sequential fuel injection is a type of multi-port fuel injection system in which each injection valve will open just

before the cylinder intake valve opens. So in essence, the individual injectors work by themselves because they are fired individually. Other multi-port systems will fire all the injectors in groups no matter if the cylinder is ready or not. While sequential variable fuel injection has many benefits, direct injection is quickly becoming the system of choice and is replacing the SEFI systems. Advantages The main advantage of a sequential system is that the entire system has a fast response time when the driver makes a quick change. More or less fuel can be released when the next intake valve opens. For systems that do not use sequential fuel injection it will be necessary for the entire engine to complete a revolution before the fuel to air ratio can be altered. This type of injection also produces much lower emissions and provides even better fuel economy. Because the fuel is altered for each cylinder, you can potentially get the best performance out of the engine that is possible. The throttle response is immediate, which allows for very rapid changes in the fuel to air mixture. Because fuel is used more economically, the emissions released are lower. This is very important where vehicles are being produced to meet stricter emissions. Disadvantages Because there is a single injector for each cylinder, the larger the engine the more expensive the system. A V6 engine will need 6 injectors and a V8 would need 8 injectors. Sequential systems are also more expensive because they require an additional wiring harness that is used to ensure that the injectors pulse sequentially. The electronic control is more complicated and requires additional equipment to run properly. Because the system is more complicated it is very difficult to install and most drivers will require professional installation. This in turn also increases the cost of the system. When to Use SEFI Fuel injection systems are very common today. However, a sequential system is not the most common. For those that are looking for very fast handling response and the ultimate in performance, a sequential system is the best option. Almost all cars are sold with fuel injection, but to increase performance there are aftermarket systems available. While carburetors really are best for adding more horsepower, the SEFI systems require much less maintenance, are very reliable, make driving easy, and reduce noise and emissions. Aftermarket System Many drivers look to upgrade to aftermarket sequential systems because the stock systems are quite limited and the tuning software used is very inexpensive. An aftermarket system can supply real time tuning, particularly if the manufacturer has yet to make a tuning software program for your engine (not all engines have their own programs). Expect to find a computer, tuning software, wiring harness, sensors and cable for computer interface in an aftermarket kit. If you are planning to replace the entire multi-port system, then expect to pay about $4,000 depending on the make and model of the vehicle.

How Car Computers Work

Each year, cars seem to get more and more complicated. Cars today might have as many as 50 microprocessors on them. Although these microprocessors make it more difficult for you to work on your own car, some of them actually make your car easier to service. Some of the reasons for this increase in the number of microprocessors are:

The need for sophisticated engine controls to meet emissions and fuel-economy standards Advanced diagnostics Simplification of the manufacture and design of cars Reduction of the amount of wiring in cars New safety features New comfort and convenience features

In this article, we'll take a look at how each of these factors has influenced the design of your car.

Each year, cars seem to get more and more complicated. Cars today might have as many as 50 microprocessors on them. Although these microprocessors make it more difficult for you to work on your own car, some of them actually make your car easier to service. Some of the reasons for this increase in the number of microprocessors are: The need for sophisticated engine controls to meet emissions and fuel-economy standards Advanced diagnostics Simplification of the manufacture and design of cars Reduction of the amount of wiring in cars New safety features New comfort and convenience features In this article, we'll take a look at how each of these factors has influenced the design of your car.

The computer from a Ford Ranger

Sophisticated Engine Controls

Before emissions laws were enacted, it was possible to build acar engine withoutmicroprocessors. With the enactment of increasingly stricter emissions laws, sophisticated control schemes were needed to regulate the air/fuel mixture so that the catalytic converter could remove a lot of the pollution from the exhaust. (See How Catalytic Converters Work for more details.) Controlling the engine is the most processor-intensive job on your car, and the engine control unit(ECU) is the most powerful computer on most cars. The ECU uses closed-loop control, a control scheme that monitors outputs of a system to control the inputs to a system, managing the emissions and fuel economy of the engine (as well as a host of other parameters). Gathering data from dozens of different sensors, the ECU knows everything from the coolant temperature to the amount of oxygen in the exhaust. With this data, it performs millions of calculations each second, including looking up values in tables, calculating the results of long equations to decide on the best spark timing and determining how long the fuel injector is open. The ECU does all of this to ensure the lowest emissions and best mileage. See How Fuel Injection Systems Work for a lot more detail on what the ECU does.

