EFI Fuel Systems: A 10-Part Educational Series

Whether you’re building a high-horsepower street car, tuning a track machine, or upgrading your classic with modern reliability, a well-designed EFI fuel system is essential.

This comprehensive 10-part guide walks you through every stage of EFI fuel delivery—from the basics of system components and fuel pump types to advanced control methods like pulse width modulation (PWM), plus practical topics like filters, modules, corner pickups, and transfer lines.

Backed by proven strategies and real-world testing, each section gives you the knowledge to design, install, and maintain a fuel system that delivers consistent performance, long-term reliability, and maximum efficiency.

  • Part 1: Fuel Delivery 101

    The article explains how fuel delivery has evolved from simple carburetor systems to modern high-pressure EFI setups, detailing their components, differences in return system designs, and the importance of maintaining consistent fuel pressure—especially under low-fuel, high-demand driving conditions—to ensure reliable engine performance.

    Fuel Delivery 101

  • Part 2: Basics of EFI Systems

    The article outlines the fundamentals of modern EFI fuel systems, explaining how increasing horsepower demands require more powerful yet efficient setups, and how variable-speed, pulse-width-modulated fuel pump control allows large pumps to deliver only the necessary fuel—reducing heat, improving reliability, and maintaining everyday drivability.

    Basics of EFI Systems

  • Part 3: Fuel Pumps

    The article explains the types, designs, and best practices for electric fuel pumps in modern EFI systems—covering in-tank, in-line, sump, and surge tank setups—while emphasizing the importance of proper fuel supply for pump longevity, matching pump size to engine needs, and using PWM control to manage heat, improve efficiency, and allow future power upgrades.

    Fuel Pumps

  • Part 4: Fuel Pressure Regulators

    The article explains how fuel pressure regulators—whether manifold-referenced or constant pressure—control injector fuel pressure in EFI systems, compares their advantages and limitations, covers popular options like the C5 Corvette Fuel Filter Regulator, and details safety overpressure measures to prevent performance and starting issues in modern returnless systems.

    Fuel Pressure Regulators

  • Part 5: Fuel Filters

    The article explains the role of fuel filters in protecting pumps and injectors, detailing the use of coarse pre-filters (100 micron) before the pump and fine post-filters (10 micron) before the fuel rail, noting that many modern vehicles integrate long-lasting, non-serviceable filters into the fuel module, and warning against built-in check valves in returnless systems without a proper overpressure regulator.

    Fuel Filters

  • Part 6: Fuel Modules

    The article details how modern OEM-style fuel modules integrate pumping, filtering, pressure regulation, and surge control into a single unit—using features like built-in reservoirs, jet pumps, and OEM sealing—to deliver reliable fuel supply even at very low tank levels, outlining their performance capabilities, installation requirements, and advantages over traditional multi-component fuel systems.

    Fuel Modules

  • Part 7: Mechanical Systems

    The article explains how to use a modern fuel module with an internal mechanical regulator—specifically adapting a 5th-gen Camaro module with a 4th-gen LS1 regulator—to create a simple, reliable system capable of supporting about 600hp naturally aspirated, outlining required components, safety considerations, and the setup’s advantages and limitations.

    Fuel Modules

  • Part 8: How do Pwm's Work?

    The article explains how OEMs use Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) with fuel pressure feedback to vary pump speed, minimizing heat, extending pump life, and improving reliability, and details how VaporWorx’s PWM systems adapt this approach for high-performance builds—simplifying plumbing, reducing electrical load, and allowing large pumps to operate efficiently in a true returnless configuration.

    How Pulse Width Modulation Works

  • Part 9: Vaporworx PWM COntrollers

    The article describes VaporWorx’s PWM fuel pump speed control systems, explaining how they use fuel pressure (and optionally MAP) sensor feedback to adjust pump duty cycle for precise, efficient fuel delivery, and outlining available controller types for OEM fuel modules and aftermarket pumps, their installation basics, and advantages like reduced heat, longer pump life, lower electrical load, and simplified returnless plumbing.

    PWM Controllers

  • Part 10: Corner Pickups & Fuel Transfer Lines

    The article explains how VaporWorx uses corner pickups connected to a fuel module’s transfer pump system to maintain fuel delivery even with less than one gallon in the tank, detailing their self-closing mesh-screen valve design, assembly with flexible tubing and clamps, and connection to the module reservoir for improved low-fuel performance.

    Corner Pickups & Fuel Transfer Lines