Hey there CorvetteForum, the day has come that I, your resident lurker who scowers the site for any semblance of a solution to my issues comes with a question I haven't found answered yet. Or rather, a list of questions.

Now, I know the Holley Sniper 2 EFI conversion isn't necessarily 'popular' in the sense that it's incredibly well documented, but considering I plan on going with the kit I have a few questions as an ignorant amateur mechanic.

The Holley System provides 20ft of Vapor guard 3/8th fuel hose. Is this intended to replace the stock hard lines, or is it an awful idea to only use the fuel hose? I'm not familiar with the safety of fuel lines, but in the diagrams in their full walk through it clearly shows them using only the included fuel hose.

I plan to keep the stock fuel sending unit, and already have an upgraded pump rated for the required 58-62PSI (Delphi FE0114). Where would I find the purple wire that corresponds to the Fuel Level Gauge inside the vehicle? Is it near/around the Instrument Cluster? My goal is to avoid running new wiring from the fuel pump assembly all the way into the vehicle by tapping into the stock Fuel Gauge wire on the harness.

The Holley needs a Switched 12V connection, and in their walkthrough, they say it should come from the ignition switch. Through what research I can muster, I can't seem to find exactly which wires it's referring to when it says "Ignition Switch, 12v switched". Where could I find them?

The Holley system includes a wide band O2 sensor. Am I able to replace the Bank #2 sensor directly with the included sensor?

What methods do you recommend for connecting the positive and negative wires to the PDM? Should I simple attach them via the screw to the post, or is there some sort of extender/stand off for me to use?

Sorry if these questions have been answered, I've been looking for some more concrete information on this for the past few days and for the life of me I couldn't find much. I figure a lot of these questions could be answered by Holley, but they're closed the day I'm posting this and my curiosity is piqued.

 

80s GM cars usually have a separate power block that's usually located near the interior fuse panel, and it provides power to various accessories in a way so that during assembly, the factory worker can simply install or plug in additional accessories as they're added. Generally though, the switched power is controlled via a relay that's "switched" by the ignition when you turn the key. I don't have the diagram in front of me, so I can't remember which wire it is... but I would recommend getting the factory service manual (or as Corvette calls it, the "shop manual."

Can I ask a question about the Holley system you're switching to? Is there a particular reason why you're thinking of upgrading your car's computer system? I only ask because a lot of people switch to an aftermarket computer system in hopes that it solves a problem that they're having with their current system, but then get frustrated when they find that the same problem persists with the new computer system.

I don't really know anything about this system, but a couple of things to think about... the system you have now (TPI) is basically a Multi-Port Fuel Injection system... which is bank switched. SOME of the newer computer systems allow for Sequential Port Fuel Injection, which provides significantly better "around-town" performance. Ultimately, it has no difference at wide open throttle above 3,000+ rpms, but in the lower RPMs it provides more accurate fuel for only the injectors that are firing, so less time for the fuel to sit on top of the valve. These aftermarket systems also help because they are often "self learning" and make it easier to handle engine modifications... but otherwise, they can end up being much more frustration than they're worth... so just keep that in mind.

If you do decide to stick with the original ECM, but still want a heated O2 sensor, Casper electronics sells a kit so you can upgrade your older O2 sensor with the newer heated style one that allows the ECM to enter closed loop much more quickly.

 

Thanks you for both the questions and answers!

1. So, if I understand what you're saying, rather than splicing the wire which comes off of the ignition switch under the steering column, I should find a fuse/relay that provides 12v when 'switched' and tap that into the new ECM? That sounds significantly easier, I just wasn't sure if that's reliable as I've never done something like that.

2. Yes! I'm switching to the Holley for a couple of good reasons, or at least reasons I consider to be good. First, it seems to reduce the complexity of the engine bay. EGR valve can be removed, Optispark can be removed and replaced by the 'Hyperspark' distributor (which is practically my only option to move away from Optispark on a 93, as it doesn't have the splines for a 24x conversion like the 94+). Additionally, I have a bad ECM, and finding a new/reman one is both expensive and costly. Having one redone at SIA is also costly and time intensive. I figure if I'm already going to be spending some good money, I'd like the peace of mind that the tech is a bit newer. I understand that there is added complexity in swapping to the system, but in my mind by removing a few key failure points now, I may end up saving headaches in the future.

3. Yes! That's also an added benefit of switching to the Holley system in both its easily modifiable tunes, it's self learning behavior, and Sequential Port Fuel Injection! I plan to go with their entire kit, top to bottom save for the aforementioned Fuel Pump/Sender/Assembly.

