Some Observations Regarding Fuel Systems and Life.
The are two main systems for getting fuel into an engine. The first is a fuel injection system which consist of a fuel pump and a series of a sensors that measure ambient temperature, atomospheric pressure, engine speed, etc. and simple computer to determine the optimal flow of fuel to keep the engine running at peak performance. The fuel injection system is the more advanced of the two and is used in nearly all vehicles produced today.
The second fuel system uses gravity to draw fuel into a system of floats and bowls. These floats and bowls control the supply of fuel to the carburetor which uses the Venturi principle to mix fuel and air which is then fed to the engine. This system is less efficient and significantly more polluting. The 1990 Subaru Justy was the last passenger car sold in the United States with a carburetor.
However, an interesting difference in the systems is how the engines react to a loss of fuel. In the fuel injection system the fuel simply runs out with a brief series of shudders as the vapor burns off and then the engine stalls.
With the carburetor based fuel systems, as the fuel runs down the bowls stop refilling with fuel and as a result the carburetors pull in an imbalanced ratio of fuel and air to the engine. The result is the engine begins to sputter and start. The carburetor will continue to try to empty the bowls of every drop of gas. As evidenced by anyone who has run out of gas in an older car, this can last for miles. As the first indications of trouble appear the driver may realize that something is wrong but the heart of the car keeps struggling to run until the source of fuel is completely consumed or the driver kills the engine.
In this way relationships and carburetor fuel systems are similar. I think rare is the case where a relationship ends over a single sudden incident. Rather the relationship starts and sputters, until the engine collapses or the driver takes control and pulls over. And this I think, is in the nature of love and some fuel systems.
The second fuel system uses gravity to draw fuel into a system of floats and bowls. These floats and bowls control the supply of fuel to the carburetor which uses the Venturi principle to mix fuel and air which is then fed to the engine. This system is less efficient and significantly more polluting. The 1990 Subaru Justy was the last passenger car sold in the United States with a carburetor.
However, an interesting difference in the systems is how the engines react to a loss of fuel. In the fuel injection system the fuel simply runs out with a brief series of shudders as the vapor burns off and then the engine stalls.
With the carburetor based fuel systems, as the fuel runs down the bowls stop refilling with fuel and as a result the carburetors pull in an imbalanced ratio of fuel and air to the engine. The result is the engine begins to sputter and start. The carburetor will continue to try to empty the bowls of every drop of gas. As evidenced by anyone who has run out of gas in an older car, this can last for miles. As the first indications of trouble appear the driver may realize that something is wrong but the heart of the car keeps struggling to run until the source of fuel is completely consumed or the driver kills the engine.
In this way relationships and carburetor fuel systems are similar. I think rare is the case where a relationship ends over a single sudden incident. Rather the relationship starts and sputters, until the engine collapses or the driver takes control and pulls over. And this I think, is in the nature of love and some fuel systems.
posted by Yen at
12:45 AM
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