If you want to get the water out of your fuel you can put a straw in it and drink the water out from under it. This is useful when siphoning fuel from your neighbours' tank, as it allows you to stay hydrated while you run away with the gerry can.
You know someone is thinking "Hey...this is like a wet shot nitrous system right from the factory!" and is going to fill it up with gasoline. Who am I kidding? That someone would be ME...if I had the money to buy this car
Oh Jason, you missed a really important fact: the water will continue to evaporate even more during the exhaust cycle when the cylinder pressure starts decreasing and the temps are still very high. This absorbs a lot of heat from the cylinders so the piston crowns and ringlands will love this gimmick. I kind of love the fact that the M4GTS came ready for WMI since it has this WI kit already on. So with a tune and some alcohol in the trunk tank you can probably squeeze 100hp more out of it.
...assuming that all the seals and plastics in the water injection system are compatible with methanol. I wonder how long it'll be before some clown fills the system with tap water and gets limescale in their engine.
Won't the water be fully evaporated by then? Doesn't really matter though when it evaporates, it takes roughly the same amount of energy to evaporate the water, whenever it happens. Thus, the exact moment of evaporation shouldn't influence temperature at the exhaust stroke, as long as all water is evaporated before leaving the cylinder.
I would say, the evaporation of water should be completed before the compression stroke becaise water is incompressible. The cooling of the piston crown and engine block is occur only during the evaporation of the liquid water via the latent heat of vaporization. So, thr is nothing to do with the exhaust cycle.
@@izzyplusplusplus1004 You are right on the effect of water injection on the pressure inlet of the turbine. However, the turbocharger needs higher turbine temperature to improve the output. So, the temperature and pressure needs to balance up to get The most of of the water injection. The benefits of water injection is more substantial at thel medium to high load operation.
@@xmenlingcheehuat0811 The water is sprayed through some atomizing nozzles so there's absolutely no chance of hydrolocking. The evaporation process occurs for those small water droplets, so spraying it though those nozzles help with the evaporation surface increase. Therefore the water continues to evaporate in the intake manifold where it is sprayed but then when the cylinder pressure increases, even though the temperature increases as well (during the power stroke) you don't have so much evaporation. Yet the injected water is mostly (not totally) inert during combustion and what survives will continue to evaporate due to the high temperature and the decrease in pressure. I think the excess of fuel from rich mixtures does the same, just that the fuel is more unstable in those conditions and will burn partially.
I was literally researching on this all last night and didn’t understand it. Talk about coincidence. 😂 I kinda understand this now. But yeah, thanks Maan 👌👍
calee4nyaboy Yes lol. I know. But I was researching this the night before. Then he uploaded this video. There’s a good chance he already made this video and had it planned in advance. So this instance. Not google spying. Coincidence. 😂
I think it would be interesting if you did a video on the advantages/disadvantages of air to air and air to water intercoolers. They each serve their roll well. With my 2001 VW 1.8t, water/meth injection allowed about 5 degrees advanced timing (turbo was already being pushed past its efficiency range). It was about the same as running ~97-100 octane race fuel (93+105 race gas mix). Upgraded from 3L to 5L windshield washer fluid reservoir and it would last quite a while, best part of a shared res, it lets you know when its low on the dash. The controller was set to start injection at 5lbs of boost and max over 10lbs, car was limited to 20lbs. Also had a boost-actuated dump on the exhaust after the cat that opened at 5lbs. Windshield washer fluid is mostly methanol alcohol so good do well below 0F. This was about 15 years ago, its cool to see this on other cars now but having another maintenance item is a huge turn off to 'most' drivers. It would have been cool if BMW did a combined reservoir but for 'safety' reasons i'm sure you couldn't legally do that; depleting your windshield washer fluid. It also has the effect of steam cleaning your engine. And to think this stuff dates back 100 years or even more with aircraft!
It really amazes me that technology that was used almost 100 years ago, gets threw out and then comes back around. In 1923 John Deere started making the Model D tractor, also the longest running production model ever at 30 years made. They ran straight water in the radiators and had a valve that took water from the rad and injected it into the cylinders to stop ping (pre-Ignition). Also these tractors where capable of running on Gas/Diesel/Kerosene/Distillate and pretty much anything else that was flammable, Jason covered this in another video about a engine mixing gad and diesel for more efficiency. Just amazes me what technology invested that long ago comes back around and makes a difference in today's world and technology.
It disappears are comes back because there is much more control over what happens. The original systems you mention were very crude, simple tech that failed all the time, but the theory was good. Now, with computers doing all the control, these theories can be put into practice in a much more predictable way.
You could've been presenting us one or two calculations - a. Without increased boost pressure there is an optimum for peak performance - there is an equilibrium between more water molecules providing more cooling effect and repression of oxygen molecules required for combustion through that more water. And b.the increase in boost pressure will provide for more oxygen molecules per volume, but there is an equilibrium to more more water as well, a bestpoint which should be achieved - but both bp are very likely not the same. And you could have mentioned the type of 'control mechanism' BMW uses for that.
And forgot another thing: how is the change in specific consumption? As gramm per kw per hour with and without water? Maybe just slightly underneath or above the switching rpm? Muscheldiagramm des spezifischen Kraftstoffverbrauchs auf dem Prüfstand waeren noch ganz nett gewesen.
You forgot to mention that the water is converted to steam during combustion. Going from liquid to gas, the water cools the surrounding area down to have enough energy to do so. Furthermore when water converts into gas, its volume is increased by 1000 fold. This also means greater downstroke force on the piston.
In the 70’s I worked on P-3 Orion aircraft jet engines. We had an ADI induction system on the aircraft. At hot air temperatures the water alcohol mixture would inject into the engines on takeoff. The pilots said it was a significant boost equivalent to having an additional engine.
Very cool. I like how this was explained. It makes perfect sense. It would be great if more manufacturers started using this type of cooling in their cars.