4. Awesome! I will absolutely keep that in mind!

 

On 2 and 3... totally on board with you there, 100% agree... those systems are perfect for that, could not agree more.

For #1, my PERSONAL preference, if it were me... would be to pull the switched power that's currently feeding your existing ECM that's in the car. I don't know if you plan to install the new computer in the same place, but the factory ECM will already have a switched power that you can merely "untangle" from the existing ECM harness, and just re-use that. That way, you won't have to splice into anything, and already have a power lead that's ALREADY got a fuse in the factory location in the fuse panel too... which is nice (assuming the amperage requirements are the same).

Another thing to mention... now, keep in mind, I do not have an 89 Corvette... but I have owned a lot of 80s GM cars, and generally they're all designed in a similar way. Usually, half the sensors on the engine are sensors to power the gauges, while the OTHER half of the sensors are to feed the car's ECM. For example... most mid-80s GM cars have THREE or FOUR temperature sensors:

- Fan Temperature Switch (directly controls the electronic radiator fan)
- Temperature Sending Unit (used to provide temperature readings to the dash / gauge cluster)
- Temperature Sensor (used to provide temperature readings to the car's ECM)
- Intake Air Temperature Sensor (used to provide incoming air temperature readings to the ECM)

Only the last two are connected to the ECM and can be eliminated, but the first two are PART of the engine's wiring harness, and are required in order to control the fan and provide readings for your gauges. Now, personally... I think this is a good thing. It means you can hook up an aftermarket ECM, and STILL be able to use your factory gauges and no one is the wiser. So... I only mention that so that when you start working on the factory wiring harness, you don't just indiscriminately cut stuff, because some of it you will want to keep.

But yeah, all of that sounds awesome, I bet it dramatically improves drivability and you get more horsepower through the whole range too.

 

Thanks for your insight! I've thought long and hard about this over the last few days and I think it's just the smart, future proof way to go with my car. I'm not looking for a track beast, not trying to push 1000 ponies, I'm a college student who wants a fun daily driver that I enjoy working on, if it happens to sound and look good too then that's a cherry on top.

1. It was my goal to remove some clutter from the engine bay, and one of those things was going to be the ECM to make way for the battery which will, naturally, become a bit more crowded considering the additional added wiring. I'm not sure precisely how I'd be able to 'untangle' the switched wire, but that does sound incredibly useful! I'm sure I could probe it while trying to start it, or find some wiring diagram for it.

For the record, mine is an LT1, 1993, so I'm not sure if the mention of the 80's GM's is particularly relevant, but I do have a few important clarifications! I have my fans set on at all times, on a simple on/off switch, rather than using the factory relay. Additionally, even if I didn't, the Holley Sniper 2 comes with a dedicated ports for controlling the fans without requiring the engines additional modules. Additionally the Holley ECM also comes with a Temp Sensor, though I don't think it comes with an intake temp sensor, unless it's already pre-installed with the MAF.

The whole thing is really designed to be plug and play with significant effort being put into the ease of use with them. Of course, like anything, it may be easy in some cases and a pain in others, I simply have to get my hands on it and see.

I don't mind swapping the OEM instruments, as heretical as it is, as my gauges have been failing for a while (floppy/bouncy tach), the only gauge that I think it can't provide me with through its on board 5 inch display is the Fuel Level, which I've thankfully (hopefully) figured out. I only need to find it's location closer to the interior of the vehicle. Worst case scenario I run it into the interior and up the a-pillar to the new pod cluster I'm ordering.

 

The easiest way is to try to find the factory service manual online in PDF format, and then just look for the "pin-outs" for the ECM, and it'll tell you literally which wire is the one that provides the switched power. Even if you use nothing else from the factory harness, you can use just that one wire. It's easy to separate... but messy. You have to unravel the electrical tape, and remove the plastic shielding. You can then separate everything and keep the things you want, and remove the things you don't.

Nah, lots of people swap out gauges, so no big deal... it's whatever you want to get out of your project. Just keep in mind that there are some things you do want to keep... like the fuel sending gauge, or even what feeds the voltometer, or the oil pressure gauge, or the oil temperature... I don't think any of those are used by the ECM, or provided by the new computer or harness you're looking to use... so my recommendation is to just do it slow, untape and unravel the existing harness, and only remove what you absolutely know you won't need or be using, and match it up with what you'll have from the new harness, and then start culling other stuff. You're probably going to end up keeping like 5-6 wires more than likely... so don't cut anything until you're sure.

