danoid wrote:
If the transmission is keeping engine rpms above idle there is no need for fuel. Air passes through, but there is no need to keep a three way catalyst in stiochiometric ratio like inferior engines. The low idle limit doesn't need to feed fuel to stop from stalling and there is no request from the driver for torque when coasting. So zero fuel.
OK, it's not that simple, but it's close. There is a period of time that the fuel ramps down to near zero to avoid sudden driveline lurches. And coasting down while above your set speed in cruise control still trickles a little (set your cruise to 50, then accelerate to 80, coast to 60, press cancel and you'll feel it). Others are more knowledgable (spelling?) than I, I'm just a transmission guy.
Like you say, it's not that simple. Not even close. Picture this: you are coasting down a long mountain, the temperature is -10*, your engine is being pushed round and round at 2200 RPM, 3080 liters of very cold air is pumping through your cylinders every minute, the viscous heater is moving too fast for the clutch to be engaged (not that it would be able to keep up anyway), oil is getting sucked past the rings and becoming very stiff, your rings are trying hard not to break. How long do you think it would be before your fingers fell off?
Just like gas engines, oilers also need heat when coasting or bad things happen. The problem with diesels is that they don't idle at stoich, and so can't heat the air stream nearly as well. that is why you will see slowly dropping temps when coasting in cold weather. Try turning off the engine, even in warm weather, while going down a mountain in gear and you will see what I'm talking about when the temp needle drops to zero in like a minute.
It is well established in the hyper miler community that dropping out of gear, while coasting down is the better way to save fuel in a gasser or in a diesel. If the engine is spinning at 2200 RPM, it injects the same amount per power stroke as the minimum amount injected at idle.