I must disagree with the half-donkey. It was an iterative step. It was better than a carburetor but not as good as MPFI. Most technologies go through steps. Ignitions went from distributors with points and condensers to HEI to coil packs. Does that make HEI a half donkey technology? Not at all. Now, MC solenoids on carburetors were half donkey.
TBI was a temporary solution to government regulations that threatened to put the auto manufacturers at an extreme disadvantage when totally unrealistic emissions and fuel economy standards got mandated by bureaucrats with no understanding whatsoever about engine and fuel system design. At best, those systems gave the manufacturers a little breathing room while they developed reliable sequential port injection systems and the computer controls to make them work. They were neither good carburetors, or fuel injection systems- - - - -just a "half-donkey" combination of both. I just happened to be getting started in the automotive education business about that time, and the factory schools I attended to be able to teach entry level skills to beginners in the auto repair trade gave me a pretty good insight into just how primitive TBI was- - - - -and it didn't get much better with age.
Jerry
