An engine control apparatus controls includes a cleaning mode to clean a deposit generated in an intake system of an engine. The engine control apparatus includes a generation source calculator, a deposit calculator, and a mode controller. The generation source calculator is configured to calculate an attached generation source amount on the basis of a temperature of the intake system. The attached generation source amount is an amount of a generation source, of the deposit, attached to the intake system. The deposit calculator is configured to calculate an attached deposit amount that is an amount of the deposit attached to the intake system, on the basis of the attached generation source amount and the temperature of the intake system. The mode controller is configured to execute the cleaning mode, when the attached deposit amount is greater than an execution threshold.

A fluid injector includes a valve assembly constructed and arranged to control flow of fluid from an inlet to an outlet of the injector. A metal housing surrounds at least a portion of the valve assembly. A plastic body is molded over at least a portion of the housing. A distal end of the body defines an integral stepped portion extending from the body. A carrier surrounds at least the distal end of the body. A seal member is in contact with at least the stepped portion and a surface of the carrier to prevent liquid from entering a space between the housing and the body.

A method for producing nozzles for injectors of internal combustion engines comprising machining nozzle blanks, each having a cylindrical surface with first and second ends, a flat reference surface at the first end and a nozzle tip projecting from the second end, applying a protective disc onto each flat reference surface, providing a containment tube with a closed first end, sequentially inserting the nozzle blanks into the containment tube and completely filling a space delimited from an outer surface of the nozzle tip of the respective nozzle blank to an inner wall of the containment tube after each insertion, compacting the metal powder, evacuating a second end of the containment tube, hot isostatic pressing the containment tube, cutting the containment tube along cutting sections aligned with the protective discs to form separate sections, and machining the sections to form a metallic coating on each nozzle tip.

To obtain a gasoline direct injection rail that enables plating treatment to be easily and reliably performed on the inside of a rail body and an inlet part, also, that includes an orifice, and that has excellent mechanical properties. In a gasoline direct injection rail comprising a steel rail body 4, an inlet part 6 provided integrally with or separately from a first end 5 of the rail body 4 and comprising therein a communication passage 7 in communication with a fuel passage of the rail body 4, and a plurality of injector holders in communication with the fuel passage, a stainless orifice member 1 formed separately from the rail body 4 is securely disposed in the communication passage 7 of the inlet part 6.

A control device for an internal combustion engine that includes: a first detection unit detecting, as a first parameter, a temperature of a nozzle tip of an injector; and a second detection unit detecting, as a second parameter, a heat quantity of a cylinder head, and executes a dew condensation determination by using at least one of the first parameter and the second parameter, the control device includes: a third detection unit detecting an evaluation value allowing to evaluate a state of the internal combustion engine, a threshold value for selecting which parameter of the first and second parameters is selected being set with respect to the evaluation value, wherein the control device switches a parameter to be used to the first parameter, to the second parameter, or to both the first and second parameters in accordance with the evaluation value when executing the dew condensation determination.

A fluid injector includes a valve assembly constructed and arranged to control flow of fluid from an inlet to an outlet of the injector. A metal housing surrounds at least a portion of the valve assembly. A plastic body is molded over at least a portion of the housing. A distal end of the body defines an integral stepped portion extending from the body. A carrier surrounds at least the distal end of the body. A seal member is in contact with at least the stepped portion and a surface of the carrier to prevent liquid from entering a space between the housing and the body.

The invention relates to a method for reporting a corrosion problem on a motor vehicle considered new, said method having the following steps: a step of monitoring (E0) the operating stability; a step of determining (E1) a reference corrective factor (KREF) for each cylinder; a step of storing (E2) the reference corrective factor (KREF) determined for each cylinder; a step of monitoring (E3) the operation of the engine at said determined operating point (PF); a step of determining (E4) a new vehicle corrective factor (KNEF) for each cylinder; a step of computing (E5) the difference (DIF) between the stored reference corrective factor (KREF) and the new vehicle corrective factor (KNEF) for each cylinder; a reporting step (E6) indicating that the fuel injector tip of the cylinder is corroded.

Cleaning, maintaining, refurbishing, and/or diagnosing engine components including fuel system components, e.g., such as fuel-injectors. In one embodiment, a method of cleaning a fuel system component is provided. The method includes supplying a cleaning solution through the fuel system component, discontinuing the supplying of the cleaning solution, repeating the supplying of the cleaning solution and the discontinuing of the supplying of the cleaning solution a plurality of times, decoupling the source of cleaning solution, and connecting a source of fuel to the fuel system component, and supplying fuel through the fuel system component to re-establish fuel-based operation. In additional embodiments, a method of processing a fuel system component while it remains connected to an engine assembly, and a method of diagnosing a defective fuel system component, are provided.