Ford Races Its EEC-IV Electronic Engine Control Unit to Improve Production Vehicle Performance and Durability

In 1984, Ford Motor Company Electronics Division began to develop a version of its (production) EEC-IV electronic engine control unit that could provide the precise monitoring and command functions needed for the company's new turbocharged 1.5 liter Formula One V-6 racing engine. The electronic engine control system was necessary to allow the new engine to operate reliably at the limit of its structural integrity, while producing a horsepower/liter ratio at. least 10 times that of typical production powerplants.

Ford Electronics Division is now applying the lessons learned on three generations of racing EEC-IV units, for both turbocharged and naturally aspirated racing engines, to improve the performance and durability of its passenger vehicle engines.

This paper:

• Acquaints engineers with the electronic configuration of the EEC-IV unit.
• Discusses engine monitoring, control and diagnostics features traded between racing and production applications.
• Examines the electronic control strategies that allow racing engines to reach, but not exceed their structural and power limits while operating with reliability.
• Illustrates how those control strategies have been, or can be, applied to production vehicles.
• Describes how electronic tools developed in racing to let engineers find and make immediate performance improvements at the race track are also employed by engineers to shorten the production car development cycle.
• Discusses how racing helps develop the talents of Electronics Division engineers.