Manage Common rail diesel

[Robotman]

I am looking into using a Citroen 2.2 liter HDI diesel to power a old 4X4. The problem is I can not use the french electronics as everything is integrated. My question is:

Have anyone experience using Megasquit or similar motor management system to control a modern common rail diesel engine?

[Dan]

I am looking into using a Citroen 2.2 liter HDI diesel to power a old 4X4. The problem is I can not use the french electronics as everything is integrated. My question is:

Have anyone experience using Megasquit or similar motor management system to control a modern common rail diesel engine?

This question is almost blasphemous on these forums!

Wait and grab some FreeEMS capable hardware!

[Fred]

He originally posted it in FreeEMS general, so I moved it here, as it wasn't FreeEMS specific.

FreeEMS will never do a truly good job of CR diesel, however it likely could do an acceptable job of it, assuming proper hw, and huge code changes. MegaSquirt isn't up to the task at all. Nothing else out there is, either, afaik.

[Robotman]

Hi there.

I was not specifically looking into any of those high performance systems, I was more looking into a way to use a "modern" common rail engine outside the donor vehicle. Today engine management, transmission, ignition switch, fuse box and other "smart, black boxes" is paired and need to recognize each others presence and having the correct serial number to allow the engine to start.
We have traditionally been able to use any diesel engine as long as we provided a mean to operate the throttle and apply +12VDC to the fuel solenoid. The last engine I had my hand on was the excellent PSA 2.1 Turbo Diesel that went electronic in 1994. Those are now hard to find and we need a way to take advance of the new engines.

[bradtpt]

Hi Robotman, if you take a look at some of the work Ruud Visser from the Netherlands has been doing with his own custom injector driver boxes using control from an Adaptronic e1280s ECU you will see there is an alternative option for controlling the modern CR diesel engine to using the OEM systems. Unfortunately it's not a cheap option however to the best of my knowledge it's the only alternative available.

This thread on the Adaptronic forum is worth having a read through detailing their Scania truck puller they compete with.

A bit of a look over at Ruud's website at http://adaptronic.nl/ will show you some of the different types of CR diesel engines they have successfully controlled.

I don't mean for this to come across like an advert, there's very little if any information about doing complete stand alone control of Diesel engines so I thought this post might at least show that it is possible.

[Fred]

Awesome, good to know! :-)

[TonyS]

FreeEMS will never do a truly good job of CR diesel, ...

Hi Fred,
Can you elaborate a bit on your comment as I am curious as to what the limitations would be as far as developing a FreeEMS based solution for diesel engines?
I understand that "huge code changes" and hardware changes (injector driver, 24V electrical system,..?) would be required, but it sounds like there is some other limitation that you are referring to.

Thanks,
Huff

[Fred]

"huge code changes" pretty much covers it. But also my definition of "a truly good job" may vary a LOT from those Dutch guys. Doing it at all is not overly difficult depending upon the system.

[Costa]

A bit of a look over at Ruud's website at http://adaptronic.nl/

Here is the details from the Australian web site http://adaptronic.com.au/products/e1280s.html

From the specs, It seems to be very configurable. I've read somewhere you can build your own crank/cam decoder in the tuning software. I'm geussing they are using a FPGA, configured by another micro and the tuning software. If so, very impressive.

Costa

[Fred]

Reads nicely, but nothing stunning about it really. What it says about decoders doesn't mention customisable, but perhaps it's simply not written there? Some interesting choices of resolutions that sound familiar such as 0.02* ignition timing granularity, exactly what we have :-) MAPS limited only by memory, more true for them than us, but we're close, and will be there soon. Currently ours are limited only by memory, but on a per block basis, not per whole. That'll change soon enough. Anyway, I'm now spamming someone's thread! :-o /me slaps own wrist.