Very cool. Where I lived there was a man who was always experimenting spraying water in his carburator because he had noticed that his car rode better when it was misty. This was in the 1980s and early 1990s. He was ridiculed by most car journalists, but now he got his recognition! Unfortunately long after his death.
*AWESOME* video! I've always wondered about water injection since I played "Combat Flight Simulator" years ago on my old laptop. Thanks for another great video.
Enjoyed the video as always, love the tech. But a side issue that I would like to know is. Does the water injection in any way help to clean inlet ports from coking up as in regular direct fuel injected engines? Btw, water injection goes way back in motoring history. interesting subject. Ooops I see others have already discussed the subject.
Where do you find all these graphics like the BMW with no body on it and the cutaway engine? I've always wondered how TH-cam channels get things like that
New old stuff is cool. Was used in aircraft years ago, GM used it on the turbo charged 62-63 Oldsmobile Jetfire F85, GM called it Turbo-Rocket Fluid. Saab used it in the 80's and I use it now, works wonders keeping detonation down and allowing more timing.
I wonder if a water/alcohol mix would be even better. Water and alcohol are miscible in all proportions and alcohol has a higher latent heat of evaporation. I am thinking the mix would have even greater cooling properties than pure water. Perhaps 90% water and 10% alcohol.
This reminds me of the idea of a six stroke engine, wherein water is injected at the end of the fourth stroke, creating steam, which then provides another power stroke, the fifth; then the sixth stroke occurs, which is the exhaust. Still another improvement would be to implement a real Atkinson cycle wherein the expansion volume is greater than the compression volume (not just based on ignition and valve timing).
@@robertkulyassa2084 to a very small degree but we need to remember that that is a replacement for displacement, and that is forced induction. Increasing the boost pressure gets more oxygen into the cylinder regardless of the fact that a tiny amount of the displacement is used up through water vapour.
The water can absorb heat, it expand at a good ratio (since its fairly light molecule) and can reduce wasted energy going out of the engine in heat. Fuel, when burned, also create water vapor.
Not true. Water solves only carbon deposits on top of pistons, inside cylinders and exhaust valves/turbo vanes. Nothing else. And this is only part of engine.
@@85CEKR No mate. Water is injected as cool liquid (maybe 20C degrees more than room temperature), and covering anything with slightly warm water, already covered with some dust and oil (typical for intakes of turbo charged engines), won't have any effect at all. Oil is not soluble in water, and oil viscosity is higher than water. Oil and dirt will star on intake side, for long time, unfortunately. Best way to clean it is taking off engine and soda/sodium blasting. Water injected has it's value when turned into the steam because of temperatures inside combustion chamber. Then some specific reactions occurs: C + H2O = CO + H2 C + H2O = CO2 + 2H2 These reactions occurs mainly on surface, so cleaning of deposits is not quick but it works and overtime surfaces coated with oil and carbon (sludge) may be completely clean. But it takes time and high temperatures of steam, constantly flowing along dirty surfaces.
@@Fosgen huh, didn't know that water did react with CO2, the free H2 might give it w tiny boost while maybe also diffusing trough the steel and stealing the carbon
@@crackedemerald4930 water is known to increase in volume by 1700 times when turn from liquid into the steam. This can be turned into mechanical energy in combustion chamber as water is squeezed with air before combustion.
I owned a rare '85 VW Scirocco with the turbocharged engine option [yes, there was one; 52 were built, it used an IHI RHB52 turbo and no intercooler. 5 psi boost = 133 hp. To find out about this kit you had to ask the dealer] that was covered under the factory warranty. This would knock at times, and at one point I installed a simple water/alcohol injection system that used a wiper fluid pump and a remote reservoir that sprayed into the plastic intake just past the air filter, and it helped. The turbo had a problem where it would break the downpipe since there was much more torque; When this happened the exhaust got REAL loud and I could see 10 psi boost~ Though I DID kill a Mustang GT dead one day because of that!
I don't think that corrosion is a big problem with this, because the water is only used rarely and in high heat situations, so it probably evaporates almost instantly. And water vapour is a byproduct of combustion anyway.
Methanol and water makes more power than water alone, interestingly pure water injection cools the air more than the mixture. Methanol also acts as an antifreeze, this tech was first used in airplanes where the water freezing was more of a concern.
4:56 -- "When you're just cruising around on the highway [...], you're going to use it far less frequently." If Jason ever got in a car with my wife behind the wheel, he would seriously reconsider this sentence.
Engineers utilize present technologies and sciences to synthesize new technology. It may be old tech, but refinement and integration are harder than it looks.
Im surprised it took the auto industry this long to come up with this. After learning a bit about compression ratios, knock prevention and air fuel ratios it was obvious to me that its more logical to use cheap water to drop temperatures instead of just more fuel
It's been done before but having to check a water tank and filling isn't something most car owners ever want to do. Mist would probably prefer 493hp all the time and lower fuel mileage.
the reason you don't see it widely used is because it adds a bunch of components, nozzles, lines that cost money. Not to mention the computer having to adjust according to outside temps. All that stuff adds money and weight for a negliable amount of HP. Pretty useless in most cars simply because they don't have turbos.
I knew a guy who sold kits for water injection that improved fuel economy dramatically. The atomised water also turns to steam expanding during the combustion cycle improving torque.
@@shenaniganshop3309 ever heard of flooding an engine? On (at least slightly) compressible gasoline that's one thing. Water is not compressible. That's going to increase the "compression ratio" drastically
Marke liquid gasoline isn’t compressible either lol and how often do you hear about leaky fuel injectors hydro locking an engine? Not very so I’m sure it will be even less common then a fuel injector leaking since it gets used much less, also the water injectors spray a very fine mist that’s why five liters of water can last a whole 15 gallon tank of gas, they hardly spray any water. Not gonna be a problem.