The pins on this connecter interface with sensors and control devices all over the car.

A modern ECU might contain a 32-bit, 40-MHz processor. This may not sound fast compared to the 500to 1,000-MHz processor you probably have in your PC, but remember that the processor in your car is running much more efficient code than the one in your PC. The code in an average ECU takes up less than 1 megabyte(MB) of memory. By comparison, you probably have at least 2 gigabytes (GB) of programs on your computer -- that's 2,000 times the amount in an ECU.

ECU Components
The processor is packaged in a module with hundreds of other components on a multi-layer circuit board. Some of the other components in the ECU that support the processor are: Analog-to-digital converters - These devices read the outputs of some of the sensors in the car, such as the oxygen sensor. The output of an oxygen sensor is an analog voltage, usually between 0 and 1.1 volts (V). The processor only understands digital numbers, so the analog-to-digital converter changes this voltage into a 10-bit digital number. High-level digital outputs - On many modern cars, the ECU fires the spark plugs, opens and closes thefuel injectors and turns the cooling fan on and off. All of these tasks require digital outputs. A digital output is either on or off -- there is no in-between. For instance, an output for controlling the cooling fan might provide 12 V and 0.5 amps to the fan relay when it is on, and 0 V when it is off. The digital output itself is like a relay. The tiny amount of power that the processor can output energizes the transistor in the digital output, allowing it to supply a much larger amount of power to the cooling fan relay, which in turn provides a still larger amount of power to the cooling fan. Digital-to-analog converters - Sometimes the ECU has to provide an analog voltage output to drive some engine components. Since the processor on the ECU is a digital device, it needs a component that can convert the digital number into an analog voltage. Signal conditioners - Sometimes the inputs or outputs need to be adjusted before they are read. For instance, the analog-to-digital converter that reads the voltage from the oxygen sensor might be set up to read a 0- to 5-V signal, but the oxygen sensor outputs a 0- to 1.1-V signal. A signal conditioner is a circuit that adjusts the level of the signals coming in or out. For instance, if we applied a signal conditioner that multiplied the voltage coming from the oxygen sensor by 4, we'd get a 0- to 4.4-V signal, which would allow the analog-to-digital converter to read the voltage more accurately (see How Analog and Digital Recording Works for more details).

Communication chips - These chips implement the various communications standards that are used on cars. There are several standards used, but the one that is starting to dominate in-car communications is called CAN (controller-area networking). This communication standard allows for communication speeds of up to 500 kilobits per second (Kbps). That's a lot faster than older standards. This speed is becoming necessary because some modules communicate data onto the bus hundreds of times per second. The CAN bus communicates using two wires. In the next section, we'll take a look at how communication standards have made designing and building cars easier.

The diagnostic port from a Toyota minivan

Advanced Diagnostics
Another benefit of having a communications bus is that each module can communicate faults to a central module, which stores the faults and can communicate them to an off-board diagnostic tool. This can make it easier for technicians to diagnose problems with the car, especially intermittent problems, which are notorious for disappearing as soon as you bring the car in for repairs. BATauto.com: Technical Info Pages lists the fault codes stored in the ECU for various carmakers. Sometimes, the codes can be accessed without a diagnostic tool. For instance, on some cars, by jumping two of the pins in the diagnostic connecter and then turning the ignition key to run, the "check engine" light will flash a certain pattern to indicate the number of the fault code stored in the ECU.

Fuel System

As we increase the tuning potential of the engine, the fuel system becomes more strained due to the ever increasing need to increase power. By upgrading the various fuel system components it is possible to keep in check the various demands while also ensuring engine reliability, which becomes more of a problem as the engine is upgraded from original specifications. The fuel system is originally designed with making different constraints and pre-defined criteria in a aid to achieve the following: engine power,fuel efficiency, emissions levels, reliability, drivability under different throttle requirements, maintenance intervals,diagnostic abilities and engine tuning. We will be covering the following components in this section:

Fuel Injectors Fuel Injector Pump Fuel Filter Fuel Tank

Fuel Injectors

The fuel injectors are driven by the fuel pump and their job is to spray a fuel and air mixture into the combustion chamber, ready to be ignited to produce power to the driven wheels. The fuel injectors are basically a nozzle, with a valve attached, the nozzle creates a spray of fuel and air droplets (atomisation). This can be viewed similar to that of a perfume dispenser, spraying a fine mist. The valves in the system are controlled by the EFI (electronic fuel injection system) which is governed by the the ECU (electronic computer unit). The whole system uses a multitude of different sensors around the engine to precisely adjust the required air to fuel mixture. This increases engine efficiency compared to older technologies like carburetors, which relied on the air to fuel mixture being sucked into the intake manifold.

