Coyote Holley EFI Guide

Holley EFI runs a lot of the Coyote builds that come through our shop, and as a Platinum Holley Dealer we answer the same questions every week. Which system? Which harness? What happens to Ti-VCT? This page is the short version of those phone calls, with links to the exact parts and the free tools we use to get a car running right.

1. Ti-VCT or locked cams? Decide this first

Every other choice on this page follows this one.

Keeping the phasers: stock or mild cams on a street car usually keep Ti-VCT. The Terminator X Coyote kits handle it out of the box. On HP or Dominator you add the Holley Coyote Ti-VCT Control Module (554-145) and the Ti-VCT sub harness for your engine.

Locking the cams: bigger cams, stiffer valve springs and most boosted race engines run locked cams. Once the cams are locked with BPS VCT lockouts, you don't need the Ti-VCT controller at all, and the ECU only needs the bank 1 intake cam sensor for sync. Use our Cam Centerline Tool to pick where to lock them before the engine goes together.

2. Pick the ECU

Terminator X and Terminator X Max

Plug and play for 2011 to 2017 Coyotes with Ti-VCT. Setup is done through the wizard on the 3.5 inch handheld, no laptop required, and the fuel self learns from there. Holley's laptop software is free when you want to dig deeper. You pick the model year, which decides the coil connector (early coils on 2011 to 2015, late coils on 2015.5 to 2017), then the injector connector (EV1 or EV6). The X Max adds transmission control and is offered in 4R70W versions.

The MAP sensor is built into the ECU and reads 1 bar, so a boosted Coyote needs an external MAP sensor.

The Terminator X Coyote kits cover 2011 to 2017. Running a 2018 or newer Coyote? Call us before you order and we'll sort out the right setup.

Good fit for street cars, swaps, mild power adders and anyone who wants it running this weekend.

HP EFI

Full laptop tuning, more inputs and outputs, boost control and serious datalogging. Coyote HP kits come two ways:

• With Ti-VCT: 550-619 (2011 to 2012, Bosch O2), 550-619N (2011 to 2012, NTK O2) and 550-625N (2013 to 2015.5, NTK O2) include the ECU, the Ti-VCT controller, the harnesses and sensors.
• Locked cams: 550-628 (Bosch O2) and 550-628N (NTK O2) are the Ti-VCT capable kits, built around a cable driven throttle body. You get the ECU, power, main, coil and injector harnesses and sensors, but no Ti-VCT controller. Want Ti-VCT later? Add the 554-145 module, the 558-319 power harness and the sub harness for your engine.

Dominator EFI

For when HP runs out of inputs and outputs, or the car needs drive by wire, transmission control and a full race program. On the Holley side, the Coyote drive by wire harness (558-422) and the 4R70W/AODE transmission harness (558-470) are Dominator only. It plugs into the same Coyote main harnesses as HP. Our own Gump, a twin turbo Coyote Limited 28 car, ran a best of 4.05 at 183 mph on Holley EFI.

3. Building HP or Dominator from pieces

The easy way is a complete kit. Terminator X and the HP kits above ship with harnesses matched to the year and coils. Going piece by piece is where orders go wrong, so here's the full list:

• Shortcut for Ti-VCT: the Coyote Ti-VCT Harness Kit (558-510) bundles the Coyote main power harness, the 558-110 main harness, coil drivers and a USCAR injector harness. Add an HP or Dominator ECU, the 554-145 module and the 558-124 or 558-125 sub harness to complete the system.
• ECU: HP (554-113) or Dominator (554-114). An ECU bought on its own needs a main power harness: 558-308 for locked cams, or 558-319 when you run the 554-145 Ti-VCT module.
• Main harness: 558-110 for factory coils or 558-122 for Holley Smart Coils. Both run locked cams or Ti-VCT.
• Factory coils: a coil harness, 558-317 for early coils or 558-322 for 2015.5 to 2017 late coils, plus two four channel coil drivers (554-122 is the pair).
• Holley Smart Coils (556-161): the 558-312 smart coil ignition harness. No separate coil drivers.
• Injector harness: 558-212 for USCAR (EV6) injectors, or 558-213 for EV1 injectors.
• Ti-VCT: the 554-145 module, the 558-319 main power harness, and the sub harness, 558-124 for 2011 to 2012 or 558-125 for 2013 and up. The sub harness plugs into the VVT connector on the main harness. Locked cams? Leave that connector capped.
• MAP sensor: HP and Dominator need an external one. Holley suggests 538-13 on naturally aspirated engines, and boosted engines need a higher bar rating.
• Wideband: NTK (554-100) or Bosch (554-101). Holley recommends NTK for methanol, leaded fuel, forced induction and high exhaust temps.
• Swapped engine? Order by the coils and injectors on the engine, not the model year of the car it's going into.

Not sure what you need? Send us the engine year, coil style, injectors, Ti-VCT or locked cams, and your power adder, and we'll spec the full list.

4. Details that bite later

• Software ignition type: on HP and Dominator, set it to Ford Coyote locked cams (Non-Ti-VCT) or Ford Coyote W/ Ti-VCT to match the engine. Terminator X handles it in the setup wizard.
• Transbrake: if an ECU input is wired to the transbrake solenoid, run the Transbrake Input Protection Module (554-128). Without it the release spike damages the ECU input over time.
• Buying a used HP or Dominator? Holley recommends hardware rev L2 or newer for Ford applications. The rev is printed under the barcode on the back of the ECU.
• Ignition capacitors: keep the factory Ford capacitors on the heads. Holley recommends them for a robust install.

5. Get a solid base tune

These are free on our site and built around Coyote and Holley EFI:

• Cam Centerline Tool: set intake and exhaust centerlines for your cam and power adder and watch valve events update live.
• IEA Tool: builds injector end angle tables from your cam and fuel system, ready for Holley EFI.
• VE Table Generator: a starting VE table from engine geometry, head flow and cam events.
• Datalog Analyzer: upload a Holley log and get automatic analysis of boost control, AFR, pressures and temperatures.
• Holley Dash Designer: custom layouts for the 12.3 and 6.86 inch Pro Dash and the 7 inch Digital Dash.

And for the laptop: the Holley EFI Quick Keys decal puts every keyboard shortcut worth knowing in one place.

Parts that go with it

Feeding it: see our BPS fuel rails. Everything else Holley is in the Holley collection.

Want us to handle it?

We do in person Holley EFI calibration, datalog reviews and complete custom Holley packages for Coyote and Modular engines. See Holley EFI Systems or call us toll free at 1-855-260-7007.