Direct Injection Guide - The Basics Of DI Engines Explai...

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Home Technical Hot Rod Engines DI Engine Guide - Direct Injection

DI Engine Guide - Direct Injection

I T'S THE NE X T BI G THI NG I N G AS O LI NE E NG I NE DE V E LO P M E NT, BUT CAN HO T RO DDE RS DE AL WI TH I T?
Photography by General Motors, Will Handzel

Hot Rod Magazine, September, 2009

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Gasoline direc t injec tion (DI) engines have been lurking in the shadows of gasoline-burning, internal c ombustion engine development for dec ades but are now bec oming mainstream. T his is all good, as DI engines c an be tuned to unruly power levels while still exhibiting pleasant street manners and good mileage. But how does it work, and why is it good? T his story is here to answer those questions. DI? This is the future of the gasoline internal T he main aspec t that defines a DI engine is the applic ation of the combustion engine in production fuel direc tly into the c ombustion c hamber. Currently, most vehicles-and i produc tion gas engines use port fuel injec tion, where fuel is applied in the intake ports upstream of the intake valve. Port fuel injec tion and DI are implemented with elec tronic fuel injec tors and an engine c omputer telling the injec tors when to open and c lose to allow pressurized fuel to pass into the engine. But port fuel injec tion is less prec ise sinc e it just sprays fuel into the intake port, whic h then mixes with the air in the port and rushes into the c ombustion c hamber when the intake valve opens. T he DI fuel applic ation is a big leap forward. It allows prec ise timing of when fuel enters the c ombustion c hamber and opens up a plethora of opportunities for engine tuners to make power, reduc e emissions, and inc rease the durability of the engines-all at the same time. Timing Is Ev erything T his adjustability in when the fuel is added to the c ylinder is the holy grail of power produc tion. Designers of early c arbureted/distributor ignition and port fuel-injec ted/distributor engines only had one tuning variable that c ould be adjusted dynamic ally based on engine rpm and load: ignition timing (with c ounterweights on the distributor and a vac uum line from the intake manifold, respec tively). Later port fuel-injec ted engines were developed with c amshafts that c ould be phased (advanc ed or retarded) 20 or so degrees based on rpm and load. Now, DI allows the fuel applic ation timing to be added to the c am phasing and ignition timing as another dynamic tuning tool. T he DI fuel applic ation is defined by two c ategories: fuel apply rate and fuel timing.

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The Chevrolet HHR SS and Cobalt SS are powered by this 2.0L DI four-cylinder engine that e

Fuel Apply Rate T he fuel apply rate is tuned via the pressure in the c ommon fuel rail that the fuel injec tors are c onnec ted to, the number of times the injec tor is opened to allow fuel to pass through it (during the intake c yc le), and the duration of those openings. DI fuel systems are substantial in their design bec ause they usually generate and hold fuel pressurized at a whopping 2,200 psi or more (the DI fuel rail tube often has about a 1/8-inc h wall thic kness to handle these extreme pressures) rather than the 40 to 60 psi c ommon in port injec tion. T hese extremely high pressures allow the injec tor to flow enough fuel to ac hieve stoic hiometric c ombustion (the desired 14:1 ratio of fuel and air) in a little less than half the number of degrees of c rank rotation as c ompared with a port fuel injec tion engine. Here is the explanation of that statement: T he injec tors on a port fuel injec tion engine c an flow fuel for almost the entire 720 degrees of c rank rotation (at lower rpm they c lose oc c asionally, but at higher

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Direct Injection Guide - The Basics Of DI Engines Explai...

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/engine/hrdp_0909_dir...

rpm they c an be open for as long as 720 degrees). T his is ac c eptable as the fuel/air mixture filling the intake ports only flows into the c ombustion c hambers when the intake valve is open.

The combustion chambers on port fuel injection...

...and DI engines look very similar except for the small hole (arrow)drilled into the cham

The fuel-injection system on the gasoline direct injection engine consists of a high-flowi

On a DI engine, the fuel injec tor usually applies fuel into the c ombustion c hamber after the exhaust valve has c losed (to avoid the fuel just spraying out the exhaust port) and before the spark plug fires-usually a c rank rotation of about 310 degrees. Having less than half the c rank rotation to get all the fuel in the c hamber means the pressure pushing the fuel needs to be muc h higher, thus the 2,200 psi. T he fuel injec tors on a DI engine often open and c lose more than onc e during the intake stroke to provide enough fuel for c ombustion while applying it at the ideal time.

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Fuel Timing Probably the most exc iting feature of the modern DI system is the ability to time (in c rank rotation degrees) when the fuel apply is made in the c ombustion c hamber. On a produc tion vehic le program, this is a dream from heaven for the engine c alibrators, as they are fac ed with very demanding but spec ialized situations suc h as the need to get the c atalytic c onverter up to temperature in the first few sec onds of start-up to minimize emissions. T his important situation is ably handled by the engine c alibrator programming the exhaust valve to be held open longer than usual (inc reasing valve overlap), retarding the ignition, and using a lean fuel apply-all to light a majority of the c ombustion in the exhaust pipe. Even more c ool is that in the instant before this moment-at engine c ranking-the engine c alibrator is able to set the fuel apply to full ric h (a longer-duration fuel apply) with a little less retarded timing and very little valve overlap. T his sprays fuel when the piston is c oming up the bore, rebounding fuel off the piston (whic h is why the piston has that weird bowl on its top), and direc tly hitting the spark plug elec trode. See what we mean? T he number of c ombinations is insane, but the opportunity to give the engine exac tly what it wants/needs to maximize effic ienc y and power produc tion at any c ombination of rpm and load is all there with DI.

