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Guide To Your Vehicle’s Fuel Injection System
10th February 2010
Guide To Your Vehicle’s Fuel Injection System
In 1990, the last model to roll out of the factory with a carburetor installed was the Subaru Justy. Since then, all cars have been designed with fuel injection systems (FIS). While carburetors were an impressive piece of machinery, they could not keep pace with the rapid evolution of automotive engines. Moreover, as emission standards rose, catalytic converters were installed into vehicles to reduce the harmful gases present in the exhaust. Because catalytic converters require a precise air-fuel mixture in order to do their job, the carburetor’s days were numbered.
Today, fuel injection systems carefully control the amount of gasoline that enters the combustion chamber of each cylinder. Below, you’ll learn how your vehicle’s FIS works and the process by which fuel is metered and controlled.
Basics Behind The System’s Operation
When you press down on your accelerator, a throttle valve opens and allows air to flow in toward the cylinders. Your vehicle’s computer (called the engine control unit, or ECU) takes note of the open throttle valve and sends fuel toward the injectors. This happens almost instantly to ensure the right air-fuel blend ends up inside the combustion chambers.
Each injector is a valve that opens to allow gasoline to shoot directly through the intake valve into its corresponding combustion chamber. It opens and closes quickly based on instructions received from the ECU. When the fuel flows through the injector, it comes out as a mist in order to burn more cleanly. The amount of fuel sent into the chamber is regulated by the amount of time the valve remains open. This period is called the pulse width.
How The Amount Of Gasoline Is Metered
Because the ECU is responsible for sending pulse width directions to the injectors, it must have a way to monitor the amount of fuel needed for specific driving conditions. It uses data from several sensors.
Oxygen sensors monitor the level of oxygen present in the exhaust coming from the combustion chambers. This data helps the engine control unit to identify a too-lean or too-rich mix and make the appropriate adjustments. An engine speed sensor is used by the ECU to regulate the injectors’ pulse width. A mass airflow sensor sends data to the ECU regarding the amount of air coming into the engine.
Other sensors monitor the throttle position, voltage level, operating temperature, and how much pressure exists in the intake manifold. All of this data is used to carefully meter the amount of fuel that flows through the injectors.
Your fuel injection system can develop a number of problems that will affect your engine’s performance. For example, your injectors can clog. Or, one or more sensors might fail, leading to a too-lean or too-rich air-fuel mix. These issues (and others) can cause a hard start, misfire, hesitation, or stall. If you notice any of these problems, visit a repair shop to have your car’s fuel injection system tested. Otherwise, you might eventually find yourself stranded at the side of the road.
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The long and storied history of Jeep
1st October 2008
It is a fact of life that many every day things that we now take for granted were originally developed for military use including such things as satellite navigation without which where would we be? Who knows how to navigate with a map and compass these days!
My parents have recently moved to a smaller house and regrettably have realised that a lot of the junk that was residing in their loft actually belongs to me. Quite cleverly under the guise of a luncheon invitation I was invited around for one of my Mother’s delicious Sunday roast dinners only to be confronted with a large pile of my old belongings to sort through. Most of the stuff I had long since forgotten about and I was beginning to get bored looking at loads of naff 80′s and 90′s items (with the possible exception of a Baywatch calendar, well I was a big fan of the Hoff!) Suddenly though I found a box of toy cars from my childhood days. This was more like it, there was a treasure trove of model cars from the past including a De Tomaso Pantera and a Ferrari 512 BB. Then all of a sudden there it was! My old military Jeep, looking slightly battered with the spare wheel missing, for which I blame my sister in committing an act of retribution for me once beheading one of her Barbie dolls.
It was amazing though sitting there with all those childhood memories coming back to me as I looked at my old Jeep. I hadn’t seen it for nearly thirty years but as I held this old bit of greyish metal in my hand it was as if it was only yesterday I was winning the war in Europe (in the back garden of my parent’s house of course).
Many years later I had an experience with a Jeep that I would rather forget. I was camping with some friends and we were all slightly the worse for wear the next morning after a long night of making merry, when someone thought it would be highly amusing to start up their V8 Jeep right next to the tent where I was sleeping off a hangover. The result was somewhat deafening as the flimsy bit of canvas did little to insulate the roar of this thing which was effectively about an inch away from my head. I must admit I found it far from amusing and after this rude awakening emerged from my tent uttering a few choice words. It succeeded in making everyone else laugh and to this day “The Jeep Story” evokes thoughts of happy days.
Jon Barlow has a nostalgic look back at Jeep a brand with a long proud history that lives on today, for more information contact your Jeep Dealer.
You can also further your research by learning about car parts recyling.
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