Marke instantly thought of rolling my poor 84 LT125 Suzuki ATV in a local pond. It didn't hydro lock luckily. But interesting thought, bet they injectors are engineered to fail in a closed position. Like o2's fail lean,so the ecu interprets and saves us by running rich. Rambling on here......have a good one
An excellent explanation as always. This technology has been around for years. I think WW2 airplanes used methonal injection. My neighbor was an amazing inventor, engineer&mechanic. He put water injection systems on multiple vehicles including a huge diesel powered fishing trawler. This was mid '50s to about 1975 when he just quit everything else to build dirt track race cars.
The reason I ask is because a system that advanced could have a filtration system with a micron rating that would be sufficient to clean water. Also where I live gas is around 2.20$ per gallon and distilled water is 75 cents to 1$. Does that water really need to be cleaner than the fuel?
@@melaniew77msn it's not about the price, distilling water is a easy and cheap process and it makes water almost pure, and about the filtering the water, maintaince costs of BMWs are already very high, a filter would be something to be changed once in a while, and it would make maintenance higher and make the car less independent, so thank you bmw! This car better off without a filter for that water!
You should do a video on how changing your tire size from manufacturer recommended will affect power, torque, handling, and fuel economy. And if you would change tire size, if you would also need to change tire pressure from manufacturer recommended.
Wet shot. I’m not sure how much it would cool the cylinder (alcohol having a lower boiling point), but you’d definitely get an increase in power output. WET SHOT!
Max of 50/50 is safe in a non race vehicle. Methanol by its self burns in a almost invisible flame. Though I don't think BMW will post a rating with any mix of methanol, for safety/legal/warranty reasons. Edit: to be safe, and cheap. My system I use -20 windshield washer fluid.
Very interesting video! My dad added a water injector to a mid '80s VW "Rabbit" that didn't have fuel injection, and it wasn't a regular carburetor. That weird application was what we had, and he said the water helped it. I imagine he was right, because he was an engineer and basically right about everything.
I’ve use water injection for many, many years on my turbo cars. I use the windshield washer reservoir and windshield washer fluid (the -20 degree stuff) in the winter and usually straight water when temps are staying above freezing.
Future BMW engines set for the European RDE2 emission laws will also have water injection (at least the high power versions). In regard of emissions, water injection has 2 major benefits: 1) you can run way more spark advance, increasing efficiency. 2) you can basically run stochiometric throughout the whole operating range. This means much more fuel efficiency and way less emissions (particles, HC).
@@zuilok some of them have well-known issues that are problematic, but if those are handled then they're just demanding of higher/more attentive maintenance, like anything German.
That logic can be applied to absolutely any car haha. They're exciting when they work, less so when they don't. And again, if the system were to fail, you'd still have 444 HP.
My 2010 335d tuned and all the emissions crap coded out it makes 428hp at the wheels, 650 ftlbs torque. and gets 40+ mpg. Diesel M3. Also have a 04 M3 way more fun to drive then the diesel, only 355 to the wheels. And a 8250 rpm redline. I absolutely love the sounds it makes. A friend described the sound as a symphony of bad ass. I liked that saying. Actually check my channel there’s a video titled symphony a bad ass. The diesel will destroy it in a straight line. Also at 80 mph in the rain with traction control on it breaks loose. Gotta be super careful driving it. It’s torque from idle to redline. A freaking torque monster. I had to have my transmission custom rebuilt with stronger components bc the stock didn’t last much more than 6 months. Great explanation of the water injection on the gts. All your videos are great. Easy for anyone to understand from people with little to no knowledge of engineering or anything mechanical and for the rest of us that do this for a living. I have owned and operated a independent BMW repair shop and salvage yard for almost 30 years. Man I’m getting old. Just realized how old after the 1/4 century of working on them. My partner has the same level of experience. We started fixing them right when we graduated high school and between the two of us not counting the 3 other techs we have. We have over 50 years of BMW specific training and knowledge. Keep up the great work.
This is always a fun principle to explain to people. I usually start by taking a room temperature can of [choice beverage] and making it ice cold in a few minutes. Your video is long enough to do this. You could've cracked open an ice cold Dewski at the end. (Remix edit?) Anyways, I've always heard about this "trick" from old school hot rodders and racers. Cool to see it being used. I assume most people with this car will be using the purest of bottled waters. I'd be interested to see what my local municipality water would do to the engine. When I wash my car, I have to go wash it again somewhere else.
@Swampy that's good to know. Why haven't the guys at UnboxTherapy done an unboxing of that. People have a right to know... Let me call my local auto zone. .... Ive never had these issues with my old Toyota Celica.
Saab used Water Injection on the 99 Turbo in 1975. In fact you could buy a "Saab Water Injection" upgrade kit in Saab dealerships up until about 1987 for installation on the 900 T16.
GEE-WIZZ, BMW thought about everything to do with H2O injection that was thought about in the 1930's. FYI - Aircraft systems used 50/50 Water/Alcohol. Test with a P51 engines were able to increase boost, without denotation until the engine self destructed. Problem with H2O injection systems which were available in the 1960/1970's was servicing the systems (distilled H2O) and liquid leaking into the cylinders when the Car sat for periods, causing liquid lock, and subsequent cyl-head failure. Good work though, Thanks
Very cool! I love the idea of using the refrigerant lines to cool the intake manifold/ head/ or intercooler/ injection system. Seems logical to cool it as much as possible
Pretty awesome stuff, it's like upgraded version of intercooler, added water spray (instead of all into radiator), not that complicated yet gives extra 50hp. But it's pretty funny when people called it 'water injection system kicked-in'. Hahaha.
In Brazil, most vehicles are "flex", that is, they can use gasohol (73%/27%) or ethanol, the latter with 4% water. The use of ethanol tends to bring a power gain of up to 5%.