The whole fuel system delivers the petrol or diesel from the fuel tanks into the combustion chamber, with a pre defined mixed air to fuel ratio as discussed. As we upgrade other components of the engine,It's ability to remain being efficient at converting this mixture into power also decreases as standard fuel injectors always have a flow rate limit design for their original specifications. As the needs of the engine increase and power gains are obtained, larger fuel injectors to deliver more fuel flow rates are required once the engine has reached a certain level of tune. Otherwise there is a risk of the engine running lean, which could lead to damage or unreliable characteristic during high throttle load periods.

Fuel Pump

The fuel pump is used to pump the fuel from the fuel tank, into the fuel injectors, which spray the fuel into the combustion chamber. There are two types, mechanical fuel pumps (used in carburetors) and electronic fuel pumps (used in electronic fuel injection).

Mechanical fuel pumps: these are driven normally by auxiliary belts or chains from the engine. Electronic fuel pumps: controlled by the electronic fuel injection system, these are normally more reliable and have less reliability issues then their mechanical counterparts.

Fuel Filter

The fuel filter has the job of making sure no contaminants enter the fuel pump, fuel lines or fuel injectors. Rust, dirt and paint can be present in the fuel tank and will cause premature wear or damage to the vital parts of the fuel system, also can impact the engines efficiency to make power. By having a fuel filter in place, we eliminate that problem, so it is vital to keep your maintenance schedule up to date. Clogged filters with have a marked effect on performance forcing the engine to run lean.The filter itself is normally a inline cylinder, with a paper filter present and all fuel from the fuel tank is forced to pass through it. There are reusable filters which need cleaning before

refitting, or replacement components. Great care needs to be taken when working on the fuel systems.

Fuel Tank

Unlike the dramatic explosions in the movies, the main aim of the fuel tank is to protect the occupants in the event of a accident from such events. They can be constructed from metal or high density polyethylene plastics and are designed not only to hold large enough volumes of fuel, but resist leakages and vapour escaping from the system. Normally located at the rear of the vehicle to minimise the risk of the fuel igniting under front end collisions, the system is closed except access through the filler cap.The system normally will have a gauge sensor located, feeding the information to the driver behind the wheel, also with normally a 30 mile reserve warning light indicating low fuel levels depending on the fuel tank size.

Fuel System Components

What It Does
The fuel and engine management system supplies the proper mixture of air and gasoline to the engine while reducing harmful fuel vapor and exhaust pollutants.

Did You Know?

According to the Car Care Council, a little preventive maintenance can save you from unnecessary fuel costs. For example:

 If your engine needs a tune-up, it could be wasting about 15% or more of its fuel If the tires are just eight PSI under-inflated, the rolling resistance can run you several dollars a month A stuck thermostat reduces engine efficiency by another 7%, leading to several dollars a month in unnecessary expenditures Wheels that are just one-quarter inch (one centimeter) out of alignment will waste fuel as well

Together, these unnecessary fuel costs can total hundreds of dollars a year. Clearly, a little preventive maintenance not only save you money in the long run, but it helps extend vehicle life and increase vehicle safety.

1 Mechanical Fuel Pump

FUNCTION:
Function: Mounted to the engine, mechanical fuel pumps use a diaphragm system to transfer fuel from the fuel tank to the carburetor.

SIGNS OF WEAR:
Sluggish starting or inability to start engine, rough-running engine, stalling, reduced fuel economy.

2 Carburator
FUNCTION:
Delivers fuel into the engine's cylinders.

SIGNS OF WEAR:
Sluggish starting or inability to star engine, rough-running engine, stalling, reduced fuel economy.

3 Fuel Sender Unit

FUNCTION:
Monitors fuel levels and transmits the information to the fuel gauge.

SIGNS OF WEAR:
Inaccurate fuel gauge reading.

4 Fuel Injector
FUNCTION:
Sprays fuel into the engine's intake manifold or cylinders.

SIGNS OF WEAR:
Sluggish engine performance, poor acceleration, emission non-compliance.

