The Basics Of Your Car's Fuel Injection System
The Basics Of Your Car’s Fuel Injection System
Vehicles have gone through significant changes over the last few decades. Most of the changes have been for the better; cars are safer, more reliable, more efficient, and comfortable. One of those changes reflects how gas is delivered to the engine. Your father – and maybe your grandfather, too – drove vehicles that used carburetors. They were comparatively cheaper, easier to work on, and problems could often be resolved by popping the hood and getting your hands dirty.
Over 20 years ago, the federal government signed legislation that required vehicles to meet stricter emissions standards. That basically signaled the death knell of the carburetor. Automakers responded by eliminating them from their production lines. Today, they’ve been replaced by fuel injection systems. In this article, I’ll give you a quick overview of the parts that make up this system and how they contribute to your engine’s output.
Engine Controller
Older readers will already know that carburetors are mechanical by design. They rely on springs and rods to do their job. Fuel injection systems need to be managed by a computer, which is called the engine controller. Depending upon your driving habits and the circumstances in which you’re driving, the controller continuously monitors how much gas should be in the mixture used by your engine during combustion. As the dynamics of your environment change, the computer adjusts the mixture. Still with me? Let’s move to the sensors and injectors.
Sensors And Injectors
Long ago, computer engineers used to have a saying: “Garbage in, garbage out.” That’s also true about your car’s engine controller. It must have access to a reliable source of data. That’s the function of the sensors; they monitor the rpm level, oxygen levels, and more. Then, they send the information to the controller.
Now, remember that the controller makes adjustments to the air/gas mixture used during combustion. That’s important. The sensors of your fuel injection system note changes in the levels of gas or air, and sends the data to the controller. When the computer receives the data, it decides how much gas is necessary in the mixture for the current driving environment. Then, it directs the injectors to spray more or less (depending upon the circumstances) gas into the mix.
A Highly-Efficient System
So, which is better, electronic fuel injection (EFI) or the old-fashioned carburetor. In nearly every way possible, fuel injection is better. Because carburetors are mechanical, they lack the level of precision that an EFI can deliver. Remember, a computer is directing the entire show by receiving a constant stream of real-time data from the sensors. Then, the computer is directing the injectors to spray more or less gas. And everything happens nearly instantly.
There are people who prefer driving cars with carburetors. For most of us, however, an EFI represents far greater advantages, including increased performance and fuel efficiency.