Fuel Systems

Carburetors
TBI
PFI
CPFI
DFI
Diesels
Forced Induction
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Carburetors
Mechanical devices that use pressure differential
to meter and vaporize fuel for engine demands
Contains 6 circuits designed to deliver air/fuel
mixture for different operating modes
Float/choke/idle/acceleration/main/power

Mounted on top of intake manifold

Receives fuel from mechanical pump driven by
camshaft

Carburetors
Low fuel pressure: 3-5 psi
Fuel is vaporized inside venturis and travels
through intake manifold to cylinders
4 cyls: 1-2 venturis (barrels)
6 & 8 cyls: 2-4 venturis
80s & 90s:
Higher fuel costs
Increasingly tight emission laws
Onboard computers
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TBI (Central Fuel Injection)

1 or 2 injectors mounted inside throttle body on
top of intake manifold
Injector is a simple on/off valve controlled
(pulsed) electronically by onboard computer
(ECM)
Fuel is sprayed into intake stream above throttle
plate- vaporization takes place inside throttle
body
Uses tank mounted electric fuel pump
Low pressure: 10-15 psi
Eliminates possibility of vapor lock
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TBI

TBI
Advantages:
Simplicity
Low manufacturing cost
Low cost of maintenance

Disadvantages
Fuel traveling through intake manifold
Difficult to meter mixtures to individual
cylinders
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PFI
One injector per cylinder
Injector is mounted in intake port in manifold or
cylinder head
Injectors are connected by fuel rail
Injectors can be controlled as groups or
individually
Higher pressure: 30-50 psi
Necessary to break up fuel particles
Vaporization takes place in front of intake valve
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PFI

PFI
Electric fuel pump mounted inside fuel
tank
Fuel pressure in fuel rail is regulated and
excess is returned to fuel tank
Fuel filter is usually mounted under body
of car
Throttle body controls air only
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PFI
Advantages:
Precise control of fuel mixtures to cyls
No fuel traveling through intake manifold

Disadvantages:
Higher cost of manufacturing: complexity
Higher cost of maintenance
Injector location causes deposits

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CPFI

Designed as a hybrid system

Allows for precise fuel control of PFI
Simplicity of TBI
Uses central injector mounted inside intake
manifold
Injector connects to nozzles that feed individual
cyls
Injector is electronically actuated
Nozzles are activated by pressure
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CPFI

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CPFI
Advantages
Simplicity allows for low production cost
Low cost of maintenance
While unit is located inside intake manifold,
fuel is injected at intake port

Disadvantages
Extremely sensitive to pressure changes
Plastic lines that connect injector with nozzles
are prone to breakage
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DFI
Injector sprays fuel directly into combustion
chamber
Uses much higher pressure: 2000-3000 psi
Fuel must overcome compression pressures
Vaporization must take place during injection
Uses electric feed pump inside fuel tank
Uses mechanical high pressure pump to
increase fuel pressures
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DFI

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DFI
Advantages:
Allows for complete air fuel mixture control
Better atomization from higher pressures
Vaporization process cools combustion
chambers allowing higher compression ratios

Disadvantages
Complexity
High cost of manufacture and maintenance
High pressure fuel pump
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Diesel Systems
Diesel fuel is heavier and requires much
higher temperatures to ignite
Engine is designed to create high heat with
compression
Fuel is injected once air is heated from
compression
Ignition occurs once fuel is injected into
chamber
Compression ignition engine
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Diesels

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Diesels
Fuel is injected directly into combustion chamber
with precise timing
Uses very high pressures to overcome
compression pressures and to provide
atomization of fuel
Most systems use electric in-tank pumps to
supply high pressure injection pumps
Injection pressures can be created by pumps or
injectors themselves, both driven by engine
camshaft
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Diesels

Pressures:
Supply pressures: 5 to 75 psi
Injection pressures: 3000-40000 psi
Injection timing is critical for:
Power
Noise
Smoke

Air is unthrottled
Engine speed is controlled by fuel delivery alone
Engine acceleration is slower than spark ignition
engine
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Diesels
Advantages
Extremely high engine output (torque)
Higher energy content of fuel allows for better
economy

Disadvantages
Higher emissions caused by high combustion chamber
temperatures
High compression ratios require expensive internal
engine components
Fuel systems components are precision and
expensive
Different operating characteristics: slower acceleration
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Diesels

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Diesels

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Superchargers
Uses engine power to pressurize intake
manifold
Boost pressures on stock engines: 7-10 psi

Forces more air into engine creating more

power
Usually found on V-type engines
Simplified plumbing

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Superchargers

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Turbochargers
Exhaust driven turbine forces air into
intake manifold
Same operating principles as
supercharging
Usually found on inline engines
Plumbing complexity

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Turbochargers

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Intercoolers
Cools compressed air going into intake
manifold
Cooler air= more dense charge
More air= more power
Cooler is mounted in front of radiator and
transfers heat to ambient air

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Intercoolers

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