Injector Info!

[BoostedFC]

Impedance
Injector impedance describes the electrical resistance of the solenoid windings. These are usually grouped in two categories:

Low- 1.7 to 3.0 ohms (Peak and Hold Driver/Injectors)

These type of injectors and drivers may also be called current sensing or current limiting. They are more expensive and complex than saturated circuit drivers, and are not generally used with domestic production ECUs. They are primarily used in aftermarket high performance systems. Most high flow injectors are low resistance (2-5 ohms) and use a peak and hold driver to activate them. The Peak current is the amount required to quickly jolt the injector open, and then the lower Hold current rating is used to keep it open for as long as the ECU commands. These require the extra kick from the higher current to keep the opening and closing time of the injector stable at the higher fuel flow rate. With this type of driver, 12 volts is still delivered to the injector, but due to the its low resistance, the current in the driver circuit is high. How high? Using Ohms’s Law we can calculate the current rating (12v/2 ohms = 6 amps). This is substantial current flow and a Saturated Injector cannot handle it. The drivers also come in two values; 4 amp peak/1 amp hold, and 2 amp peak/0.5 amp hold.. Even though 6 amps may be available to operate the injector, the maximum it is allowed to reach is 2 or 4 amps, depending on the driver’s current limit.


High- 10 to 16 ohms (Saturated Circuit Drivers/Injectors)

Most domestic OE production EFI systems use an ECU with 12 volt Saturated Circuit drivers. These are very inexpensive, simple, and reliable. This type of driver works by supplying 12 volts to the injectors and the ECU turns it on and off to establish a fuel injector pulse. In general, if an injector has a high resistance specification (12-16 ohms) the ECU uses a 12 volt saturated circuit driver to control it. This means that the current flow in the driver and injector circuit stays low keeping the components nice and cool for long life. Conversely, a downfall of a Saturated Circuit driver is that it has a slower response time (and closing time) than a peak and hold type. This slower time can somewhat decrease the usable operating range of the injector energized by this driver. An injector operating on a saturated circuit driver typically has a reaction time of 2 milliseconds while a peak and hold driver typically responds in 1.5 ms.

There are some exceptions to this, notably the Bosch 803 injector used on the Porsche 944 turbo which is 4.7 ohms. Most manufacturers have used both types at one time or another. The trend lately is to use high impedance types in most production cars. The best way to determine impedance is to put a digital ohmmeter across the two electrical connections and see what it reads. The primary advantage of low impedance injectors is a shorter triggering time. When large injectors are fitted to high output engines, low impedance injectors will often give a better idle quality because of this fact. The primary advantage of high impedance injectors is the fact that less heat is generated in the drive circuit and often no external resistors are used.

[BoostedFC]

Nozzle Types
There are essentially 3 different types of nozzles:

Pintle


This is the most common type and still the best. A tapered needle sits on a tapered seat. When the solenoid is energized, the core and needle is pulled back, allowing the fuel to discharge. This design has been well proven for over 30 years.

Bosch Disc


Lucas Disc


The Bosch disc type uses the same type of actuation mechanism as the pintle type but replaces the pintle with a flat disc and a plate with tiny holes. These work fine with a good spray pattern but are slightly more prone to deposits plugging the holes. The Lucas type buries the disc up inside the body to reduce the mass of the assembly for quicker response. The Lucas types typically have a very narrow spray pattern which can affect idle and throttle response in some cases.

Rochester Ball


The Rochester division of GM makes the ball type injector for OE applications as well as the larger flow race types for MSD. These use a ball and socket arrangement. These have excellent atomization and a wide spray pattern but are also prone to partial plugging by varnish deposits.

Side Feed injectors do not interchange with top feed injectors. Subaru, Nissan, Ford & some Mazda have used these type injectors.

RX-7 stock injectors
1984-85 RX-7 195500-0900 Peak and Hold 680cc Orange Top

1986-87 RX-7 195500-1350 Peak and Hold 460cc Red Top

1986-87 RX-7 195500-1370 Peak and Hold 550cc Tan Top

1988 RX-7 195500-1350 Saturated 460cc Purple Top

1988 RX-7 195500-1370 Saturated 550cc Purple Top

1989-91 RX-7 195500-2010 Saturated 460cc Red Top

1989-91 RX-7 195500-2020 Saturated 550cc Purple Top

1993-up RX-7 Twin-Turbo Saturated Primary 550cc Secondary 850cc