Engine and Transmission Tech

Just an empty canvas for you guys to fill. I noticed Art was talking about the extremely lean AFRs of direct injection engines. Personally I know next to nothing about those engines but I'd welcome some information on them. Do they have a place in our future? How long will we have to wait? And how much will it cost?

Jim

Jim, I got my "headache" from reading Road and Track ? Many of the oem's are using this technology currently. Chevy "Traverse V6", has been in production several years. Sounds like, for now, one would definately need the oem. computer ? GM di. crate motors soon ? I suspect ebay and wreckers have some of these ? Why stop there, why not a variable displacement hemi ? Onward, roverman.

Why stop there, indeed, Art.
Back in 2000, International Trucks engine division introduced "camless diesel" engine technology that used electronics and hydraulics to actuate the valves (no cam and no pushrods). Imagine infinite adjustment of lift and duration for emissions/power/fuel economy.....not sure if it ever made it to production though

How about Ford's all aluminum DOHC Duratech Direct Injection Eco-Boost Twin turbo V6. Last years technology though and could use a shorter name.

I was reading an article in a doctors office car magazine a few month ago about Mercedes working on electric valves, sort of like solenoids. It was talking about how much smaller the heads could be without losing power. Im all for smaller engines, as my engine bay is about the size of a metric shoebox.

Robie, aren't all shoeboxes a "foot" long ? Reportedly, the next big thing is laser ignition of fuel. I think this might work for an opposed piston, headless motor. Odds are, I'll run out of time before I would get to build it, lol. roverman.

From what I’ve read, direct injection engines respond to boost better than any other configuration. There are supposed to be no mixing or atomization issues. I assume that once you apply enough boost to max out the available pressure and duty cycle of the stock injectors, you could install larger capacity injectors to accept even more boost. The logical next step would then be to start adding multiple injectors per cylinder. Lord help the bottom end on these engines.

anyone remember Dick Tracey's magnet coupe?.......

Direct injection gasoline engines were invented in the 1930's and were (of course) all mechanical then. The combustion is somewhat like a diesel engine in that the fuel is not mixed with the air before it enters the cylinder. This means the fuel can burn at a very lean overall air/fuel ratio beacuse the local air/fuel ratio (where the fuel is) is still at a high enough concentration to burn. It is much like a gasoline fire in an open container, it will burn locally but would not if it were dispersed through the whole atmosphere. Anorther advantage of direct injection is that higher compression is possible because only air is present during the compression stroke, the fuel is not added until it needs to burn, so preignition problems are reduced. With direct injection now widely available, I would avoid buying a new car with conventional injection. The advantages of direct injection are significant.

GM has several vehicles with gasoline direct injection, they seem to be very reliable and run quite well. About the only thing we've had to repair relating to the direct injection, is a couple of mechanical high pressure pumps and even those have been few and far in between.
Definately the wave of the future.

Bill

Is anybody making them in a V8 configuration?

Jim

Jim

Not sure about the other manufactures, at this time GM just has them in 4 cyl and V6 configurations.

Bill



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2012 09:24AM by MG four six eight.

Apparently the UR Toyota engine, introduced to replace the UZ series in 2007 has D4-S direct injection according to Wikipedia. Also Audi and Mercedes have direct injection V8s, and GM has one in development. I did a quick google search.

I think all the new Ford aluminum DOHC engines are direct injection, the 4,6 and 8.

As i recall, Ford is waiting to introduce direct injection on their new engines so it can be advertised as an upgrade later once the newness has worn off.

So would you say that, as usual the domestics are behind the curve?

Jim

Jim and clan, I suspect most oem's hold back implementation of technology/secrects, from their vaults. I liken this to a hi-stakes poker game,(don't show your ace till you must). This equals skilled marketing ? Maybe like release dates for big sceen movies. I thought GM was among first to market direct injected gas engines here ? Onward, roverman.

Well, like it or not, it seems to me that the Japanese have a superior business model. Domestic attempts to follow suit amount to little more than sleight-of-hand and trickery to get compliance documentation from regulatory and quality agencies (Kaizan, KanBan and the like) I've been there and seen it first hand, and been right in the middle of it, and seen the very same supplier company bending over backwards to meet import demands while assembling the most slip shod products for the domestics imaginable and doing nothing but making excuses. It's not strategy, it's the way we do business. It is an inferior method and that shows, primarily in NOT being the market leader. And if your not the leader the view is always the same. Cut corners to cut cost and try (ineffectively) to compete on the basis of cost. It's a downward spiral that never ends well.

Jim

The eco boost engines have direct injection, not the 5.0.

Direct injection became popular in Germany first. GM adopted it here because they use Opel technology in their cars (only trucks are actually designed in the US). The Japanese have been even slower than the US manufacturers to adopt direct injection. Other European countries (besides Germany) build almost nothing other than diesel cars which are even more economical than direct injection gasoline cars. For example, it is not well known, but the "Smart" car is diesel everywhere except in the US. Although most German cars are diesel, Germany still has a market for high powered gasoline cars and that is probably why direct inject took off there. Asia seems to build cars specifically for the US market or for Europe. For the US, technology does not sell, especially in the sedan market which may be why these manufacturers have been slow to adopt direct injection. Let’s face it, I do not think the average Camay buyer would have any interest or understanding at all in direct injection; I bet most of them have no idea even how many cylinders the engine has (or even what a cylinder is). So why spend the money to add a feature that will not increase market appeal. For Europe, the Asians sell diesel cars almost exclusively. I know that Toyota also makes their cars more European in trim for the Europeans and this may even extend to chassis tuning. But these cars are diesel so there is no need to add direct injection gasoline engines…