More recently, gas equipment of the 4th generation has become widespread. It is much more effective than previous systems, since it allows you to control the operation of the engine, focusing on the readings of the sensors. It is worth noting that such equipment is used on cars with an injection system. Firstly, there is a need for calibration, which is performed according to data obtained from standard gasoline injectors. Secondly, many sensors are involved in the work - air flow, throttle position, detonation, speed, and others.
Advantages of gas equipment
It should be noted the distinctive features of HBO 4th generation, which characterize the positive qualities, in comparison with previous systems:
- fuel (gas) consumption is minimal due to the use of a microcontroller system for controlling the operation of equipment;
- the engine loses much less power - no more than 1-2%, when compared with earlier systems, then they allowed a reduction in the power of the power unit by up to 30%;
- a car equipped with HBO of the 4th generation complies with the toxic standards of Euro-2, Euro-3 and Euro-4;
- when the engine is running on gas fuel there are no pops characteristic of earlier systems;
- 4th generation HBO electronic unit is fully compatible with self-diagnostics of the EOBD on-board network, and no additional emulators are required;
- during the installation of the equipment it is impossible to make mistakes, the work is carried out quite simply due to the fact that all wire connections are made in the form of various connectors, it is impossible to confuse them, so the risk of incorrect connection is eliminated;
- the price of equipment with a microprocessor control system is almost equal to the cost of obsolete equipment equipped with a controller with a lambda probe.
The disadvantages of HBO
Without flaws, no system is functioning. Compared to gasoline, natural gas has one drawback, which is the main one - the calorific value is much less. For this reason, the useful engine power drops - in the first generations to 30%, in the 4th and 5th - 2-3%, but, depending on the type of fuel used, the power drop can reach a maximum value of 5%. Gas equipment of 4 generations (the price of a new set is approximately 20 thousand rubles) can be installed on any cars, while the loss of power is minimal.
For the normal functioning of the system, in order to reduce the power drop, the ignition is installed a little earlier (about five degrees). The rationality of this action is debatable. Firstly, this is allowed to be done if the car’s engine runs on gasoline with an octane rating of over 95. This is done so as not to adjust the ignition when switching types of fuel. But in these cases, the use of octane correctors is quite possible. True, not every octane-corrector and gas equipment of 4 generations, reviews of which are almost all positive, will be able to function normally.
Secondly, studies show that when powered by natural gas, later ignition at high engine speeds is required. If compared with gasoline, then in case of its application, the ignition must be installed later. Among the "minor" flaws, one can distinguish one more - a large cylinder in the trunk (as a rule, this is where it is installed). It is extremely inconvenient if you use a car to transport goods. But there are toroidal cylinders that follow the shape of a spare wheel.
The main nodes of HBO 4 generations
A cylinder is used to store compressed gas. Certain requirements are imposed on it - tightness, reliability, strength. To use a gas bottle on a car, a permit is required. It can be issued only by specialists who have a license to carry out this procedure. Since gas injection occurs under a pressure lower than that in the cylinder, it is necessary to reduce it. A gearbox is used for this purpose. In methane plants, they have two stages of pressure reduction, and in propane-butane one is enough. The reason is that in the first case the pressure in the cylinder can reach values up to 200 Atmospheres, in the second - up to 16.
Gas injectors are necessary for injecting fuel into the combustion chambers. They are connected to the evaporator gearbox. The entire system is controlled by electronic filling - ECU, which works thanks to the microprocessor. Firmware is laid in it, which ensures operation according to a previously thought out algorithm. Gas equipment of the 4th generation has an advantage over earlier ones - the choice of fuel occurs automatically, without the participation of the driver. For this, it is only required that you install switch gas-gasoline to the first position.
How does the computer work?
During operation, all data that comes from the sensors is read. In particular, the analysis of signals coming from lambda probes is carried out - one is installed before the collector, the second after. One is basic and the other is corrective. All parameters read from the sensors are input to the microprocessor. But here a small problem arises - the signal level of some readers is large, while for others it is too small. To coordinate the sensors and input ports of the microcontroller, matching devices are used.
For example, temperature sensors made on the basis of thermistors output 12 volts at the output. The microcontroller should be no more than 5 volts. For this purpose, voltage dividers are used , which are based on resistors and diodes. Unfortunately, recently gas equipment of the 4th generation, the price of which has increased due to the increase in the exchange rate of the dollar and the euro, has a high cost, largely due to the high cost of the electronic control unit. If it cost 5-7 thousand rubles a couple of years ago, now it’s unlikely to be cheaper than 10 thousand. It's about new devices. The connection of sensors with a low signal level is carried out using cascades on operational amplifiers, bipolar or field effect transistors.
conclusions
We can summarize - a lot of money will help save gas equipment of 4 generations. Its installation is simple, at the service station it takes half a working day, and the price is about 2500-3500 rubles. But it’s worth looking at how actively you use your car. If the mileage per year is less than 30 thousand kilometers, then HBO will pay off for a very long time. If a high mileage, then for a year, and sometimes less, the installation of equipment from the financial side will pay off.