The powertrain control module (PCM) is designed to maintain exhaust emission levels while maintaining excellent driveability and fuel efficiency. The PCM controls the following operations:

Powertrain Control Module

The powertrain control module (PCM) is located in the engine compartment. The PCM is the control center of the vehicle. It controls the following:

The PCM constantly monitors the information from various sensors and controls the systems that affect vehicle performance and emissions. The PCM also performs the diagnostic functions for those systems. The PCM can recognize operational problems and alert the driver through the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) when a malfunction has occurred. When a malfunction is detected, the PCM stores a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) which helps to identify problem areas. This is done to aid the technician in making repairs.

The PCM supplies either 5.0 or 12.0 volts to power various sensors and switches. This is done through resistances in the PCM. The resistance is so high in value that a test lamp does not illuminate when connected to the circuit. In some cases, even an ordinary shop voltmeter does not give an accurate reading because the voltmeters resistance is too low. Therefore, a DMM with a minimum of 10 megaohms input impedance is required to ensure accurate voltage readings.

The PCM controls output circuits such as the fuel injectors, the idle air control (IAC), the cooling fan relays, etc. by controlling the ground or the power feed circuit through transistors or a device called an output driver module.

Torque Management

Torque management is a function of the PCM that reduces engine power under certain conditions. Torque management is performed for the following reasons:

1. To prevent over-stressing the powertrain and driveline components
2. To prevent damage to the vehicle during certain abusive maneuvers
3. To reduce engine speed when the IAC is out of the normal operating range

The PCM monitors the following sensors and engine parameters in order to calculate engine output torque:

The PCM monitors the torque converter status, the transmission gear ratio, and the engine speed in order to determine if torque reduction is required. The PCM retards the spark as appropriate to reduce engine torque output if torque reduction is required. The PCM also shuts OFF the fuel to certain injectors in order to reduce the engine power in the case of an abusive maneuver.

The following are instances when engine power reduction is likely to be experienced:

The driver is unlikely to notice the torque management actions in the first 2 instances. The engine power output is moderate at full throttle in the other cases.

The PCM calculates the amount of spark retard necessary to reduce the engine power by the desired amount. The PCM disables the fuel injectors for cylinders 1, 4, 6, and 7 in the case of an abusive maneuver.

PCM Function

The PCM supplies a buffered voltage to various sensors and switches. The PCM controls most components with electronic switches which complete a ground circuit when turned ON.

Use of Circuit Testing Tools

Do not use a test lamp in order to diagnose the powertrain electrical systems unless specifically instructed by the diagnostic procedures. Use the J 35616-A connector test adapter kit whenever diagnostic procedures call for probing any connectors.

Basic Knowledge Required

Without a basic knowledge of electricity, it will be difficult to use the diagnostic procedures contained in this section. You should understand the basic theory of electricity and know the meaning of voltage (volts), current (amps) and resistance (ohms). You should understand what happens in a circuit with an open or a shorted wire. You should be able to read and understand a wiring diagram.

PCM Service Precautions

The PCM is designed to withstand normal current draws associated with vehicle operations. Avoid overloading any circuit. When testing for opens or shorts, do not ground any of the PCM circuits unless instructed. When testing for opens or shorts, do not apply voltage to any of the PCM circuits unless instructed. Only test these circuits with a DMM while the PCM connectors remain connected.

Aftermarket (Add-On) Electrical And Vacuum Equipment

Aftermarket, add-on electrical and vacuum equipment is defined as any equipment installed on a vehicle after leaving the factory that connects to the vehicles electrical or vacuum systems. No allowances have been made in the vehicle design for this type of equipment.

Notice: Do not attach add-on vacuum operated equipment to this vehicle. The use of add-on vacuum equipment may result in damage to vehicle components or systems.

Notice: Connect any add-on electrically operated equipment to the vehicle's electrical system at the battery (power and ground) in order to prevent damage to the vehicle.

Add-on electrical equipment, even when installed to these strict guidelines, may still cause the powertrain system to malfunction. This may also include equipment not connected to the vehicles electrical system such as portable telephones and radios. Therefore, the first step in diagnosing any powertrain problem is to eliminate all aftermarket electrical equipment from the vehicle. After this is done, if the problem still exists, diagnose the problem in the normal manner.

Electrostatic Discharge Damage

Notice: In order to prevent possible Electrostatic Discharge damage to the PCM, Do Not touch the connector pins or the soldered components on the circuit board.

