Gas Pedal Facts - For a gasoline engine, the accelerator pedal directly alters the amount of air the engine can pull in. For a diesel engine, the pedal directly alters the amount of fuel injected.
For gasoline engines, the accelerator pedal opens up the throttle valve, allowing for more air into the engine. Traditionally for diesel engines the pedal is used to regulate the amount of fuel which is injected, as there is not a throttle valve. Modern diesels are beginning to implement throttle valves due to emissions, which help to regulate the intake manifold pressure to increase exhaust gas recirculation.
Wouldn’t altering the amount of fuel injected cause the air/fuel ratio to be very rich or very lean? I’ve read that sometimes the air/fuel ratio can be as lean as 1.5 lambda or even leaner in a diesel engine, and its a common theory that leaner air/fuel ratios can cause damage. I know this obviously isn’t the case for a diesel engine, seeing as they work perfectly fine, but I’ve never understood properly.
The more that I hear about diesels, the more they seem like total voodoo.
That is because they are.
Wow no kidding I was just wondering about this on my way driving home. Are you a psychic? :P
Although pressing the accelerator on a carb’ed car causes fuel and air to be pulled in as they use the throttle and manifold vacuum for fueling
Can you come do my IC engines exam on Wednesday? i’m so not in the mood to discuss flame propogation
Comments
For gasoline engines, the accelerator pedal opens up the throttle valve, allowing for more air into the engine. Traditionally for diesel engines the pedal is used to regulate the amount of fuel which is injected, as there is not a throttle valve. Modern diesels are beginning to implement throttle valves due to emissions, which help to regulate the intake manifold pressure to increase exhaust gas recirculation.
Wouldn’t altering the amount of fuel injected cause the air/fuel ratio to be very rich or very lean? I’ve read that sometimes the air/fuel ratio can be as lean as 1.5 lambda or even leaner in a diesel engine, and its a common theory that leaner air/fuel ratios can cause damage. I know this obviously isn’t the case for a diesel engine, seeing as they work perfectly fine, but I’ve never understood properly.
The more that I hear about diesels, the more they seem like total voodoo.
That is because they are.
Wow no kidding I was just wondering about this on my way driving home. Are you a psychic? :P
Although pressing the accelerator on a carb’ed car causes fuel and air to be pulled in as they use the throttle and manifold vacuum for fueling
Can you come do my IC engines exam on Wednesday? i’m so not in the mood to discuss flame propogation
this is wow