One of advantages of a water injection - also it's can reduce carbon deposits on piston head and combustion chamber. If you ever disassemble engine with leaking coolant over the gasket in into one of cylinder you might notice than top of a piston is shiny and like new.
Man the ICE have gotten so extremely good and efficient. I think of this engine like the Doble steam car, technology pushed to its limit but in an antiquated system, and in 100 years people will reverse engineer these and be awstruck at the complexity and cool designs. People are awsome.
I remember back in the late 50s early 60s, my uncle had a water injection system on his Riley. Old idea but I guess zee chermans have improved it a little.
*_But Soapy Wooder is +150 HP_*
Chrisfix?
Quit commenting on inside edition videos
@@fantasyphilosophy3261 yep chrisfix 😂
_Bob McCoy adding blinker fluid to the fuel tank and piston return spring upgrade yields extra 1000HP
Erwin Priyono [Erw1np] Dont forget to get a performance muffler bearing for better airflow before doing those tunes though
Don't use water, use Brawndo; it's got electrolytes! It's got what power plants crave!
Power plants, ha! Love it.
Seems like windshield deicer would work better. It's got methanol!
Yeah itll help ehomaney too
What are electrolytes? Do you even know?
Well, then get some Gatorade ...
In Serbia all cars have this technology because all the gasoline is pre-mixed with water :'D
Lol😂
😂
Always a step further
😂
If you want to get the water out of your fuel you can put a straw in it and drink the water out from under it. This is useful when siphoning fuel from your neighbours' tank, as it allows you to stay hydrated while you run away with the gerry can.
I wonder if BMW will start selling 'special' BMW branded 'go faster' water?
Hahaha, they should. "M water!"
MEvian.
BMWater
@@aaronbuck1518 Bayerische Muhlen Wasser. (Bavarian Mill Water... clean extra cool water that has trickled down from the Alps).
@@aaronbuck1518 Bowel movement water
A watered down BMW M4 (chuckle)
more like *watered up*
Water injection KICK IN YOO
Hondas boys gonna be hooking up the garden hose to their intakes. YoOoOo yu heArD tHa V-TeC anD WoOdEr InJeCt/oN!!!!
Put methanol in the water tank
@@aSinisterKiid or blow a gasket xD. my 325 leaks coolant in the cylinders
@@JerryDLTN yooooo
If you fill up the reservoir with mountain dew, you get 100 more horsepower
No energy drank
How about Budweiser?
You know someone is thinking "Hey...this is like a wet shot nitrous system right from the factory!" and is going to fill it up with gasoline. Who am I kidding? That someone would be ME...if I had the money to buy this car
red bull, and you will enable flight mode
Brawndo! It has electrolytes.
I wonder if the pump and injectors can handle methanol. That would be awesome.
I was wondering this also, wish it was answered
Get an m4 gts and try it out
@@daniel_960_ You'd need to change the fuel tables, water injection tables, timing and boost pressure at the very least
I'm sure it could handle isopropyl alcohol mixed with water....
liquid oxygen EZ +200HP xD
Oh Jason, you missed a really important fact: the water will continue to evaporate even more during the exhaust cycle when the cylinder pressure starts decreasing and the temps are still very high. This absorbs a lot of heat from the cylinders so the piston crowns and ringlands will love this gimmick.
I kind of love the fact that the M4GTS came ready for WMI since it has this WI kit already on. So with a tune and some alcohol in the trunk tank you can probably squeeze 100hp more out of it.
...assuming that all the seals and plastics in the water injection system are compatible with methanol.
I wonder how long it'll be before some clown fills the system with tap water and gets limescale in their engine.
Won't the water be fully evaporated by then? Doesn't really matter though when it evaporates, it takes roughly the same amount of energy to evaporate the water, whenever it happens. Thus, the exact moment of evaporation shouldn't influence temperature at the exhaust stroke, as long as all water is evaporated before leaving the cylinder.
I would say, the evaporation of water should be completed before the compression stroke becaise water is incompressible. The cooling of the piston crown and engine block is occur only during the evaporation of the liquid water via the latent heat of vaporization. So, thr is nothing to do with the exhaust cycle.
@@izzyplusplusplus1004 You are right on the effect of water injection on the pressure inlet of the turbine. However, the turbocharger needs higher turbine temperature to improve the output. So, the temperature and pressure needs to balance up to get The most of of the water injection. The benefits of water injection is more substantial at thel medium to high load operation.
@@xmenlingcheehuat0811 The water is sprayed through some atomizing nozzles so there's absolutely no chance of hydrolocking. The evaporation process occurs for those small water droplets, so spraying it though those nozzles help with the evaporation surface increase.
Therefore the water continues to evaporate in the intake manifold where it is sprayed but then when the cylinder pressure increases, even though the temperature increases as well (during the power stroke) you don't have so much evaporation. Yet the injected water is mostly (not totally) inert during combustion and what survives will continue to evaporate due to the high temperature and the decrease in pressure. I think the excess of fuel from rich mixtures does the same, just that the fuel is more unstable in those conditions and will burn partially.
I have a water injection system... My headgasket blew
My dads van had that, he said it ran surprisingly well... for a limited time.
Oh yeah this self-installed on my car, too. It was a cloudy day on the highway
@@schievel6047 I hear its usually a self installed mod.
Internal Water Injection System. IWIS for short. Sell as is, but charge extra for it.
feelsbadman...
some flextape will fix it.
This is such a solid system. I really wish they would incorporate this into more cars. The cost / benefit makes dam good sense.
All this info and no ads, your channel is the best!
I was literally researching on this all last night and didn’t understand it. Talk about coincidence. 😂 I kinda understand this now. But yeah, thanks Maan 👌👍
A new way to blow your engine without having to wait for head gasket to fail (when warranty ends)
@@iloveg25 what? Please explain.