Electronic components used in the control systems are often designed in order to carry very low voltage. Electronic components are susceptible to damage caused by electrostatic discharge. Less than 100 volts of static electricity can cause damage to some electronic components. There are several ways for a person to become statically charged. The most common methods of charging are by friction and by induction. An example of charging by friction is a person sliding across a car seat. Charging by induction occurs when a person with well insulated shoes stands near a highly charged object and momentarily touches ground. Charges of the same polarity are drained off, leaving the person highly charged with the opposite polarity. Static charges can cause damage. Therefore, it is important to use care when handling and testing electronic components.

Engine Controls Information

The driveability and emissions information describes the function and operation of the powertrain control module (PCM).

The engine controls Information contains the following:

The Component System includes the following items:

The DTCs also contain diagnostic support information containing circuit diagrams, circuit or system information, and helpful diagnostic information.

Maintenance Schedule

Refer to the General Motors Maintenance Schedule of the appropriate service category for the maintenance that the owner or technician should perform in order to retain emission control performance.

Visual and Physical Underhood Inspection

Perform a careful visual and physical underhood inspection when performing any diagnostic procedure or diagnosing the cause of an emission test failure. This can often lead to repairing a problem without further steps. Use the following guidelines when performing a visual and physical inspection:

This visual and physical inspection is very important. Preform the inspection carefully and thoroughly.

Basic Knowledge Of Tools Required

Important: Lack of basic knowledge of this powertrain when performing diagnostic procedures could result in incorrect diagnosis or damage to powertrain components. Do not attempt to diagnose a powertrain problem without this basic knowledge.

A basic understanding of hand tools is necessary in order to effectively use this information.

System Status and Drive Cycle For Inspection/Maintenance

The System Status selection is included in the scan tool System Info menu.

Several states require that the I/M (OBD ll system) pass on-board tests for the major diagnostics prior to having a vehicle emission inspection. This is also a requirement to renew license plates in some areas.

Using a scan tool, the technician can observe the System Status, complete or not complete, in order to verify that the vehicle meets the criteria to comply with local area requirements. Using the System Status display, any of the following systems or combination of systems may be monitored for I/M Readiness:

Important: The System Status display indicates only whether or not the test has been completed. The System Status display does not necessarily mean that the test has passed. If a Failed Last Test indication is present for a DTC associated with one of the above systems, diagnosis and repair is necessary in order to meet the I/M requirement. Verify that the vehicle passes all of the diagnostic tests associated with the displayed System Status prior to returning the vehicle to the customer. Refer to the Typical Drive Cycle table, more than one drive cycle may be needed, to use as a guide to complete the I/M System Status tests.

Following a DTC info clear, System Status clears for one or all of these systems. Following a battery disconnect or a PCM replacement, all System Status information clears.

Primary System Based Diagnostics

There are primary system-based diagnostics which evaluate the system operation and their effect on vehicle emissions. The primary system-based diagnostics are listed below, with a brief description of the diagnostic functionality.

Oxygen Sensor Diagnosis

Diagnose the fuel control heated oxygen sensors for the following conditions:

Diagnose the catalyst monitor heated oxygen sensors for the following functions:

Heated Oxygen Sensors

The main function of the pre-catalyst heated oxygen sensor (HO2S) is to provide the PCM with exhaust stream information in order to maintain proper fueling to hold emissions within acceptable levels. These oxygen sensors are always located between the exhaust manifold and the catalytic converter. After the sensor reaches the operating temperature, the sensor generates a voltage inversely proportional to the amount of oxygen present in the exhaust gases.

The PCM uses the signal voltage from the fuel control heated oxygen sensors in a Closed Loop in order to adjust the fuel injector pulse width. While in a Closed Loop, the PCM can adjust fuel delivery in order to maintain an air to fuel ratio which allows the best combination of emission control and driveability.

If the oxygen sensor pigtail wiring, connector, or terminal are damaged, replace the entire oxygen sensor assembly. Do not attempt to repair the wiring, the connector, or the terminals. In order for the sensor to function properly, the sensor must have a clean air reference provided to it. This clean air reference is obtained by way of the oxygen sensor wires. Any attempt to repair the wires, connectors, or terminals could result in the obstruction of the air reference. Any attempt to repair the wires, connectors, or terminals could degrade oxygen sensor performance.

