Kawasaki says its new 25.5-hp FX730V-EFI engine utilizes the most technologically advanced EFI system ever built by the company. The new system incorporates a fully integrated electronic governor and an advanced ECU (engine control unit) that instantly matches power to cutting load and ground speed.
Kawasaki had introduced its first electronic fuel-injected engine for the turf industry, the FS730V EFI, in the fall of 2014. Doug Freeman, a spokesperson for Kawasaki, says that technology was developed to be cross-functional with other engine series and sizes. Now, the new FX730V-EFI utilizes that same technology—but Kawasaki has tested it and refined it to meet their strict standards for commercial use.
“The (new) FX has built on the foundation the FS had already laid,” Freeman says. “Compared to past Kawasaki Fuel Injection (DFI), this new EFI platform on the FS730V and FX730V is their most advanced and efficient fuel-injection technology.”
The new Kawasaki EFI will also be available on other select models of FX Series and FS Series engines, with plans to incorporate it in additional models. As far as where you might find the new FX730V-EFI engine on some of today’s commercial mowers, for instance, Freeman says the engine is currently being tested by a number of manufacturers. “We will allow them to announce their future lineups,” Freeman adds.
Highlights of the new Kawasaki EFI. Helping to avoid typical hillside mowing slowdowns, the load-matching e-governor keeps drive wheels and cutting blades working at peak productivity, Kawasaki points out, while adding that the elimination of power loss through the entire load range lets operators move quickly through almost any turf conditions.
Other design and operational highlights include:
- Multi-port sequential fuel injection for high-precision fuel delivery, maximizing power per stroke and fuel economy
- High-pressure “returnless” fuel system offers consistent fuel delivery and smooth operations in high-temperature situations
- An ECU that continuously monitors ambient conditions and engine performance, delivering optimum power and efficiency in all situations, regardless of weather conditions
- No need for cold-start choke, automatic enrichment to assure fast, dependable starts in any type of weather
- Engine temperature monitoring guards against overheating
- Optimum blade tip speed
- Open-loop design
- PC or tablet plug-in diagnostic system for quick and easy troubleshooting, accurate service and minimized downtime
- Same footprint as Kawasaki carbureted engine models, so upgrading to EFI is clean and easy, Kawasaki assures
- Kawasaki's exclusive SAE Certified Critical Power ensures that engines deliver a minimum of 98% of rated horsepower
Technician training. Kawasaki added EFI training to its two-day, hands-on technical schools this past fall, along with one-day update schools throughout the Jan-Feb 2016 period. Dealers use the Kawasaki engine/diagnostic simulator in the hands-on school to troubleshoot problems, but are simply given a tour of the simulator in the update schools.
“The Kawasaki Electronic Interface (KEI) is very intuitive and allows touch-screen operation on Windows tablets or PCs,” Freeman points out. “The tool can read active and inactive trouble codes, will present freeze-frame data at the time the code is triggered, and the trouble codes are linked to sections of the service manual to walk through diagnostics and repair.”