 

Thankfully the previous owner of the vehicle provided me with a FSM so I can easily find those with some searching. I have no doubt it'll be messy, but it'll be a lot cleaner once it's... Well clean.

I'm not 100% certain were referring to the same harnesses, I'm referring to the big ECM connector when I say I have plans to remove the harness. As for the other gauges, any ideas on how I'd go about retaining them in the instrument cluster? I figure I'd have to either keep the cables, but swap the actual gauges for their appropriate counterparts and mount them in a blank 93 style cluster.

 

I haven't had to do that yet on my 84 Corvette, because everything is solid there... but on most 80s GM vehicles, there are usually two, or (in early 90s) one large harness that connects to the car's computer (in your case, I think it's in the engine compartment). This harness is invariably connected and directly wired to other things in the car, so that's why I say that removing things from the harness has to be done carefully. I am not 100% sure, but I know some things like air conditioning sometimes have a pass-through that goes through the ECM (to either increase or decrease fuel, or to compensate for the fan being on, etc.). But the harness that your ECM harness connects to... somewhere down the line will also be wrapped up with other harnesses. This is done because the "engine compartment harness" is usually installed as one complete wiring harness that comes with the engine, and usually has several leads that go to a bunch of things... usually a large bulk connector at the firewall, and the ECM harness (which in your case I think is in the engine compartment).

So, what I'm saying is... it all comes wrapped up and tied into one large harness.

You want to go through your entire engine, affix a label to every wire that's connected to every harness on your engine. Like I mentioned... some of the wires go to the ECM, others go through the bulk connector to the gauge cluster because the ECM doesn't need it, or it's redundant... but either way, they'll likely be taped / tied / connected somehow, if not by tape and wire loom, but then sometimes by sharing a grounding cable, etc.

As you disconnect things off the engine and label them, you'll want to carefully remove it from being snaked around the engine. Once you have ALL cables removed from the motor, you then want to disconnect everywhere it's connected... which is likely at least 1 large bulk connector at the firewall, and the ECM connector.

The entire harness should come out as one entire mess of wires.


This is where you need to be careful. You'll want to look through the factory service manual and see what you want to keep from the factory ECM harness... which ISN'T already replicated in the new harness. For example... switched power, or A/C on indicator, etc... there should be at least two or three.

Remove every piece of black electrical tape, and all the plastic wire loom covers... and then you can separate everything from the bulk connector, to the ECM harness... and then... take your new engine wiring harness, and overlay it onto your old harness... and you can begin removing the old parts of your original wiring harness you don't need. Never remove a ground... because you can never have too many of those.


Like you, I dislike how the wiring harnesses are often put together on factory cars. The reason they do this is because the wiring harness is pre-installed on the engine and transmission for ease of installation, not specifically for looks or ease of maintenance. That means that often times, wires are routed through the engine in the weirdest places you can possibly imagine. I had one car where the A/C clutch and pressure sensor wires went from the firewall, to the back of the engine, wrapped around the side of the motor, installed in a plastic bracket in FRONT of the motor between the harmonic balancer and another accessor, and then routed to the A/C compressor where it was located on the totally opposite side.

Whenever I restore a car, even if I'm doing a factory rebuild, I always end up re-routing some of the wires because GM puts them in sometimes the least desireable place.

Hopefully that all made sense.

But just to reiterate... most gauges on the 80s GM vehicles are powered and fed through sensors that are redundant and not connected at all to the ECM... but they are still wound up and taped together in the engine harness with the ECM's harness. So doing it right here will save you a lot of time and headache... because you don't want to have a really nice new wiring harness for your Holley system, all ready to go, and then realize that you have to run two bulls**t wires from the bulk connector at the firewall, up and over your engine... because it'll stand out, look bad, and not be reliable when they should be wound up with the new harness.

 

Never mind. This guy has not done his research. He has no idea what he is doing or asking about.

I wrote a detailed response to all his questions, which he has ignored in his next 3 responses so I removed it.

 

I think I understand what you mean. I think the "explain it like I'm 5 years old" translation is 'Remove all of the wires coming from the large ECM connector to remove the whole harness itself. Once it's removed it's easier to isolate and prune any wires that are no longer necessary, or unusable, based off the FSM wiring diagram.'

The issue I think I have with this is that once I've gone and selected all the cables I'd like to keep, I need somewhere to plug them into, likely the old Stock ECU, as the Sniper doesn't have (at least to my knowledge) accessory compatibility (such as AC, Indicator Lights, ABS, etc.)

