At the core of the car is a box called the Engine Control Unit or ECU.
It’s usually a rectangular box located under the glove compartment with wires trailing from it. The function of the ECU is to control the “quantity of fuel, ignition timing, and other parameters by monitoring the engine through sensors.”
ECUs replaced the older carburetor, a mechanical solution to delivering an optimal air-fuel load and after 1995 most engines were running with ECU units with Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI).
The ECU’s basic functions explained
Fuel injection. The ECU controls the EFI in sending a set quantity of fuel into the engine. This is depending on conditions sent back to the ECU by sensors such as oxygen quantity, throttle open or close, engine temperature, vacuum, etc.
Modern ECUs incorporate a microprocessor in the system. A car usually has an ECU factory programmed to deliver the optimal, but not necessarily the most fuel-saving mix to the car’s internal combustion engine.
This “stochiometric” or balance of air-fuel mix is usually set at 14.7:1 for gasoline engines. This means 14.7 parts air to 1 part fuel. Leaner mixtures can be achieved as high as 50:1 or even 100:1, mixing gasoline with alternative fuels such as Brown’s Gas also known as HHO.
Ignition timing. The ECU controls when the spark plugs will ignite the fuel. If it senses a knock in the engine and determines that it is caused by too early in ignition from the spark plug, it can adjust and delay the timing.
Idle control. For better fuel economy, the engine can control the rpm (revolutions per minute) of the car to save gas during idle, depending on several other systems still operational like air conditioning. At best cars still waste about ½ mile of fuel per minute on idle.
Why do ECUs contribute to wasting gas?
Upgrading a car isn’t as simple as it used to be with cars having carburetors. Carburetors are mechanical solutions so taking a wrench and screwdriver to the engine may fix things.
The way it’s set up, a modern car cannot be completely upgraded without taking the ECU into account. This is because all vital functions of an internal combustion engine are monitored and controlled by the ECU.
The ECU is not a learning computer. It is programmed by the factory to follow a set of parameters based on what manufacturers posited as the best performance for the car. As such, it will follow its programming to the letter, even to the disadvantage of the driver’s mileage.
Upgrading your car for better fuel economy
With the rising cost of fuel, what’s foremost on the consumer’s mind would be how to increase the mileage of the car’s fuel while enjoying all the benefits the car has to offer. So how can you do it?
Reprogram the ECU. An ECU can be reprogrammed to give the engine a leaner fuel mix than the 14.7:1 standard ratio. But is expensive and requires a specialist to fine-tune the system to new parameters.
Buy a new ECU. Replacement ECUs are easily available in the market, but this is again expensive and requires purchasing a new ECU and engaging a specialist to install and program the ECU.
Carpool. It’s a good idea to share the vehicle cost with your neighbors but limits your mobility.
Don’t drive often. Again this limits your mobility.
Sell the car, get a motorbike. Saves gas, solves the mobility problem, and puts your life at potential risk of accidents.
Alternate fuels. You can use alternative fuels such as a hydrogen-on-demand (HOD) system to supplement. This system creates hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) gas on demand from a water medium to mix with the air and fuel in the combustion chamber for better performance.
Hydrogen when compressed and introduced to an internal combustion engine:
-Releases more energy than ethanol-based mixes, maintaining the overall power of the car
-Completely burns the fuel which gives cleaner emissions
-Raises the octane level of the fuel, preventing knocking, and making the engine quieter
-Lowers overall engine temperature slightly
-Requires the engine to use less gas per cycle
The HOD generator is just ½ of the system though. The ECU will even thwart any performance improvements made beyond set parameters.
Is it safe?
HOD systems generate hydrogen only on demand and are therefore safe. When no electricity is routed through the HOD system, no reaction is generated. No hydrogen is in storage in this system but is kept in a medium, which is water.
How to address the ECU and get the most out of your car’s mileage
The second half. Simple enough. You don’t touch the ECU, avoiding the risk of short-circuit. You modify the signals the sensors send to the ECU. The right signals are sent to the ECU which maximizes the benefits given by HOD.
What these controllers do is effectively make the ECU instruct the EFI to send a leaner mix to the engine. Normally this would make the engine choke, but the HOD system in place makes the engine perform better with a leaner mix.
Controllers specially made to modify sensor input to the ECU are readily available in the market. Though it may not require an expert to connect, you do need to ask an expert to point out the wiring for you, asking is free last I checked with my Toyota service center.
The HOD system’s simplicity does not require opening the engine or buying expensive parts. You either hook the HOD generator to the air filter or the intake manifold. Then splice the controller onto the wiring to the ECU. After installation, you will notice an immediate performance improvement.
Cost?
Parts are sourced from everyday parts found in hardware shops and basic electronics stores. The total cost for a basic unit can range between $70 to over USD 200.
What’s offered by most HOD enterprises are plans for do-it-yourself systems, with offers to build the system for the consumer if they so wish. This way the customer can opt to build it himself or to buy a unit once the concept is understood after obtaining the plans to prevent fraud.
In conclusion
Whereas in the past, hydrogen systems were viewed as impractical, constant testing, experimentation, and enthusiasm of several independents have matured the technology to a viable CHEAPER and NON-INVASIVE alternative solution to fuel economy.
For more information on HOD systems, increasing fuel economy, and support, please visit the URL below scarico sportivo Maserati MC20.
Erwin Chua MCP, MCDST is a HUMAN BEING posing as a WEB MARKETER. In his youth, he read the entire World Book Encyclopedia and World Book Dictionaries from A-Z out of a passion to know things and share his knowledge with others. Things that fascinate him most include the HUMAN CONDITION and its PASSION TO IMPROVE, TECHNOLOGY that makes things easy, SYSTEMS that make things easy, and HELPING OTHERS escape the RAT RACE through online marketing. He has a still-pending MA in Philosophy from DLSU-Manila after he decided to leave the academe in pursuit of a career in web marketing. He is based in Penang, Malaysia spending his online and offline activities pursuing his passion for equipping others with the tools and mindset to be spiritually and financially free.