@@iloveg25 nonsense
calee4nyaboy Yes lol. I know. But I was researching this the night before. Then he uploaded this video. There’s a good chance he already made this video and had it planned in advance. So this instance. Not google spying. Coincidence. 😂
Just buy Ford RS, their head gaskets leak from factory.
this :D
I think it would be interesting if you did a video on the advantages/disadvantages of air to air and air to water intercoolers. They each serve their roll well.
With my 2001 VW 1.8t, water/meth injection allowed about 5 degrees advanced timing (turbo was already being pushed past its efficiency range). It was about the same as running ~97-100 octane race fuel (93+105 race gas mix). Upgraded from 3L to 5L windshield washer fluid reservoir and it would last quite a while, best part of a shared res, it lets you know when its low on the dash. The controller was set to start injection at 5lbs of boost and max over 10lbs, car was limited to 20lbs. Also had a boost-actuated dump on the exhaust after the cat that opened at 5lbs.
Windshield washer fluid is mostly methanol alcohol so good do well below 0F. This was about 15 years ago, its cool to see this on other cars now but having another maintenance item is a huge turn off to 'most' drivers. It would have been cool if BMW did a combined reservoir but for 'safety' reasons i'm sure you couldn't legally do that; depleting your windshield washer fluid.
It also has the effect of steam cleaning your engine. And to think this stuff dates back 100 years or even more with aircraft!
Ive got a CFS water /air charger in my f89 its aftermarket and twice as big as the stock one. Ive never had any problem with it
I just watched this guys turbocharger video from 2011 and wow. The growth is really evident.
It really amazes me that technology that was used almost 100 years ago, gets threw out and then comes back around. In 1923 John Deere started making the Model D tractor, also the longest running production model ever at 30 years made. They ran straight water in the radiators and had a valve that took water from the rad and injected it into the cylinders to stop ping (pre-Ignition). Also these tractors where capable of running on Gas/Diesel/Kerosene/Distillate and pretty much anything else that was flammable, Jason covered this in another video about a engine mixing gad and diesel for more efficiency. Just amazes me what technology invested that long ago comes back around and makes a difference in today's world and technology.
It disappears are comes back because there is much more control over what happens. The original systems you mention were very crude, simple tech that failed all the time, but the theory was good. Now, with computers doing all the control, these theories can be put into practice in a much more predictable way.
You could've been presenting us one or two calculations - a. Without increased boost pressure there is an optimum for peak performance - there is an equilibrium between more water molecules providing more cooling effect and repression of oxygen molecules required for combustion through that more water. And b.the increase in boost pressure will provide for more oxygen molecules per volume, but there is an equilibrium to more more water as well, a bestpoint which should be achieved - but both bp are very likely not the same. And you could have mentioned the type of 'control mechanism' BMW uses for that.
And forgot another thing: how is the change in specific consumption? As gramm per kw per hour with and without water? Maybe just slightly underneath or above the switching rpm? Muscheldiagramm des spezifischen Kraftstoffverbrauchs auf dem Prüfstand waeren noch ganz nett gewesen.
Consumption BMW M4 worse results with Skoda Fabia III by %:
112/58= 93%
70/42= 67%
85/48= 77%
Emission worse results by %:
199/109= 83%
M water?! That´s a good one. Good Explanation Jason, Regards from Europe.
You forgot to mention that the water is converted to steam during combustion. Going from liquid to gas, the water cools the surrounding area down to have enough energy to do so. Furthermore when water converts into gas, its volume is increased by 1000 fold. This also means greater downstroke force on the piston.
🤔 So it's in effect...a steam hybrid
I run a water/methanol injection system on my car to stop knock at high rpms. It's a great system!
Nice! What car do you have it on?
@@EngineeringExplained 2004 mazdaspeed miata at 15psi. About 255hp at the wheels. Fun little car! Thanks for the response!
it took 2 times to understand all of it, because it's water in engine. But you made it extremely good, and informative. Thanks
Now all a bmw needs is to figure out how to make blinker fluid work
Don't forget braking grease, or glove-box fluid!
bmw drivers: ''what is blinker?''
Just make sure you're always using sythetic blinker fluid and apply some elbow grease to the bulb
...the same day Toyota, Volvo and Skoda drivers figure that right pedal out... :)
In the 70’s I worked on P-3 Orion aircraft jet engines. We had an ADI induction system on the aircraft. At hot air temperatures the water alcohol mixture would inject into the engines on takeoff. The pilots said it was a significant boost equivalent to having an additional engine.
Saw one nearly crash the other day, maybe thats why we're in the middle of upgrading xD
Very cool. I like how this was explained. It makes perfect sense. It would be great if more manufacturers started using this type of cooling in their cars.
Very cool. Where I lived there was a man who was always experimenting spraying water in his carburator because he had noticed that his car rode better when it was misty. This was in the 1980s and early 1990s. He was ridiculed by most car journalists, but now he got his recognition! Unfortunately long after his death.
*AWESOME* video! I've always wondered about water injection since I played "Combat Flight Simulator" years ago on my old laptop. Thanks for another great video.
Last time a German water injection engine dropped in the UK it came down with the rest of the Bf109 it was fitted in.
Enjoyed the video as always, love the tech. But a side issue that I would like to know is. Does the water injection in any way help to clean inlet ports from coking up as in regular direct fuel injected engines? Btw, water injection goes way back in motoring history. interesting subject. Ooops I see others have already discussed the subject.
I just watched a video of a runaway Detroit that had water fed into the intake and it seemed to take it well, it sparked my interest now I’m here
What about the tank itself freezing if you park outside in winter? Is it pure water?
@@xenonram He doesn't say what happens to tank itself. Its it heated? It will freeze if left outside.
The tank is probably made if something a little flexible
@@isaackarjala7916 yeah, I guess the same thing as with washer fluid. It can easily freeze, and nothing especially bad will happened with the system.
@Swampy there are a lot of different types of plastic with different material properties
@Swampy ice exerts pressure the same way that hydraulics do, they don't explode.