The Sniper is an incredibly simple ECU in that it only has 4 necessary connections. Positive, negative, 12v Switched and RPM which it receives from their distributor. So I suppose my question is, where do I put the rest? I mean, I think I understand what you're saying when it comes to isolating the wires I intend to keep, but I'm simply not sure what to do with them once I have the isolated on the harness. Maybe I plug them back into the connector, and reconnect to the stock ECM to maintain functionality in those systems, while cutting down a significant amount of wiring? Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Ok, I'm not really explaining myself well. The "harness" you're talking about is not just an "ECM" harness... it's a huge harness that includes a bunch of other stuff, in addition to the ECM harness, that's all wrapped up into it. You're focusing on just what you're seeing at the ECM... which is a two big connectors that sit side by side - see this eBay auction: https://www.ebay.com/itm/126933372916?

But again... that's not it... the "entire harness" includes everything on the engine, in the engine bay, etc. You keep referring to it as an "ECM harness" but it's really an "engine harness."

Take a look at this L98 1990 5-Speed Corvette "engine" harness: https://www.ebay.com/itm/156563928317




I don't want to scare you... but this is a 5-Speed... which has at least one less connector than an automatic. In this tangled mess of wires... you've got everything from your A/C wires, to all the wires that power your gauges, etc. Not trying to be mean, but really want to emphasize that you're kind of under the impression that you can just swap out the ECM, and anything on the engine goes away. Everything in the engine bay is connected... just looking at this harness, I see several bulkhead connectors (which provide information to your gauge cluster, and everything else), I see A/C compressor wires, I see a power bulkhead connector, along with the power cables going back and forth to the alternator, all the sensors which power the gauges. Like for example... the oil temperature sensor. I know that on your engine, it probably has like 3 leads... one is ground, one goes to the gauge, and one goes to the ECM ... presumably, the one going to the ECM is probably to help with cold start and fuel compensation until the motor warms up (just a guess). On that one sensor... your ECM harness is now connected to the gauge harness, which is connected to the engine harness, which is connected to the bulkhead connector. So you can't just rip it all out, otherwise your gauges won't work. SO... in my example, you label everything as you take it off (using the factory service manual) and then remove the entire harness from the engine bay... and THEN you determine what wires you remove and which ones you don't ... you determine this by eliminating the wires from the original engine harness that are redundant to the new wiring harness that's included with your Holley kit.

All the other wires will go where they go... meaning, they still go through the bulk connector to your harness (oil temp sensor, oil pressure sensor, temperature sensor, etc.).

But I want to make a comment, I just looked up the Holley Sniper 2 EFI... IHBD is right... this is a kit that's made for a carburetor conversion. Man... if I could be honest with you, you absolutely do not want this kit. He's correct, it does not include timing... your engine is this one, right?

93r_engine_2.jpg (640×480)

The engine is already very well designed, and you're not going to be gaining any power by going with that system. If you are dead-set on replacing the ECM with a newer system, you really should consider something like the MegaSquirt, or even the FAST EZ-EFI 2.0, which does control ignition timing.

The Holley Sniper 2 EFI would be something I would get for my Olds 455 Big Block... not for an LT1 motor...

 

1. Got it, label as I go about removing things so that I'm aware of where they connect to afterwards, then once I've removed each connector and harness, I can go through with the FSM and determine what stays and what goes from the full Engine Harness.What I'm curious about is how to retain functionality of some of these things. Take the Air Conditioning for example. I assume I'll need to retain the stock ECM, unless there is another module in the vehicle which specifically controls the AC system. Same goes for ABS, etc. etc. I suppose that would be answered in my FSM.

2. Correct, that is the same engine I have. i haven't looked into the others, but what would you say is the difference? I mean, I simply went with the Holley Sniper because of its reported east of installation and other reviews. It looks (to me) that the FAST option is similar to the Holley, but without some of the ease of installation options like the PDM. The Megasquirt option seems like it still remains the Optispark, one thing I really would like not to do. What do you see about this that I'm not seeing that makes these so different?

 

THE HOLLEY SNIPER IS INTENDED TO REPLACE A CARBURETOR.

Does your car currently have a carburetor? If NO, the Sniper is NOT the correct equipment. You have to change the intake manifold to a 4BBl manifold. Ignition system. And most importantly, a whole bunch of stuff in your car isn't going to work any longer because it relies on information from the ECM and it's inputs such as throttle position, spark timing, fuel flow, and VSS for the speedo.