5 Mass Air Flow Sensor

FUNCTION:
Measures the amount of air entering the engine to determine the most efficient air/fuel mixture for achieving clean burns.

SIGNS OF WEAR:
Engine hesitation, stalling, decline in engine performance, "Service Engine Soon" light illuminates.

6 Idle Air Control/Linear Flow Valve

FUNCTION:
Controls the amount of air that bypasses the throttle plate in order to regulate the idle engine speed.

SIGNS OF WEAR:
Signs of Wear: Irregular idle, stalling.

7 Throttle Position Sensor

FUNCTION:
Electronically informs the PCM of the throttle's angle. The PCM uses this input to regulate the fuel and ignition system.

SIGNS OF WEAR:
"Service Engine Soon" light illuminates, poor engine performance.

8 Fuel Pressure Regulator

FUNCTION:
Controls the fuel pressure going to the fuel injectors.

SIGNS OF WEAR:
Engine knock, lack of power, engine smoke, increased exhaust emissions, poor fuel economy.

9 Modular Fuel Pump

(includes Sender)
FUNCTION:
Located inside the fuel tank, the fuel pump delivers fuel from the tank to the fuel injectors or carburetor while the sender monitors fuel levels and transmits the information to the fuel gauge.

SIGNS OF WEAR:
Difficult engine starting, slow acceleration qualities, intermittent power loss, inaccurate fuel gauge reading (Sender).

10 Fuel Strainer
FUNCTION:
Prevents larger contaminants inside the fuel take from entering the fuel line.

SIGNS OF WEAR:
Poor acceleration, low power..

11 In-Line Fuel Pump

FUNCTION:
Located in the fuel line, an in-line fuel pump transfers fuel from the fuel tank to the fuel injectors or carburetor.

SIGNS OF WEAR:
Poor engine starting characteristics, slow response when accelerating, intermittent power loss, excessive noise and vibration while driving.

Why is it so hard to start a car in the winter?

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Car Safety Image Gallery

All that snow can freeze up your engine. Luckily, there are ways to protect your car. See more car safety pictures. Stockbyte/Getty Images

CAR CARE

Car Engine Quiz 10 Car Winterizing Tips How to Prepare Your Car for Winter

The whole "starting your car in cold weather" thing can be a big problem for people who live up north, and especially for people who live in really cold places like Alaska. There are three reasons why cars are hard to start when it is cold. Reason 1 - Gasoline, like any other liquid, evaporates less when it is cold. You have seen this -- if you pour water onto a hot sidewalk it will evaporate a lot faster than it will from a cooler place like a shady sidewalk. When it gets really cold, gasoline evaporates slowly so it is harder to burn it (the gasoline must be vaporized to burn). Sometimes you will see people spray ether into their engines in cold weather to help them start -- ether evaporates better than gasoline in cold weather.

Reason 2 - Oil gets a lot thicker in cold weather. You probably know that cold pancake syrup or honey from the refrigerator is a lot thicker than hot syrup or honey. Oil does the same thing. So when you try to start a cold engine, the engine has to push around the cold, gooey oil and that makes it harder for the engine to spin. In really cold places people must use synthetic motor oils because these oils stay liquid in cold temperatures. Reason 3 - Batteries have problems in cold weather, too. A battery is a can full of chemicals that produce electrons (see How Batteries Work for more information). The chemical reactions inside of batteries take place more slowly when the battery is cold, so the battery produces fewer electrons. The starter motor therefore has less energy to work with when it tries to start the engine, and this causes the engine to crank slowly. All three of these problems can make it impossible to start an engine in really cold weather. People either keep their cars in heated garages or use "block heaters" to get around these problems. A block heater is a little electric heater that you plug into the wall to keep the engine warm.

