Does this guy have his facts straight?

[Alfred1]

I was reading about the new 2003 Lexus LS 430 at autos.msn.com http://autos.msn.com/vip/heraudover.aspx?modelid=10590&src=vip and the article states that the car uses "fuel injection and ignition electronically controlled by a Bosch L-Jetronic module". I checked Lexus.com but couldn't find any info about the F/I it uses.

Alfred

[M. Hendrix]

Whatever it uses, it's not very good! If it was, God would have put it on my car!


M

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

All modern fuel injection systems are based on Bosch L-Jetronic FI. Well, almost. Honda, for a number of years, used a system that was based on the same principles as D-Jetronic. (My 1990 CRX has a MAP-based system, for instance.)

Even the systems that are not officially based on L-jet are still using the ideas. They are usually changed just enough that the manufacturer won't get sued.

Even the high-tech "hot film" mass-air-flow-sensor-based systems are still derived from Bosch L-jet. L-jet evolved into Motronic when they started controlling the spark as well as the fuel, and some version of that (or a copy of that) is pretty much running everything that you can buy new nowadays.

--DD

[AaronM]

Dave's right as usual. Almost all modern EFI setups are AFC and based in some way on the L-jet. Bosch licensed the setup to NipponDenso in the 1980's, I've seen several older Mazdas with a Denso EFI that uses a vane air-flow meter that is nearly identical to that used in Bosch Motronic setups of a similar time period.

Aaron

[Alfred1]

I remember reading in an online car magazine a couple of years back that some cars have Siemens (I think) F/I systems. That would strike me as odd if Bosch licensed their technology to a competitor like Siemens. I also recently read that some of the new (gasoline) VWs will have direct injection.

Alfred

[AaronM]

Originally posted by Alfred1
I remember reading in an online car magazine a couple of years back that some cars have Siemens (I think) F/I systems. That would strike me as odd if Bosch licensed their technology to a competitor like Siemens. I also recently read that some of the new (gasoline) VWs will have direct injection.

Alfred

Why wouldn't they license it to a competitor? That is very often a profitable means of doing business. Bosch probably makes a better margin from licensing than from actual production. There are all sorts of costs involved in production, but licensing the technology is virtually free. Licensing to Siemans is far better than having Siemens invent their own system that Bosch can't profit from at all.

Aaron