 

Even with the appropriate intake manifold conversion?

I'm basing most of my choices off of this forum post. It's a long one, but the user is considered a highly reputable certified tech.

https://www.digitalcorvettes.com/thr...native.297044/

 

I have a 1992. I'm well aware of the issues with the 92 and 93 ECM and Optispark distributor. I have addressed both of these issues in my car for less than $1,000 all-in. And I now have a reliable 1992 that I have and do drive cross country in confidence. My 92 has suffered no driveability issues for the past 20,000 miles and about 18 months. I travel in confidence.

> I installed a Petris Optispark. I don't even think about the opti any longer.
>It took some doing, and cost several hundred dollars, but I watched for and found an opportunity to purchase a second back-up ECM with CALPACK and PROM. I ran it in the car for a couple of thousand miles to verify that I could trust it. Now it is stowed in the cargo cubby along with a 10mm wrench which is the only tool required to change it. I no longer worry about the ECM either.

A lot less work, a lot less money, and I still have 100% functionality of ancillary systems. I haven't affected the resale value at all. Maybe even improved it.

 

We have had intensely different experiences. I've been to 4 mechanics, spent $3k in repairs, between mechanics installing, and me doing the work. I simply cannot fathom what I'll do if replacing the ECM doesn't work. In addition, I do not HAVE time to wait for a proper ECM to show up. I can send it off to SIA and have them repair the thing, but what good is that if I throw it back in and the car STILL doesn't work?

I've called to mechanics who specialize in corvettes, they're booked until SEPTEMBER in my area, and I cannot afford to wait that long with my car. I love this car, but it's my daily and I'm a broke college student.

 

To be fair... I'm not really in agreement with the decision he made. There are many other paths he could have gone down. It seems he had real issues, and just wanted something that drives and wasn't too concerned about performance.


Correct... so, taking Air Conditioning... in this case, it's likely not necessary that the NEW aftermarket ECM know or even cares that you have A/C. In the old ECM, it likely had a lead that let the ECM know that A/C was engaged (clutch) and then it made a couple of small changes to compensate for the additional load. The new ECM will probably learn to compensate when it sees "effective changes" that occur anyway, and it'll be almost indistinguishable. So, it's not really a big deal... but remember, again... you're still focused on the ECM and what the ECM does with respect to the harness. The harness has everything... it's part of the ECM harness, it's the "engine compartment harness." There are other wires that go from the dash to tell the A/C compressor clutch to engage... that wire is also going through the bulkhead and wrapped up with the harness that you're calling the "ECM harness." So there are a LOT of wires that will still go back and forth, that while independent of the ECM, are still wrapped up with the ECM's wiring harness.


I looked up what a PDM is, because that's not a common thing that most people do. It's a Power Distribution Module. I don't really see how that's really that helpful or useful for this application. The FAST EZ-EFI 2.0 does not really use a PDM, and doesn't need one. I don't think even in your configuration, you even need a PDM... and it's actually quite unnecessary.

Before I talk about the Fast EZ-EFI 2.0... let me explain the biggest problem here. You have the LT1 intake, runners, and configuration... which is relatively speaking, a highly sought-after design. It flows really well and is tuned for amazing mid-range power. You would effectively be replacing all of that with a somewhat generic "throttle body injection" configuration. I want to emphasize this so you understand... you'd be essentially installing a square bore TBI... which is not too different than what GM and Ford pickup trucks came with stock in the early 1980s. You'd be replacing a race-inspired high performance intake system, for a general use square-bore throttle body injection.

Now, the difference is that the EZ-EFI 2.0 system is designed specifically to upgrade older OBD1 style GM V8 engines with more modern engine management ... period. So, you keep your factory intake... keep the injectors, etc... and merely replace the computer and the engine harness. It connects to all the existing sensors on your motor with the actual GM connectors (that are already on the new harness) and you get a much more advanced "self-learning" engine. You can replace the OptiSpark with one of the many aftermarket replacement systems... you can even upgrade to DIS ignition... but you still need a cam and crank sensor.

Keep in mind, FAST also offers a "carb replacement" unit that does the same thing as the Holley Sniper EFI 2 system, but there's no reason why you'd want to use that... with the FAST EZ EFI 2.0, you can re-use all the (vastly superior) LT1 intake and hardware.


