September show, it started running poorly, and dumping gas. He was going to take it to the mechanic who installed the system for him...I have not heard if that has happened yet, or if it will sit until spring.

To me, the Holley is starting to look pretty good.

stay carbureted and you won't have to worry about it..... EFI is great WHEN it works as it is supposed to..... when it doesn't, it sucks.

Depends on which guy you get; like many companies, there are guys on the tech line that are more savvy than others. And, sometimes, the collateral parts are the problem, too many combinations for any company to anticipate.

I have a Holley Sniper on my 440. I'm very happy with it. I've heard their customer support is good, but have not yet needed to use it. I don't notice anything different compared to the carb other than easy hot starts and cold starts.

I have thought about going back honestly, but I have so many mods into the car for efi, that it is almost expensive to go back as to move forward with a whole new system.

I see a lot of used ones for sale after guys find out it wasn’t the simple magic bullet guys thought they were. Guys are always begging for tips

One of the biggest advantages I enjoy is that my car can sit for more than three or four days, and I don't have to pour gas down carb to start it. What a PITA that was. And I had that on more than one car with different carbs. A thermoquad, and now on my Power Wagon with an edelbrock 1406.

A simple electric booster pump would have fixed that for a heck of a lot less and a whole lot simpler.

The FiTech I have installed on a Lil Red has been working great, the truck has never run better. No issues with my Megasquirt MS3 in the 'Cuda. I'll be in the market to try the Holley Sniper on my Warlock, it has a few advantages over the FiTech.

ONE of the biggest advantages. There are others.

From what I've seen, most guys who can't tune a carb or even set up a proper timing curve for what their engine wants are usually the ones that have problems with EFI as well. They simply miss the basics.
If you are also still "digitally-challenged" in this day and age, the odds are very much stacked against you.

None of them cheaper or simpler.

I will say, I'd like to think I know a bit about tuning, troubleshooting and computers. But everytime I have a problem, it feels like I forget the basics when it comes to my car in general or efi specifically.
There are so many things I have added on to make the car work, I literally forget about parts and have to relearn how everything is hooked up and then how it actually works together.

This last time was 2 days of trying to troubleshoot, look up old posts and then finally asking another question that pointed to a part I forgot about that turned out to be the issue.

I was just thinking if I bought an entire system riather than the pieces I put together, where someone other than just me knew how it worked, I might be better off.
But I also don't want to plunk down 2k and find out I am just as bad off trying to trouble shoot something because they can't help since it isn't a chevy 350.

If anyone really thinks that EFI systems don't have several advantages over carburation, I say "who are you trying to fool"?

Yes, they are more expensive than carburators.

A Chevy 350 doesn't make it any easier. I am working on a Ram Jet 350 and just replaced a Chevy MEFI 3 for a MEFI 4. The version 3 did not have a oxygen sensor. The car ran fine at sea level, but here at 6000' not so much. I thought the $1000 for the upgrade would be the easiest way to get the car back on the road. All in all the car runs good, but the idle is a tad to high. I bought some used tuning software ($400) only to discover the controller is password locked and I can not do any tuning myself. The next step will be to send the controller out this winter ($300) and have it professionally adjusted.

So write yourself a manual for your system, with a full schematic and part numbers, by the time you finish that, you wont need it, lols