A method of operating a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine having a reciprocating piston includes performing a multi after-injection pattern having at least one pair of consecutive injection pulses both starting after a top dead center of the piston and separated by a dwell time shorter than 200 as.

A control apparatus is applied to an internal combustion engine in which fuel used for operation is changed between liquid fuel containing alcohol and gas fuel. The control apparatus includes an electronic control unit configured to prohibit use of the gas fuel when a ratio of dilution of lubricating oil by the liquid fuel in a lubricating oil storage portion of the internal combustion engine is equal to or larger than a predetermined value or when an amount of the liquid fuel mixed in the lubricating oil in the lubricating oil storage portion is equal to or larger than a predetermined amount.

A method according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, periodically adjusting powertrain operation of an electrified vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine to progressively influence oil quality of oil of the internal combustion engine.

An engine (1) includes an engine body, an injector (33), and an engine controller (100). The engine body includes a piston (15) inside a cylinder (11), and a combustion chamber (17) defined by the cylinder (11) and the piston (15). The injector (33) injects fuel containing at least gasoline into the combustion chamber (17) via a nozzle port (41). The engine controller (100) allows the injector (33) to inject the fuel in at least a second half of a compression stroke, and controls an injection condition of the injector (33). The injector (33) has a parameter for adjusting spread of fuel spray. The engine controller (100) adjusts the parameter to increase the spread of fuel spray with an increase in pressure in the combustion chamber (17).

Methods and systems are provided for regenerating a lean NOx trap. In one example, a method may include, responsive to an indication to regenerate a lean NOx trap (LNT), operating an engine with an overall rich air-fuel ratio to regenerate the LNT while minimizing fuel oil dilution by operating each cylinder of the engine with an alternating rich to lean air-fuel ratio pattern of two rich combustion events for every one lean combustion event across a plurality of engine cycles.

A method for determining the quantity of outgassing of a fuel from a lubricant located in an intake section housing of an internal combustion engine may include (a) setting a first coil current through the housing, (b) measuring a first output value of a lambda controller, (c) setting a second coil current through the housing, the second coil current having a different current strength than the first coil current, (d) measuring a second output value of the lambda controller and (e) determining the quantity of outgassing of the fuel based on the measured first and second output values. In addition, a method for adapting a lambda value for a fuel/air mixture to be burnt in an internal combustion engine during a lower load range may include the above-mentioned method of determining the quantity of outgassing of a fuel.

An exhaust gas purification system is provided with an exhaust gas purification device which is arranged in an exhaust gas route of a common rail type engine, and is structured such that a plurality of renewing modes which burn and remove a particulate matter deposited within the exhaust gas purification device is executed. One of the plurality of renewing modes is an initialization renewing (a forced renewing) mode which supplies a fuel into the exhaust gas purification device by a post injection regardless of a clogged state of the exhaust gas purification device, in the case that an accumulated drive time of the engine becomes equal to or more than a previously set time.

An engine control device sets a target value for the engine oil temperature appropriately in an engine that uses gasoline as a fuel, even when the fuel does not have a single boiling point because the gasoline is a mixed composition, or when the fuel property changes (for example, when the vaporization property changes due to deterioration). In other words, the engine control device prevents excessive heating or insufficient heating by changing the oil temperature to the high side in a condition wherein the fuel being used does not easily vaporize, and changing the oil temperature to the low side in a condition wherein the fuel being used easily vaporizes. This engine control device includes an oil temperature controller that controls the temperature of oil lubricating the interior of the engine; a fuel supply device that supplies fuel to the engine; and a detector for detecting the property of the fuel. The temperature of the oil is controlled on the basis of a signal from the detector.

An ECU is applied to a hybrid vehicle that is equipped with an internal combustion engine and a second motor-generator, which are configured to output a driving force for running. The hybrid vehicle is configured to run with the internal combustion engine in intermittent operation. Also, the ECU is configured to calculate an amount of dilution water that is mixed into oil in the internal combustion engine to dilute the oil. The ECU is configured to operate the internal combustion engine when the amount of the dilution water becomes larger than a first threshold.

Methods and systems are provided for estimating an impact of PCV hydrocarbons on an output of an intake oxygen sensor. In one example, a method may include disabling EGR flow when the impact of PCV hydrocarbons on the output of the intake oxygen sensor is above a threshold. The impact of the PCV hydrocarbons on the output of the intake oxygen sensor may be based on a difference between the output of the intake oxygen sensor and a DPOV sensor when EGR is flow and a difference between the output of the intake oxygen sensor and expected blow-by when EGR is not flowing.