Modern EFI on a Merak | FerrariChat

Modern EFI on a Merak

Discussion in 'Maserati' started by tdskip, Sep 5, 2021.

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  1. tdskip

    tdskip Karting

    Aug 25, 2012
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    Tom
    Good morning and I hope everybody’s having a good weekend. So now that I’ve had my hands on the car for 48 hours I, of course, I am dealing with my mind is running wild on possibilities.

    I know that the Cotroen SM had a feeling Jackson set up towards the end of its run, but I’ve also seen modern EFI packages for the SM. I’ve gotten a bit spoiled with my good experience with SPICA and CIS and the 2002tii set ups and I am curious if anyone’s gone down this path with a Merak.

    i’m not chasing ultimate horsepower, drivability would be the goal.

    Any thoughts or suggestions for me?

    Thanks,

    Tom
     
  2. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 10, 2002
    26,295
    socal
    Part of the merak’s charm is the carb set up. They can be tuned and run well. Merak is a cool car. What state is it in now? Is it a decent driver?
     
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  3. tdskip

    tdskip Karting

    Aug 25, 2012
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    Image Unavailable, Please Login Thank you for the response and yes, I agree, that triple webers are both a thing of beauty and certainly add to the sensual nature of the car.

    that said, it’s nice to be able to have a car sit for a month and turn the key and have it instantly start and be well behaved, I also drive my car is quite a bit and in sunny California I frequently will go from Sea level to 5000 feet.

    My Merak is a mix of good and bad, I’ve been able to document that it’s got an original 29,000 miles on it and hasn’t been messed around with too badly but it’s got some needs before I put it into regular service. The late 1980s got a hold of it and blacked out all of the stainless steel and I believe that’s when it was repainted from its original yellow to this non-factory color. My biggest immediate issue is that I have a leaking connection or hydraulic fluid reservoir, there was a pretty good puddle of fluid right under the reservoir this morning.
     
  4. tdskip

    tdskip Karting

    Aug 25, 2012
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    Tom
    (my 15-year-old already has a San Francisco Rd. trip and it planned so I better get on it)
     
  5. JulianMerak

    JulianMerak Formula 3

    Later Merak’s did come with black trim so just check that yours wasn’t one of them before you take it all off. Maybe 1980 onwards, try the Merak Registry to see the images and years featured with black trim. Mine had stainless but that was a Rhd 1980 car

    Julian
     
  6. tdskip

    tdskip Karting

    Aug 25, 2012
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    Wow! What a car Julian, she looks fantastic.

    I am a total Maserati newbie, so I am trying to give myself a crash course education on these cars. From what I’ve been able to see the 1974s all had stainless. I talked to one of the prior owners who said that he had work done to the front bumpers sometime in the last three years so I’m fairly certain that these have been painted or powder coated.

    One quick note – I have to say that I am fairly shocked at just how comfortable this car is, I got out of driving the Merak and into my 997 and the Porsche ride quality felt brittle. Well done Maserati!

    Thank you for the responses and please don’t be shy if you have any tips or considerations that you think would help a new owner.
     
  7. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Be sure to keep all the old parts if you do convert.

    These webber carbs don't foul up that easily if you're driving the car all the time. Let it sit for 6-12 months and ... so don't do that.
    Cold starting in the winter is an issue. A fuel cooler can fix any vapor lock issues.

    Would your FI conversion be able to deal with those issues any better?
     
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  8. tdskip

    tdskip Karting

    Aug 25, 2012
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    Hi Bob, fair point and of course I’d never bin anything removed from the car. I am intending to use her frequently so maybe I should just turn my attention to making sure the carbs are healthy and have the right jets and emulsion tubes....

    She isn’t very happy off idle / at light throttle but goes well if you really open the carbs up. Making sure I’ve got good spark and timing will be worth if that.

    Thanks for the response and considerations.
     
  9. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Get a good tune up. But EFI, properly done, can be a big improvement.
     