Catalyst Monitor Heated Oxygen Sensors

In order to control emissions of hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), the system uses a 3-way catalytic converter. The catalyst promotes a chemical reaction which oxidizes the HC and CO present in the exhaust gas, converting the HC and CO into harmless water vapor and carbon dioxide. The catalyst also converts NOx to nitrogen. Catalyst monitor HO2S, post-catalyst HO2S, are always located downstream of the catalytic converter.

The PCM has the ability to monitor this process using the post catalyst heated oxygen sensors. The pre-sensors produce an output signal which indicates the amount of oxygen present in the exhaust gas entering the 3-way catalytic converter. The post sensor produces an output signal which indicates the oxygen storage capacity of the catalyst. This in turn indicates the catalysts ability to convert exhaust gases efficiently. If the catalyst is operating efficiently, the pre-HO2S signal is far more active than that produced by the post-HO2S.

In addition to catalyst monitoring, the post-HO2S has a limited role in controlling fuel delivery. If the post-HO2S signal indicates a high or low oxygen content for an extended period of time while in a Closed Loop, the PCM adjusts the fuel delivery slightly in order to compensate.

Catalyst Monitor Diagnostic Operation

The catalyst monitor diagnostic measures oxygen storage capacity of the catalyst converter. In order to do this, the heated sensors are installed before and after the 3-way catalyst (TWC). Voltage variations between the sensors allow the PCM to determine the catalyst emission performance.

As a catalyst becomes less effective in promoting chemical reactions, the catalysts capacity to store and release oxygen generally degrades. The catalyst monitor diagnostic is based on a correlation between conversion efficiency and oxygen storage capacity.

A good catalyst, e.g. 95 degrees hydrocarbon conversion efficiency, shows a relatively flat output voltage on the post-catalyst heated oxygen sensor (HO2S). A degraded catalyst, 65 percent hydrocarbon conversion, shows a greatly increased activity in output voltage from the post catalyst HO2S.

The post-catalyst HO2S is used to measure the oxygen storage and release capacity of the catalyst. A high oxygen storage capacity indicates a good catalyst. Low oxygen storage capacity indicates a failing catalyst. The TWC and the HO2S must be at operating temperature in order to achieve correct oxygen sensor voltages like those shown in the post-catalyst HO2S outputs graphic.

The catalyst monitor diagnostic is sensitive to the following conditions:

Exhaust system leaks may cause the following:

Some of the contaminants that may be encountered are phosphorus, lead, silica, and sulfur. The presence of these contaminants prevent the TWC diagnostic from functioning properly.

Three-Way Catalyst Oxygen Storage Capacity

The PCM must monitor the 3-way catalyst system (TWC) for efficiency. In order to accomplish this, the PCM monitors the pre-catalyst and post-catalyst oxygen sensors. When the TWC is operating properly, the post-catalyst (2) oxygen sensor shows significantly less activity than the pre-catalyst (1) oxygen sensor. The TWC stores oxygen during the normal reduction and oxidation process. The TWC releases oxygen during its normal reduction and oxidation process. The PCM calculates the oxygen storage capacity using the difference between the pre-catalyst and post-catalyst oxygen sensor voltage levels.

Whenever the sensor activity of the post-catalyst (2) oxygen sensor nears the sensor activity of the pre-catalyst (1) oxygen sensor, the catalysts efficiency is degraded.

Aftermarket HO2S characteristics may be different from the original equipment manufacturer sensor. This may lead to a false pass or a false fail of the catalyst monitor diagnostic. Similarly, if an aftermarket catalyst does not contain the same amount of precious metal content as the original part, the correlation between oxygen storage and conversion efficiency may be altered enough to set a false DTC.

Misfire Monitor Diagnostic Operation

The misfire monitor diagnostic is based on crankshaft rotational velocity, aka reference period, variations. The PCM determines crankshaft rotational velocity using the crankshaft position (CKP) sensor and camshaft position (CMP) sensor. When a cylinder misfires, the crankshaft slows down momentarily. By monitoring the crankshaft and camshaft position sensor signals, the PCM can calculate when a misfire occurs.

For a non-catalyst damaging misfire, the diagnostic is required to monitor a misfire present for between 1,000-3,200 engine revolutions.

For catalyst damage misfire, the diagnostic responds to the misfire within 200 engine revolutions.

