Lifting the lid on Diesel Performance Tuning

TECH SHEET

POWERING UP YOUR DIESEL

We often get asked about the method of generating extra power from diesel engines. This data sheet answers these questions.

There is only 1 way to get more power from any motor, be it petrol or diesel ... put in more fuel.

In a diesel, there are three ways to deliver more diesel fuel.

1) Injector Signal Interception
2) Control the Fuel Pump
3) Re-flash the OEM Engine Management System, or EMS for short

1) Injector Signal Interception

In this method, you intercept the injector signal or pulse. The signal in technical terms is called pulse width modulation. In basic terms the signal controls the opening point, open by "X" amount and closing point.

This increased duration and larger orifice allows more fuel to be injected. This is an extremely accurate method of controlling fuel flow into the combustion chamber utilising the engine designers/builders original EMS.

By intercepting and manipulating the injector signal you can make signal longer thus making the injector close later and you can increase the signal strength thus lifting the "pintle" up higher to make the injection port or orifice larger.
Problem here is:
You cannot start injection earlier unless the module takes a "guess" at when the signal is going to occur and try to anticipating what it should do with the start time of the signal. The estimate may, of course, be wrong because you the driver may have changed the throttle position, or the engine go through some other change (ie higher/lower boost) so that injection cycle will not be what the OEM ECU is needed. Most Injector signal interceptors therefore do not manipulate earlier start times.

Problem with delaying the close time or close point is that the combustions can be almost over and the extra fuel being injected after the fact is MAINLY wasted. I am talking here about when the OEM ECU have also extended the close time. This would be a doubling of that extension effectively making it TOO LONG.

The real benefit is in controlling the injector orifice size with a little extension of injection timing at the end.

On the whole this is a good means of adding more fuel and therefore more power whilst having some limitations on fuel delivery.

2) Control the Fuel Pump

With the second option you intercept a signal to the ECU. With this intercepted and manipulated signal the OEM EMS then controls the fuel pump to request more pressure. The factory EMS asks for more pressure and then the OEM EMS controls injector timing to suit the new parameters. This method works very well since the OEM EMS is still in full control of the fuel injection. The signal to the EMS is also undetectable.

No problems exist here EXCEPT that you do ask the fuel pump to work harder. If the fuel pump is up to factory spec (ie has no defects) then there are no problems. If the car has a pump that is a bit off factory specs (ie some line worker had the flu and scratched the motor winding or the fuel pump has a bearing that has more fiction thus slowing it down or any other possible defect) then the fuel pump will fail sooner than what it would have if the Chip was not installed ... possibly out of warranty (happy little manufacturer, unhappy customer). If the car is in warranty, you can simply unplug the Chip and take it back for a warranty replacement where you would receive, hopefully a new pump that is WITHIN specification.

No one will be any wiser as, as already mentioned, the OEM scan tools cannot detect the Chip or detect that a Chip was on the vehicle.

A failed pump is the risk with this MOD. Other than that this method of increasing fuel delivery and power is great and is well respected in the wider performance industry. To back this up, some OEMs performance arms like Toyota Racing Developments have come out with their own versions of Chips and provide full factory warranty, thus confirming the Chips validity.

3) The last solution is re-flashing the OEM EMS or reprogramming the entire EMS.

After-market EMS' exist for this reason alone. Some OEM EMS' have also had their code "cracked" allowing smart software developers, like ECUTEK, to re-flash the OEM EMS settings or maps.

It's a VERY GOOD way of making more power however there are some issues that are too hard for HARD CORE vehicle owners or performance developers to accept. We are one of them.

Here are the issues.
Firstly, the EMS re-flash is permanent addition to the OEM EMS. It can only be removed via propriety software which is nearly always only available from the place that first uploaded the re-flashed map. To add or, change or remove the new "tune" will cost you the consumer time and extra money.