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  10. Ferraripilot

    Ferraripilot F1 World Champ
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    May 10, 2006
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    John!
    Set up the ignition and carbs properly and these are fabulous, but obviously only if the engine mechanicals check out ok though so do a compression and/or leakdown test to rule that out. SM/Merak are great tractable engines with carbs and EFI often doesn't quite yield the massive improvement some are expecting. The primary gain from EFI is the partial throttle ignition and fuel curve can be tuned, which is nice, but there usually isn't much more to be gained at wide open throttle unless a huge intake manifold changes things. Additionally, converting is a considerable monetary proposition with this engine. Engine has to come out, flywheel needs to be notched for the 60-2 wheel, bell housing drilled for sensors, cam sensor must be fabricated for full sequential, custom wiring harness, intake manifold is another considerable expense, then there's the 'while you're in there and the engine is out' type stuff that can spiral out of control. Make no mistake it can be done, and it has been done on SMs with good success, but it is no joke of a project.

    My advice? Change the plugs, make sure you have strong ignition and a good mechanical engine base, tune the carbs and leave it alone :D Long-term value will thank you
     
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  11. Ferraripilot

    Ferraripilot F1 World Champ
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    Oh hey you’re in California aren’t you. Can’t do it anyway due to new legislation outlawing ECU modification. Cheers
     
  12. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Not to mention needing the air injection in place & working as well! :eek:
     
  13. tdskip

    tdskip Karting

    Aug 25, 2012
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    Thank you for all the responses, very much appreciate the thoughts and input.

    Since this is a 1974 a car I am free to do whatever I want with the engine management system, if it was 1976 or newer that could be an issue.

    let me roll my sleeves in take into this and make sure everything is healthy and quickly set up, I’ve only had it a couple days now and I’m sure over the past 40 years there was ample choice to have less than optimal things done it.

    I’m strongly considering a 123 Distributor As I’ve had a very good experience with those on my Alfa’s, anyone here with experience running one of those units?

    Thanks!
     
  14. Ferraripilot

    Ferraripilot F1 World Champ
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    John!
    ignition123 is great on everyone I’ve used them on. I would highly suggest reaching out to David Hume with excelsior motors before making that change though. David is factory trained on these engines and has forgotten more than most know.
     
  15. tdskip

    tdskip Karting

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    Thanks for the positive feedback on the 123 unit, will reach out to David. Figure I should make sure I have good spark before trying to dial in the fueling.
     
  16. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    #17 staatsof, Sep 9, 2021
    Last edited: Sep 9, 2021
    https://123ignition.com/product/tuneplus-6-r-v-sm-ie/

    I like the feature list on this one. I wish they'd figure out how to replace the guts on a Marelli 129C.

    It's been over 10 years since I converted my Espada's 129C to a Pertronix system with dual kits, a Marelli Jag V12 cap and rotor. And that's worked great. But I'd love to eliminate that mechanical advance system of the Marelli.

    Do you know where the folks from the old Yahoo that supported the Citroen SM/Merak ended up? That was a very useful group for ALL Maserati's with LHM systems.
     
  17. tdskip

    tdskip Karting

    Aug 25, 2012
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    Good morning. I ordered that one, keen to get it installed. Apparently they have built in the tach signal fix so the rev counter doesn't freak out over only having one coil.

    This group seems to be fairly active, some Maserati activity there;

    https://groups.io/g/Citroen-SM
     
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  18. Ferraripilot

    Ferraripilot F1 World Champ
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    John!
    I have heard you can contact them and forward any Marelli distributor and they will do just that, replace all the guts, including conversions to single distributor applications for 308s and the like.
     
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  19. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Well this answers my earlier question of where they went. THKS!
     
  20. Quattroporte3

    Quattroporte3 Formula 3

    Nov 13, 2010
    1,060
    Tom, I would suggest dialing the carbs in and trying that out for a while before you make a decision to go EFI.

    I've synced & tuned the Webers on my old QP3 enough times I could probably do it in my sleep by now, and have recently moved from Norway to your neck of the woods - SoCal. When set up correctly you shouldn't experience any significant issues with elevation and the sound with triple/quad Webers is glorious!

    PM me if you'd like to talk more or meet up.
     
  21. tdskip

    tdskip Karting

    Aug 25, 2012
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    Thanks for the response, will drop you a PM.
     

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