The port fuel injection piston is a pretty common piece, with its flat top or dome...

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...but the DI piston is downright weird looking with a scooped, slotted dome that

Dow nsides helps to So far, this probably all sounds good and you're wondering why DI hasn't been on the streets for dec ades. T he simple answer is the tec hnology wasn't ready for prime time. T he hardware to do DI, like the injec tors, fuel pumps, and so on, is similar to what diesel engines were using years ago, but the engine c ontrol c omputers and software used to manage all these variables wasn't up to the job for produc tion automobile applic ations (whic h are essentially spac e shuttles built for the T hree Stooges to drive). T hese c omponents c aught up to the need a few years ago, whic h is why you are seeing DI engines more and more today. But beware. T he immense c apability of DI c omes with a staggering amount of c omplexity. T he aftermarket and enthusiast segments will undoubtably figure it out, but the industry should be c ompared to what it was like in 1985 with regard to port fuel injec tion-no aftermarket injec tors, pumps, c ontrols, experienc e, and so on. But mark our words: T hat will c hange onc e the power potential is experienc ed by a few key players. Differences Betw een Gasoline Direct Inj ection And Traditional Port Fuel Inj ection DI Port Fuel Inj ection Where fuel is Combustion c hamber Intake port applied Fuel rail pressure 2,200 psi Approximately 60 psi Fuel apply (c rank Approximately 310 Up to 720 degrees degrees) degrees Ignition Spark plug-based Spark plug-based Limited by fuel Compression ratio Higher by applic ation approximately 10 perc ent Cam phasing Mandatory Rec ommended Intake air/fuel Lower from vaporizing Limited by fuel temperature fuel applic ation

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Direct Injection Guide - The Basics Of DI Engines Explai...

DI Likes Boost T he DI applic ations that hold the most potential from an enthusiast's perspec tive are turboc harging and superc harging. T he prec ise tuning of the fuel apply and timing really allows the c alibrator to get c reative. One example of the power potential is in low-rpm- to high-rpm-ac c eleration runs under high load. With a DI engine pac kage, the c ommon way to make power is similar to what turbo drag rac ers do at the starting line to get their turbos spinning fast and making boost.

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/engine/hrdp_0909_dir...

With only air in the intake port, improved flow At ac c eleration, the DI engine c alibration is set to add numbers result, generating more power. exhaust/intake valve overlap. T his allows a small amount of the But intake boost to pass direc tly through the c ombustion c hamber and spin up the turbo. Also, the fuel apply and timing are retarded to minimize the fuel or c ombustion gases going out the exhaust pipe (but still maintain stoic hiometric air/fuel ratio). T his is similar to how a drag c ar with a big turbo and elec tronic fuel injec tion launc hes. T he engine c alibration is set on a two-step program to limit the spark to a few c ylinders every rotation, and the ignition is retarded the max amount. T his puts the explosive c ombustion event in the exhaust pipe and helps to quic kly get the turbo spinning at max speed. Both methods get the turbo spinning, but the drag rac ing situation is hellac iously violent (they pop and bang really loudly), while the DI situation quietly provides torque that sets you bac k in your seat-from an engine that is about 2 liters in size.

Probably the c oolest aspec t of the DI system is that this is just one example-it c an be tuned to any thousands of situations to maximize power output. And for those reasons, DI is going to bec ome the next big thing in the performanc e world. Domestic Cars With DI Engines '09 to '10 Buic k LaCrosse and Enc lave '10 Cadillac ST S and CT S '10 Chevrolet Camaro V-6 '10 Chevrolet HHR SS '10 Chevrolet T raverse '10 GMC Ac adia '07 to '10 Pontiac Solstic e GXP '07 to '10 Saturn Sky Red Line LNF Stage kit install T here is a stage kit available from GM Performanc e Parts (PN 19212670) for the Chevrolet HHR SS, Cobalt SS, Solstic e GXP, and Sky Red Line (all are powered by the impressive 2.0L turbo engine, regular produc tion order LNF, whic h is why enthusiasts c all it the LNF engine) that produc es a truly surprising power inc rease. T he kit loc ks c alibration in for premium fuel use and runs slightly higher boost in c ertain situations. T he kit c onsists of only two manifold air pressure sensors (and new pigtail c onnec tors) and a new c alibration and nets more than 85 lb-ft and 20 hp.

Installing the stage kit on an HHR SS will take a few hours but can be accomplished in the

Probably the hardest part of the stage kit on the LNF turbo is installing the two electric

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StephenM

May 22, 2010

I have a 2008 HHR SS and it has direct injection, as well as the Cobalt SS/TC. So your information is a little off.
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