This seems like an interesting solution to having more vehicles shut down and restart to save fuel. Mazda pioneer in starter technology With SISS, when an engine is shut down, electronic controls ensure that it stops with all four pistons, of a four-cylinder engine, lined up exactly half way between top- and bottom-dead centre. When the signal to automatically restart is received, a squirt of fuel is injected into one cylinder, via Mazda's DISI direct-injection system, and its spark plug is fired, causing ignition in that cylinder alone that pushes its piston down, rotating the engine slightly backward. At that point, as other pistons are pushed up into compression, the normal fuel-injection and ignition systems take over, igniting the mixture in those cylinders and starting the engine in the forward direction – without the aid of any electric starter. Not only that, the system restarts the engine in less time than it takes with an electric starter, according to Mazda, thus making its operation even more seamless – a point subjectively verified by a demonstration drive. According to tests conducted to Japan's emissions/fuel-consumption testing procedure, SISS reduces consumption by approximately 10 per cent, Mazda says, with virtually no extra cost in hardware, and no additional weight for beefed up starter motors or batteries. And it opens the door to applying automatic start-stop systems to non-hybrid vehicles, which has huge potential for benefit.
That technology, although interesting, isn't entirely new. I have a 1922 Ford Model T equipped with an original electric starter and 6V battery. This system is generally OK for starting the ole tin lizzy, but hardly effective when the weather is cold, lending itself to my having to crank start her. However, I learned from some very old Model T guys that I can turn off the engine in the same manner that Mazda does by listening to the vibrating coils at idle. When I hear #4 buzz, I shut off the ignition and let it stop where the pistons are lined up. A fuel/air mixture is caught and compressed in cyl #1. When turning on the battery, the #1 coil sends a electricity to the spark plug, which ignites the fuel/air mixture, causing and explosion that sends the engine spinning and firing on the rest of the cylinders. I often shut it down in the aforementioned manner, so as to save my battery. My Tin Lizzie has held compression for several days and started easily using this method. It's sort of interesting to hear an 86 yr old car sound (somewhat) like my Prius when starting. Erick Faust '08 Barcelona Red #2 Scion TC self-dimming rear view mirror w/ homelink EBH Foamed front end Mudguards Exact mats EV circuit Nokian WR tires 49.8mpg lifetime/winter avg.