"While this may seem counterintuitive, a warm engine emits significantly fewer unburned hydrocarbons during the first accelerations," GM said in the release promoting its remote starters for cars, SUVs and pickups.
Warm-car fact
A car driven in 14-degree weather for 12 minutes will reach the same operating temperature as one that idles for 30 minutes, according to a study by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

"That's because the catalyst that traps the unburned hydrocarbons only activates once the engine is warm," the automaker notes. Not everyone agrees that letting a car idle in the driveway is a good practice, even on a cold day. Idling will not help emission-control systems reach operating temperatures, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. "Modern vehicles need little warm-up. Idling for long periods in cold weather can actually cause excessive engine wear," the EPA notes in a report. And idling is a source of pollution that governments are looking to reduce because of airborne particulates and smog, says Jennifer Feyerherm, director of the Sierra Club's Wisconsin Clean Energy Campaign. "Cars run more efficiently when they are being driven rather than idling," Feyerherm says. Technically, you can get in your vehicle and drive without a warm-up even on the coldest day. The electronic fuel systems and lubricants in newer cars can handle low temperatures, says Ken Kempfer, an

automotive technology instructor at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wis. A car will warm up quicker when it's driven, says Joe Bruzek, an editor at Cars.com, a Web site for car enthusiasts. Drive gently the first few minutes in the cold, but a minute or two is enough of a warm-up, according to Bruzek. "Letting your car idle in the driveway for 10 minutes is more about getting into a warm, toasty vehicle after drinking your coffee in the living room," he says.

Technically, you can drive without a warm-up even on the coldest day.

There are merits to running your car's engine some before driving in the bitter cold -- especially if it helps clear frost off the windows. "I would want to warm up my car a little bit before I put my baby in it," Feyerherm says. A car's lubricants and fluids are sluggish in the cold, says Gary Klopp, director of automotive services for AAA-Minnesota. "Let the car come to its senses, so to speak, before you put it in gear," he says. "That's going to be much better on most of the mechanical components." Klopp says he can tell by the sound of his car when it's ready to go. He has learned to listen to the creaks, groans and other noises associated with a cold engine and transmission. "When you start your car in extremely cold weather, there's high oil pressure, friction and other things going on. Everything in the engine is trying to find its mechanical mate and jive," Klopp says. "To just start the engine and take off, I think, is abusing the car. At some point it's going to result in premature wear."
During cold starts the ecu injects additional fuel to warm up the engine (warm up enrichment) this is typically in process till the engine reaches operating temperatures and

has a minimum threshold limit. Also note closed loop will not come on till the O2 sensor is warm enough to start sending out signals. You will also note a higher idle rpm. Hence when you switch the car off on a warmed up engine and if the minimum threshold is crossed with the O2 sensor warmed up it will work on closed loop. The idle RPM will be back to normal.

Ignition System Timing

The ignition system on your car has to work in perfect concert with the rest of the engine. The goal is to ignite the fuel at exactly the right time so that the expanding gases can do the maximum amount of work. If the ignition system fires at the wrong time, power will fall and gas consumption and emissions can increase. When the fuel/air mixture in the cylinder burns, the temperature rises and the fuel is converted to exhaust gas. This transformation causes the pressure in the cylinder to increase dramatically and forces the piston down.

In order to get the most torque and power from the engine, the goal is to maximize the pressure in the cylinder during the power stroke. Maximizing pressure will also produce the best engine efficiency, which translates directly into better mileage. The timing of the spark is critical to success. There is a small delay from the time of the spark to the time when the fuel/air mixture is all burning and the pressure in the cylinder reaches its maximum. If the spark occurs right when the piston reaches the top of the compression stroke, the piston will have already moved down part of the way into its power stroke before the gases in the cylinder have reached their highest pressures. To make the best use of the fuel, the spark should occur before the piston reaches the top of the compression stroke, so by the time the piston starts down into its power stroke the pressures are high enough to start producing useful work. Work = Force * Distance In a cylinder:

Force = Pressure * Area of the piston

Distance = Stroke length So when we're talking about a cylinder, work = pressure * piston area * stroke length. And because the length of the stroke and the area of the piston are fixed, the only way to maximize work is by increasing pressure. The timing of the spark is important, and the timing can either be advanced or retarded depending on conditions. The time that the fuel takes to burn is roughly constant. But the speed of the pistons increases as the engine speed increases. This means that the faster the engine goes, the earlier the spark has to occur. This is called spark advance: The faster the engine speed, the more advance is required. Other goals, like minimizing emissions, take priority when maximum power is not required. For instance, by retarding the spark timing (moving the spark closer to the top of the compression stroke), maximum cylinder pressures and temperatures can be reduced. Lowering temperatures helps reduce the formation of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are a regulated pollutant. Retarding the timing may also eliminate knocking; some cars that have knock sensors will do this automatically. Next we'll go through the components that make the spark.