Does your car not run? I just wouldn't really be looking to this as an upgrade unless you had a real reason to. I'm upgrading my 87 Fiero SE / V6 with the FAST EZ EFI 2.0 system because I'm replacing the factory 2.8 with a modified 3.4 (9.7:1 compression pistons, ported cyl heads, etc...) and I want to be able to take advantage of the improved performance without having to go to a dyno or shop to have it dyno tuned. But if you have a stock running LT1 V8 that runs well... I would probably just leave it.

Wiring can be a really daunting thing if you're not very methodical about it. I actually believe rebuilding an engine is far easier than building a wiring harness for a modern engine.

 

Been there... I have... it sucks. A hobby car is not really a great car to have as your primary car when you're in college. I know you didn't ask... but I'd recommend you either ask your parents if you can keep it in their garage, and buy a corolla or something until you're out of college. I assume you don't have a garage to work in?

I've done just about everything in an apartment complex parking lot... so I do get it. But man... swapping out a complete engine control system, intake, TBI unit, and do all the wiring for an ECM in a semi-modern car is not something you can do in a weekend unless you cut corners or really, really know what you're doing.

Sucks to be in this situation, I know... but you're in for a world of hurt if this is what you want to do. Ugh... I hate to dissuade you, but man... this would not be something I would do. You'd be really downgrading your car.

 

The PDM is specifically included in the Holley Kit, which is meant to help keep things in order and easy to understand.

I understand, but to touch on a later point. My car is NOT running. Some history is in order here.

I bought the car in July of 24, it had 170000 miles on it. I take the car home and drive perfectly for the next few months. In around December the vehicle began to exhibit weird stalling behaviors. I chalked it up to me being new at a manual, and therefore I was to blame, but when it happened out of nowhere when driving, under accel, I took it to a mech. They ran diag for about 6 days trying to find the issue, trying to replicate the stall. No bueno. I come back up, take the car, and I can't even make it 5 miles down the road before it stalls on me again. Take it back to mechanic, rinse and repeat 3 WHOLE TIMES. Eventually they find what they believe to be the cause of the issue, a blown relay for the fan. They say the fans are burnt out and causing overheat. Cool, glad they finally found the 'issue'

1300 parts and labor, 300 diag... Woof, but at least my car is good... Right? I get there and the car wont even start. Nothing. Spark, no fuel. "Oh man, must be a bad fuel pump, we can do it for 2k." and as a broke college student, I can't abide by that price for parts that cost 4-500 in total on RockAuto (They were saying the parts alone were 12-1300).

I decide not to take my car there anymore, and after ages of cranking, waiting, cranking, waiting, the car starts up and I drive it home. This would continue for about a month while I saved up to take replace the Fuel Pump, etc. I do the work myself, verify on the schrader that its getting proper fuel pressure, and nada... Car still wont start. ****, I'm out another 500 and no results. By now the car will start, run, and stall, then will refuse to start for up to 2h...

Consult the forums, and take it to a mechanic for diag. "Could be any of the instruments bolted to the engine, like the ICM, Ignition Coil, TPS, and IAC. We can do it all for 3500" once again, don't have that on me, so I buy the parts myself and spend hours replacing those parts. Finally, after now being ~$2400 in the hole I just don't know what else to do.

I call around to some specialty corvette shops, they are booked up until September... This is my daily driver, I've been taking public transport to get to class and work for the last few months... Finally save up a few grand hoping that the next mechanic I take it too has some good news and its something silly and small. "Hey, give me a few more days but I think it's your ECM."

That was like the second worse thing I was expecting to hear, behind Opti. So I start researching my options, and I get to SIA, with him quoting me upwards of 2k to send it off to SIA, get it back, reinstall the PROM, etc. + 300 for diag work. 2300 for a reinstalled refurbished ECM... I can't accept that, especially if it doesn't fix the issue... Like everything else. So, here we are, I'm now trying to weigh my options, I'm in what feels like a no win situation and I'm at my limit with the car, but I love it, worked for 9 months to save for it, and haven't even had it that long...

 

You've spent thousands and it still doesn't run. You are not able to diagnose and repair your 177k mile 32 year old car yourself. Why would you spend 2 grand to a mechanic to R&R and send your ECM to SIA if you can do it yourself for $450? (And they don't charge $450 if they can't fix it, or if there is nothing wrong with it.) Spending upwards of 3k for a sniper to end up with a car with a bunch of stuff that doesn't work any more isn't the answer. Or makes sense.

You're a broke college student that is currently taking the bus to school.Take the proceeds from the sale and the savings from not doing a Sniper conversion and Sell it. Buy a suitable daily driver.