My dad was a Pratt and Whitney engine mechanic in ww2. He told me the R2800 radial engine in the F4U Corsair fighter plane used water injection.
Where do you find all these graphics like the BMW with no body on it and the cutaway engine? I've always wondered how TH-cam channels get things like that
BMW's media website. Anyone can access it! :)
Wow! 5 liter of water create additional 50HP! that is truly Awesome innovation.Thank you sir for that simple tutorial🤝👍🏽
Wow, I’m super early. Good video as always!
New old stuff is cool. Was used in aircraft years ago, GM used it on the turbo charged 62-63 Oldsmobile Jetfire F85, GM called it Turbo-Rocket Fluid. Saab used it in the 80's and I use it now, works wonders keeping detonation down and allowing more timing.
I only use Fiji water in my BMW 😂 *jk, I'm a broke college kid*
so you use tap water in your BMW M4GTS?
So technically its a hydrogen car. Genius idea
I wonder if a water/alcohol mix would be even better. Water and alcohol are miscible in all proportions and alcohol has a higher latent heat of evaporation. I am thinking the mix would have even greater cooling properties than pure water. Perhaps 90% water and 10% alcohol.
Would be. No freezing, some extra power etc.
This reminds me of the idea of a six stroke engine, wherein water is injected at the end of the fourth stroke, creating steam, which then provides another power stroke, the fifth; then the sixth stroke occurs, which is the exhaust. Still another improvement would be to implement a real Atkinson cycle wherein the expansion volume is greater than the compression volume (not just based on ignition and valve timing).
And what happens then in the cylinder? How the water influences the combustion/emission?
Since it's evaporated Its just like driving on a humid day, more water in the air but it doesn't play a part in combustion
But still can have an effect, at least it reduces the useful displacement, what may be insignificant, I don't know, that's why I asked. ;)
@@robertkulyassa2084 to a very small degree but we need to remember that that is a replacement for displacement, and that is forced induction. Increasing the boost pressure gets more oxygen into the cylinder regardless of the fact that a tiny amount of the displacement is used up through water vapour.
@@robertkulyassa2084 the overall effect is +49 horsepower
The water can absorb heat, it expand at a good ratio (since its fairly light molecule) and can reduce wasted energy going out of the engine in heat. Fuel, when burned, also create water vapor.
Coool! I remember Clarkson reviewing this and being slightly upset about the water tank in the boot. Thanks for explaining it! I love your channel!
And they also solve the carbon deposits in the engine :p
Not true. Water solves only carbon deposits on top of pistons, inside cylinders and exhaust valves/turbo vanes. Nothing else. And this is only part of engine.
@@Fosgen doesn't it also solve the problem on the intake side? which is where all the carbon buildup happens
@@85CEKR No mate. Water is injected as cool liquid (maybe 20C degrees more than room temperature), and covering anything with slightly warm water, already covered with some dust and oil (typical for intakes of turbo charged engines), won't have any effect at all. Oil is not soluble in water, and oil viscosity is higher than water. Oil and dirt will star on intake side, for long time, unfortunately. Best way to clean it is taking off engine and soda/sodium blasting.
Water injected has it's value when turned into the steam because of temperatures inside combustion chamber. Then some specific reactions occurs:
C + H2O = CO + H2
C + H2O = CO2 + 2H2
These reactions occurs mainly on surface, so cleaning of deposits is not quick but it works and overtime surfaces coated with oil and carbon (sludge) may be completely clean. But it takes time and high temperatures of steam, constantly flowing along dirty surfaces.
@@Fosgen huh, didn't know that water did react with CO2, the free H2 might give it w tiny boost while maybe also diffusing trough the steel and stealing the carbon
@@crackedemerald4930 water is known to increase in volume by 1700 times when turn from liquid into the steam. This can be turned into mechanical energy in combustion chamber as water is squeezed with air before combustion.
I owned a rare '85 VW Scirocco with the turbocharged engine option [yes, there was one; 52 were built, it used an IHI RHB52 turbo and no intercooler. 5 psi boost = 133 hp. To find out about this kit you had to ask the dealer] that was covered under the factory warranty. This would knock at times, and at one point I installed a simple water/alcohol injection system that used a wiper fluid pump and a remote reservoir that sprayed into the plastic intake just past the air filter, and it helped. The turbo had a problem where it would break the downpipe since there was much more torque; When this happened the exhaust got REAL loud and I could see 10 psi boost~
Though I DID kill a Mustang GT dead one day because of that!
What is positive side to using mix of methanol and water? Wouldn't pure water corrode inside of intake manifold and engine head? Thanks in advance
I'm fairly sure that the intake manifold and the head are made out of aluminum, so no corrosion
Positive is it helps prevent knock. Thus higher boost/hp levels can be acheived smoothly. It also slightly cools the engine.
Methanol acts as an antifreeze
I don't think that corrosion is a big problem with this, because the water is only used rarely and in high heat situations, so it probably evaporates almost instantly. And water vapour is a byproduct of combustion anyway.
Methanol and water makes more power than water alone, interestingly pure water injection cools the air more than the mixture. Methanol also acts as an antifreeze, this tech was first used in airplanes where the water freezing was more of a concern.
4:56 -- "When you're just cruising around on the highway [...], you're going to use it far less frequently."
If Jason ever got in a car with my wife behind the wheel, he would seriously reconsider this sentence.
ah, the good old "digging out old technology and sell it as a brilliancy" lol
@@izzyplusplusplus1004 you don't say.
@@izzyplusplusplus1004 and again, you don't say!
i wasn't saying anything against that.
@@marc9283 So why your original comment then?
Engineers utilize present technologies and sciences to synthesize new technology.
It may be old tech, but refinement and integration are harder than it looks.
@@Aereto again, haven't said anything against that.