As a common run-of-the-mill example: When you need to have your vehicle inspected by the Dealer or the vehicle manufacture, they are able discover the non standard program placed within their computer and flag your vehicle as having a re-flash and may dismiss any present or future engine or drive-train warranty claim you may. This will leave you up the proverbial creek holding the proverbial bag. Any drive-train faults or failures could cost you many thousands of dollars! To save your bacon, you will need to pay for the re-flash to be removed by the original supplier and pay for the re-flash to be reinstalled after leaving the Dealer. Also, if the Dealer re-flashes the OEM computer you LOSE the re-flash and you need to again visit the supplier or the re-flash or ANOTHER go. (ie more $$$)

Remember, this is not the case with the first two options above.

Re-flash type companies now "LOCK" the computer so that EVEN THE DEALER CANNOT OVERWRITE IT with a new factory update!!! They say that if you want to unlock the EMS, just take it back to the flash installer and pay a "small fee". I bet the "small fee" is around $100.00 or more.

So after the OEM has overwritten an update (ie for the air conditioning or DPF or anti lock brakes etc) you need to take it back to the flash installer and again pay a "small fee" !

If they ever come out with a free Re-flash replacement policy, you would still need to get your vehicle to the installer!

Consider this: You are at the "back of Bourke" your factory computer fails or is playing up or the air-conditioning is not working, or the PDF light illuminates and you need the dealer to look at the vehicle.

This is the process if the re-flash is LOCKED:

Remove the OEM computer. Express post it to the flash installer for unlocking and to have the original factory stock tune installed. Have the stock computer mailed back (all at your cost) and reinstall it. After the Dealer has updated or fixed any EMS problem you then drive out WITHOUT a flashed EMS and start the mail back process again to obtain a re-flashed computer all the while having the vehicle off the road because you don't have a computer.

This is the process if the re-flash is UNLOCKED if you don't want the dealer to know you have a re-flash.

Remove the OEM computer. Express post the computer back to the flash installer to place the original factory tune in the factory computer. Have the computer mailed back (all at your cost) and reinstall it. After the Dealer has updated or fixed the EMS problem you then drive out WITHOUT a flashed EMS. Then park your vehicle somewhere whilst you send the computer to get the re-flash re-flashed!!!

This is the process if the re-flash is UNLOCKED and you forget about the re-flash or just cannot be bothered anymore.

Drive the vehicle to Dealer. Have Dealer berate you about the modification and threaten to void your warranty. Dealer overwrites the re-flash and you drive out with a factory tune!
For these reasons we feel you are much better off with an interceptor style Power Mod ... of any brand.

A little about our higher end Performance Chips.

All "SMART" performance Chips should allow full laptop tunability and allow variable ranges to be added at any point, at any rev range. Low end Chips will only vary values by a fixed amount by use of an inline variable resistor. We have seen very high price tags on some of these Chips which try to convince buyers that it MUST be a good Chip because of the price. This is not the case and for a long time well known companies have ripped huge profits from consumers for these cheap nasty rip offs.

All Chips that plug into the common rail sensor change the same signal. Because a Chip plugs into the common rail sensor it does not mean they do the same job. Some will use the variable resistor method mentioned above and one brand even has the variable resistor effect the idle signal as well .

Again, top end Chips will be fully programmable via laptop and have individual cells to adjust.

Why put out the info above?

We believe that by telling the truth people will appreciate it and shop wiser.

If you have a good product at a reasonable price people will buy it.

What is happening now, is people are seeing that the price of chips on the market is not reasonable. If you can buy a Performance Chip that does the very same thing (and even more with better quality and features), then why pay double!!!

Sooner or later people will need to explain why they are SO expensive.

We believe there is no need to con others about a product and so we tell the story AS IT IS and are on record about the FULL capabilities of our Chips.

We believe you don't have to BS customers to get business. Some will buy one brand and some will buy the other brand. THAT'S THE FREE MARKET CONCEPT.

Our Chips provide features that others don't (like MAP emulation, various output to drive other systems ie Intercooler Water Spray, LPG or Petrol Injection Systems and other outputs such as to allow EGR blanking.

The Chip It Performance Module also allows the factory turbo to make more boost (+4PSI) without the OEM Computer throwing a wobbly.

All these features in one module certainly make people take notice let me tell you. :thumb:

With the above information we will undoubtedly cause some in opposition to be upset with the facts being made public however we trust that the information being in the PUBLIC ARENA will make most happy.

Upgrades