Lifetime engine data recording - Caterpillar (C32 ACERT)

[Deleted User YDKXO]

All done in retrospect but I'm 100% sure of the data that I record manually.

Then some light fingered Spaniard has been siphoning your diesel or you've got a bilge full of diesel somewhere

 

[jfm]

Then some light fingered Spaniard has been siphoning your diesel or you've got a bilge full of diesel somewhere

Yep, didn't like to say, but if someone was in habit of syphoning couple hundred litres from JW tanks regularly it would account for the difference

Alternative answer is that the MTU ECU is under reading the litre-age injected into the engine as opposed to others that over-read. If the nozzles wear and become bigger I suppose that could happen. I mean if the engine needs xxx litres of fuel per firing stroke to hold whatever rpm is demanded, then as the nozzle wears and becomes bigger the injection event PWM will be automatically shortened by a nanosecond or two by the ECU. The ECU reading will then say there is less fuel being squirted in than there actually is. That sounds plausible in theory but I don't know if true. Latestarter, could this happen? If yes, then a change in the delta between true fuel consumed (measured from the pump or FFM 100s) and fuel consumed as reported by ECU would serve as in indicator of injector wear. Now that would be really geeky!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Just a general question but if there has been an interruption to total fuel burn data collection in the ECU, will the ECU flag up a warning of this in the data display or do you simply have to remember that there was a sensor alarm at the time?

 

[jfm]

I don't see how there can be an interruption, absent a major ECU failure, which would have other symptoms I guess. There is no sensor. The ECU itself decides the PWM, ie the length of the injection event, and talks that to the injectors, at the same time as talking it to its own memory which keeps a running total of every injection event ever, adding them up to the 87111 litres or whatever.

 

[Lozzer]

Having worked with CATs for the last 4 years I'm comfortable with the data I get as I know it's faults.

Mike I seem to recall that my experience of MTU was minor over reading not same as CAT not sure why.

I onc e did a delivery form Venice to Sotogrande Volvo power and the consumption read outs were spot on. However we did find 50 litres of water in the tanks just off Palermo

Im looking forward to moving to the dark side where the power will be free. If you don't take I to account the cost of sails... You think engines are expensive check the cost of a suite of North Sails...

 

[MYAG]

I don't doubt that's what the computer says but that strikes me as very low. I'll check mine at w/e. If yours are 3 @V12, mine are 9@V12, Porto's are 8 @inline 6, it feels like the measurement (nozzle calibration of fuel volume to PWM length) is wildly out at low flow rates. I could believe that to be the case - quite plausible

Doh!, I had forgotten that my engines fire on 6 cylinders and not 12 under 700 RPM with the box in neutral. Down to just 2 l/h once they warm up a bit.