I know its lots of research but its the best content on your channel (im a bmw fanatic) 😀😀😀
How about utilizing liquid oxygen to cool it.
Rian hot damn, that’s cool.
Would love a side-by-side comparison of SRT Power Chiller vs BMW M water injection systems!
Im surprised it took the auto industry this long to come up with this. After learning a bit about compression ratios, knock prevention and air fuel ratios it was obvious to me that its more logical to use cheap water to drop temperatures instead of just more fuel
Actually implemented in the 60’s in the Oldsmobile Jetfire, though they used a combination of water and methanol.
@@EngineeringExplained dude could this also solve the carbon build up on direct injection engines?
It's been done before but having to check a water tank and filling isn't something most car owners ever want to do. Mist would probably prefer 493hp all the time and lower fuel mileage.
It was also available on 1st gen STi Type-R with manual or automatic water spray, the 90s were a cool time.
the reason you don't see it widely used is because it adds a bunch of components, nozzles, lines that cost money. Not to mention the computer having to adjust according to outside temps. All that stuff adds money and weight for a negliable amount of HP. Pretty useless in most cars simply because they don't have turbos.
Immaculate bro. Searching super efficient ICE, Google, Deferred Atkinson Cycle ... ...
IJECTION
like when you see it
Hahaha, nice! I'm truly pitiful at spelling.
SUSTAINED
I was just about to suggest that he upgrade his whiteboard to one with spell check.
Ha! I thought he was branding it as a joke.
I knew a guy who sold kits for water injection that improved fuel economy dramatically. The atomised water also turns to steam expanding during the combustion cycle improving torque.
Imagine one of those injectors being stuck open. Rips the whole block apart
Marke injectors very rarely stick open and how is a mist of water being sprayed into the intake manifold going to rip the block apart? lol
@@shenaniganshop3309 ever heard of flooding an engine? On (at least slightly) compressible gasoline that's one thing. Water is not compressible. That's going to increase the "compression ratio" drastically
Marke liquid gasoline isn’t compressible either lol and how often do you hear about leaky fuel injectors hydro locking an engine? Not very so I’m sure it will be even less common then a fuel injector leaking since it gets used much less, also the water injectors spray a very fine mist that’s why five liters of water can last a whole 15 gallon tank of gas, they hardly spray any water. Not gonna be a problem.
@@shenaniganshop3309 If you say so dude
Marke instantly thought of rolling my poor 84 LT125 Suzuki ATV in a local pond. It didn't hydro lock luckily. But interesting thought, bet they injectors are engineered to fail in a closed position. Like o2's fail lean,so the ecu interprets and saves us by running rich. Rambling on here......have a good one
An excellent explanation as always. This technology has been around for years. I think WW2 airplanes used methonal injection. My neighbor was an amazing inventor, engineer&mechanic. He put water injection systems on multiple vehicles including a huge diesel powered fishing trawler. This was mid '50s to about 1975 when he just quit everything else to build dirt track race cars.
Does that require distilled water?
Exactly
Of course!
Mountain Dew
The reason I ask is because a system that advanced could have a filtration system with a micron rating that would be sufficient to clean water. Also where I live gas is around 2.20$ per gallon and distilled water is 75 cents to 1$. Does that water really need to be cleaner than the fuel?
@@melaniew77msn it's not about the price, distilling water is a easy and cheap process and it makes water almost pure, and about the filtering the water, maintaince costs of BMWs are already very high, a filter would be something to be changed once in a while, and it would make maintenance higher and make the car less independent, so thank you bmw! This car better off without a filter for that water!
You should do a video on how changing your tire size from manufacturer recommended will affect power, torque, handling, and fuel economy. And if you would change tire size, if you would also need to change tire pressure from manufacturer recommended.
But what if you used methanol instead?
it wouldn't be so exciting and "new" to the uninformed consumer hahahaha
Wet shot. I’m not sure how much it would cool the cylinder (alcohol having a lower boiling point), but you’d definitely get an increase in power output. WET SHOT!
Max of 50/50 is safe in a non race vehicle. Methanol by its self burns in a almost invisible flame. Though I don't think BMW will post a rating with any mix of methanol, for safety/legal/warranty reasons.
Edit: to be safe, and cheap. My system I use -20 windshield washer fluid.
Put some quality vodka in there! You have both alcohol and water😂, but I'm afraid it's going to be expensive
Very interesting video! My dad added a water injector to a mid '80s VW "Rabbit" that didn't have fuel injection, and it wasn't a regular carburetor. That weird application was what we had, and he said the water helped it. I imagine he was right, because he was an engineer and basically right about everything.
*NOTIFICATION SQUAD* 😆😆😆
Always thought it was a bit of a weird innovation. Makes sense now that EE discusses it.
Why use water for +50 hp??? Just use a fake hood vent, every one knows you can get +200 hp with it
I’m glad that we’re finally getting over putting fake hood vents on production cars. Still a couple that do it, but mostly dead.
@@EngineeringExplained But, gotta keep the JDM badges. Good for many hp's, even on German cars!
I’ve use water injection for many, many years on my turbo cars. I use the windshield washer reservoir and windshield washer fluid (the -20 degree stuff) in the winter and usually straight water when temps are staying above freezing.
so its basically a meth injection ?
Future BMW engines set for the European RDE2 emission laws will also have water injection (at least the high power versions). In regard of emissions, water injection has 2 major benefits: 1) you can run way more spark advance, increasing efficiency. 2) you can basically run stochiometric throughout the whole operating range. This means much more fuel efficiency and way less emissions (particles, HC).
Wow, BMW actually made an engine that might not explode in the first 10,000 miles even if you're driving it hard.
Are modern BMWs really that bad?
I still love my old 92 E36. No vanos, no turbos, no problems. As far as I can tell the M50 engine is pretty bulletproof.
zuilok yes they are bad. As soon as the warranty is over, they will just empty your wallet.
