HOUGHTON--If you've ever struggled to start your old lawn mower or cringed to see smoke billowing behind your snow blower, a new invention by a Michigan Technological University professor may someday offer relief.
Mechanical engineering professor Lawrence W. Evers has developed a new, inexpensive fuel-injection system that could make small engines run cleaner and more efficiently.
Most engines under 20 horsepower use carburetors to combine fuel and air before sending the mix into the engine. Carburetors are much cheaper than the expensive, computerized fuel injection systems now used in most cars and trucks. But carburetors can go out of adjustment, causing small engines to run inefficiently and be hard to start. With support from small-engine giant Briggs and Stratton, Evers has developed a potential solution.
"I've tried to come up with a simple, mechanical fuel injection system," he said. "It doesn't require a computer, so it could be inexpensive enough to compete with existing carburetion systems."
The system, which was recently patented, provides precise control of the fuel mixture over the life of the engine. "Over the long term, that would mean less pollution and more fuel-efficiency," Evers said.
He is quick to point out that his system does not promise zero-emission, 100-MPG garden tractors. "If an engine is correctly carbureted, it will offer the same level of performance," he stressed. As he sees it, the advantage of the mechanical fuel injection system is its reliability, both on the engine and off the assembly line.
"The quality would be more reproducible unit to unit," Evers said.
Replacing the standard carburetor with a mechanical fuel injection system would probably add a few dollars to the purchase price of the typical engine. However, for anyone who has ever abandoned a mower in mid-lawn out of sheer frustration, it could be a small price to pay.