The engine management computer on the ■■■■■■■ M11 in my motor has been playing up over the last couple of weeks. The lights would come on signifying a fault, but she plodded on. Things got worse Thursday, and last Friday I kept loosing power, and under the canopys at trinity, all revs went! Luckilly, I got back from Felix, and have been local while waiting to get it looked at.
Today, I got the motor in for diagnostics, it transpired thats what been happening is that a faulty oil sender sensor was telling the main engine comp that there was low or no oil pressure (there is over 2 bars) and henceforeth the EMU in its wisdom kept shutting me down. It proved to me that with computer managed engines you can have a problem without there actually being one! Anyway, a replacement sender convinced the computer all was well!
It got me thinking a bit, what about these computer actuated brakes that have been mentioned? A faulty sender might decide that youre in imminent danger of running up the arse end of a artic, and the computer then piles tha anchors on! In that possible scenario, It dont take a genius to imagine what the result could be with a relaxed driver, oblivious to what the computer might be deciding!
Add to this the computerised security panel on Cat powered Fodens, which makes you enter a 4 digit code with only up and down buttons… EVERY time you try and start it up.
Can you imagine how amused everyone behind me was when I stalled a 32t hook loader on a roundabout in Avonmouth?
Having been a computer engineer in may past, I have little confidence in their ability to do anything “Mission critical”. I check the brand of aircraft before i fly, and would refuse to go in a later Airbus for the same reason.
Unfortunately people seem to think computers are “clever” similar to you Ive studied them also for over 5 years and built quite a few. They are as dumb as a monkey wrench in reality. Great tools, but attaching any notion of real intelligence to them is a serious mistake!
our volvo’s ecu’s where playing up since we got them,it took volvo nearly 2years to admit that they where faulty.i’v got an MAN now and you have to rely on the computer to give you a good oil reading as the dip stick is underneath the cab and can’t be accessed,unless you tilt the cab.technology.
You might be interested to know Jim, the dealership where I went today was MAN/ERF as its more local than the Iveco SA people, and the bloke told me that they have to pay MAN about £600 a month to rent the diag equipment! ■■■■■■■ charge about £1500 a year he said.
Why are trucks going all computerised anyway ? It doesn’t matter what vehicle you drive they never seem to give an accurate reading when checking the oil. The truck manufacturers are starting to put the dipstick in inaccessible places so you have to tilt the cab to check it. Why ?
The point is, the EU doesn’t stop the manufacturers from sticking the dipstick under the bonnet.
How about this for a conspiracy theory…! The manufacturers program the computers to give false readings. In 2 -3 years time, the engines are that knackered they need replacing. They’ll probably increase the price of replacement engines which means the cost of replacing a whole truck is far more cost-effective than just the engine !
there are some very interesting points raised on this subject…i would like to enlighten you all as to how some other situations have also arisen from the computer technology…
a friend of mine was delivering in italy but as he was driving and approaching a set of traffic lights his engine cut out…he tried to re-start it but without success so he phoned the boss…who in turn phoned volvo…they informed him that a payment for the truck was late…and they were controlling the engine management system…he explained that his driver was causing an obstruction and needed to move the truck…they gave him 10 km`s to move the truck to a safe parking area whilst the boss had to make payment in order to get the truck mobile again…which was an oversight anyway…but it goes to show what technology lies underneath the bonnet…big brother is watching…
have a nice day
A friend of mine was telling me that when he had finished unloading on a bay the other day he could not get any gears in his New Actros he rang merc who told him(after taking all his/vehicle details) that sombody will come out to him asap.
After an hour of waiting nobody had turned up so he rang back to be told that the job had been done.He assured them it hadn’t as nobody had arrived they said they would double check and ring him back.wenty minutes later they rang back and confirmed the job had been done.Again he said it had not he was then asked to try the vehicle again and low and behold it was cured.
The repair had been carried out via reprogramming the g/box via the gsm network.
this raises a number of issues with me
a,had he not had a new motor under warranty would they have still repaired it via gsm or would they have sent a fitter (call out charges)?
b, if they can fix a fault via gsm then they can create a fault by gsm (maybe workshop has not hit its targets for that month?)
brummie:
The point is, the EU doesn’t stop the manufacturers from sticking the dipstick under the bonnet.
Fair play Brummie, they dont, thats down to the manufactureres, but I was on about the reason why the EMU’s got fitted in the first place, emissions control. Well, thats my understanding of it at least.
I remember being handed the keys to a brand new ERF C series in 84. An ERF & ■■■■■■■ trainer spent a week with 12 of us telling us to monitor the computer at all times and obey the red engine light at all times, after one week the red engine light came on while traveling up the M1 near Wooly Edge, I phoned in and was told by the same guy to “Just ignore it”
Mal:
Fair play Brummie, they dont, thats down to the manufactureres, but I was on about the reason why the EMU’s got fitted in the first place, emissions control. Well, thats my understanding of it at least.
Mal, surely regardless whether it is the EU’s doing or not, thecontrol of emissions and the reduction in pollution has to be a good thing for us all? We all have to try to exsist on this already over polluted planet.
Mal:
Fair play Brummie, they dont, thats down to the manufactureres, but I was on about the reason why the EMU’s got fitted in the first place, emissions control. Well, thats my understanding of it at least.
Mal, surely regardless whether it is the EU’s doing or not, thecontrol of emissions and the reduction in pollution has to be a good thing for us all? We all have to try to exsist on this already over polluted planet.
Well, you know me Neil, I take every opportunity to take a pop at the EU!
But, I agree in part about the emmissions, problem is, only a small percentage of the world population is being targeted to pay for this global clean up act, whilst multinationals take advantage of the fact in other nations that are not in any way shackled by the same stringent regulations and henceforth destroying our ability to be competitive!
Mal:
It got me thinking a bit, what about these computer actuated brakes that have been mentioned? A faulty sender might decide that youre in imminent danger of running up the arse end of a artic, and the computer then piles tha anchors on! In that possible scenario, It dont take a genius to imagine what the result could be with a relaxed driver, oblivious to what the computer might be deciding!
You mean some “professional” muppet drifting along at 50mph in lane one on c/c away with the fairies.
(sorry Mal, coud’nt resist that)
on friday my erf ec11 started misfiring then rev up by itself so i got it to a lay by,still doing its own thing…red and orange lights flashing on the dash as though it was christmas so it was dragged home and sent to ■■■■■■■ this morning,now it turned out to be the alternator over charging which in turn ( there words not mine) confused the ecm.so the engine didnt no wot to do… now i was confused and still am…but its done the trick
In that possible scenario, It dont take a genius to imagine what the result could be with a relaxed driver, oblivious to what the computer might be deciding!
. Assuming you’re talking about the Atki which is an Iveco at the end of the day. Nuff said 