@@zuilok some of them have well-known issues that are problematic, but if those are handled then they're just demanding of higher/more attentive maintenance, like anything German.
As usual, very simple and professional explanation.
Despite I am aware of these principles, I love to watch your videos.
It's only exciting until it break/fail.
Yes....and it causes a total engine breakdown...then needing a brand new engine
@@nylnyl. Not really. I don't think a failure would cause the engine to flood with water.
That logic can be applied to absolutely any car haha. They're exciting when they work, less so when they don't. And again, if the system were to fail, you'd still have 444 HP.
@@KP3droflxp that's not the concern...
@@EngineeringExplained good point! Haha.
My 2010 335d tuned and all the emissions crap coded out it makes 428hp at the wheels, 650 ftlbs torque. and gets 40+ mpg. Diesel M3. Also have a 04 M3 way more fun to drive then the diesel, only 355 to the wheels. And a 8250 rpm redline. I absolutely love the sounds it makes. A friend described the sound as a symphony of bad ass. I liked that saying. Actually check my channel there’s a video titled symphony a bad ass. The diesel will destroy it in a straight line. Also at 80 mph in the rain with traction control on it breaks loose. Gotta be super careful driving it. It’s torque from idle to redline. A freaking torque monster. I had to have my transmission custom rebuilt with stronger components bc the stock didn’t last much more than 6 months. Great explanation of the water injection on the gts. All your videos are great. Easy for anyone to understand from people with little to no knowledge of engineering or anything mechanical and for the rest of us that do this for a living. I have owned and operated a independent BMW repair shop and salvage yard for almost 30 years. Man I’m getting old. Just realized how old after the 1/4 century of working on them. My partner has the same level of experience. We started fixing them right when we graduated high school and between the two of us not counting the 3 other techs we have. We have over 50 years of BMW specific training and knowledge. Keep up the great work.
Good now we have more plastic parts to break
This is always a fun principle to explain to people. I usually start by taking a room temperature can of [choice beverage] and making it ice cold in a few minutes. Your video is long enough to do this. You could've cracked open an ice cold Dewski at the end. (Remix edit?) Anyways, I've always heard about this "trick" from old school hot rodders and racers. Cool to see it being used.
I assume most people with this car will be using the purest of bottled waters. I'd be interested to see what my local municipality water would do to the engine. When I wash my car, I have to go wash it again somewhere else.
I imagine they engineered in a filter for just such a reason.
There's engineering then there's over-engineering.
Awesome as usual, Jason! 😃
1st
Not for my girlfriend.
She fails to put water in the windshield washer reservoir.
2st
what about blinker fluid?
@@evilemperor6426 don't even get me started on the blinker fluid. She never even buys the right fluid
@Swampy that's good to know. Why haven't the guys at UnboxTherapy done an unboxing of that. People have a right to know... Let me call my local auto zone.
....
Ive never had these issues with my old Toyota Celica.
First off idk where you're from but windshield washer fluid is made from a methanol and distilled water blend..
Good explanation as always. Thanks. Please become more metric friendly...
Finally. Thank you, i was wandering how water injection works in M4 GTS
Saab used Water Injection on the 99 Turbo in 1975. In fact you could buy a "Saab Water Injection" upgrade kit in Saab dealerships up until about 1987 for installation on the 900 T16.
GEE-WIZZ, BMW thought about everything to do with H2O injection that was thought about in the 1930's. FYI - Aircraft systems used 50/50 Water/Alcohol. Test with a P51 engines were able to increase boost, without denotation until the engine self destructed. Problem with H2O injection systems which were available in the 1960/1970's was servicing the systems (distilled H2O) and liquid leaking into the cylinders when the Car sat for periods, causing liquid lock, and subsequent cyl-head failure. Good work though, Thanks
I built my own water to air intercooler system, including a butane compressor to actually cool the water. Super efficient
Very cool! I love the idea of using the refrigerant lines to cool the intake manifold/ head/ or intercooler/ injection system. Seems logical to cool it as much as possible
thank you for not stretching the video to 10 min
Great info. You brought many topic in which many people including myself had such as water reservoir being empty
Every other time I’ve seen water in a motor t was catastrophic. Neat!
Pretty awesome stuff, it's like upgraded version of intercooler, added water spray (instead of all into radiator), not that complicated yet gives extra 50hp. But it's pretty funny when people called it 'water injection system kicked-in'. Hahaha.
Thank you for the explanation in the description
Had a setup like this on my old drag car 20 years ago. Works well
Jason, again well done. Really like your teaching style, great subjects too. Thank you.
HAPPY 3MIL!!!❤️
Can't imagine these much tech in BMW after 10 years as I worked with old e38 and E60 tech issues myself. Pretty sure they'll be salvaged 🙂
In Brazil, most vehicles are "flex", that is, they can use gasohol (73%/27%) or ethanol, the latter with 4% water. The use of ethanol tends to bring a power gain of up to 5%.
Informative and entertaining as always. Can you please do a similar video on the Mercedes M256 engine?
One of advantages of a water injection - also it's can reduce carbon deposits on piston head and combustion chamber. If you ever disassemble engine with leaking coolant over the gasket in into one of cylinder you might notice than top of a piston is shiny and like new.
Another great video.
Man the ICE have gotten so extremely good and efficient. I think of this engine like the Doble steam car, technology pushed to its limit but in an antiquated system, and in 100 years people will reverse engineer these and be awstruck at the complexity and cool designs. People are awsome.
we injected water in 1980 mustang 4 cylinders with turbos back in 1980
Great vid!
We were using water/methanol injection under turbo boost back in 1980. We also had a MSD timing control unit that reduced the advance under boost.
I remember back in the late 50s early 60s, my uncle had a water injection system on his Riley. Old idea but I guess zee chermans have improved it a little.
Luv your.videos man. I learn so much
Keep it up