Rough roads may cause false misfire detection. A rough road applies sudden torque variations to the drive wheels and drivetrain. This torque can intermittently decrease the crankshaft rotational velocity. The antilock braking (ABS) system detects uneven speed between the vehicles wheels and sends data via the serial data bus to the PCM to disable the misfire monitor until the rough road is no longer detected.

On automatic transmission equipped vehicles, the torque converter clutch (TCC) disables whenever a misfire is detected. Disabling the TCC isolates the engine from the rest of the drive line and minimizes the effect of the drive wheel inputs on crankshaft rotation.

When the TCC has disabled as a result of misfire detection, the TCC is re-enabled after approximately 3,200 engine revolutions if no misfire is detected. The TCC remains disabled whenever the misfire is detected, with or without a DTC set. This allows the misfire diagnostic to reevaluate the system.

Whenever a cylinder misfires, the misfire diagnostic counts the misfire and notes the crankshaft position at the time the misfire occurred.

A current and a history misfire counter is maintained for each cylinder. The misfire current counters, Misfire Cur #1-8, indicate the number of firing events out of the last 200 cylinder firing events which were misfires. The misfire current counters displays real time data without a misfire DTC stored. The misfire history counters, Misfire Hist #1-8, indicate the total number of cylinder firing events which were misfires. The misfire history counters display 0 until the misfire diagnostic has failed and a DTC P0300 is set. Once the misfire DTC sets, the misfire history counters will be updated every 200 cylinder firing events. The Misfire counters graphic illustrates how these misfire counters are maintained.

When crankshaft rotation is erratic, the PCM detects a misfire condition. Because of this erratic condition, the data that is collected by the diagnostic can sometimes incorrectly identify which cylinder is misfiring. The Misfire Counters graphic shows there are misfires counted from more than one cylinder. Cylinder #1 has the majority of counted misfires. In this case, the misfire counters would identify cylinder #1 as the misfiring cylinder. The misfires in the other counters were just background noise caused by the erratic rotation of the crankshaft. If the number of accumulated misfires is sufficient for the diagnostic to identify a true misfire, the diagnostic will set DTC P0300--Misfire Detected. The illustration depicts an accumulation in the history buffers.

If two cylinders in sequential firing order are both misfiring, the first misfiring cylinder will accumulate misfires in its buffer, but the second misfiring cylinder will not. This is because the PCM compares a misfiring cylinder with the cylinder 90 degrees prior to it in the firing order. Therefore the PCM would be comparing crankshaft speed of the second misfiring cylinder to an already suspect cylinder. The PCM however, will be able to detect both misfiring cylinders after the engine exceeds 2,000 RPM. This is because the PCM then starts to compare misfires to the opposing cylinder rather than the previous cylinder in the firing order.

Use Techline equipment to monitor the misfire counter data on applicable vehicles. Knowing which specific cylinders misfire can lead to the root cause. Using the information in the misfire counters identifies which cylinders are misfiring. If the counters indicate cylinders number 1 and 4 misfired, look for a circuit or component common to both cylinders.

The misfire diagnostic may indicate a fault due to a temporary fault not necessarily caused by a vehicle emission system malfunction. Examples include the following items:

Fuel Trim System Operation

The fuel trim system monitors the averages of short-term and long-term fuel trim values. If these fuel trim values stay at their limits for a calibrated period of time, a malfunction is indicated. The fuel trim diagnostic compares the average of short and long-term fuel trim values. If either value is within the thresholds, a pass is recorded. If either value is outside the thresholds, a rich or lean fuel trim DTC will set.

Comprehensive Component Monitor Diagnostic

Comprehensive component monitoring diagnostics are required to monitor emissions-related input and output powertrain components.

Input Components

The PCM monitors the input components for circuit continuity and out-of-range values. This includes performance checking. Performance checking refers to indicating a fault when the signal from a sensor does not seem reasonable, such as a throttle position (TP) sensor that indicates high throttle position at low engine loads or MAP voltage. The input components may include, but are not limited to, the following sensors:

In addition to the circuit continuity and rationality check, the ECT sensor is monitored for its ability to achieve a steady state temperature to enable Closed Loop fuel control.

Output Components

Diagnose the output components for the proper response to PCM commands. Components where functional monitoring is not feasible will be monitored for circuit continuity and out-of-range values if applicable.

Output components to be monitored include, but are not limited to, the following circuits:

Wiring Harness Service

Replace the wire harnesses with the proper part number replacement. When splicing signal wires into a harness, use the wiring that has high temperature insulation.

Consider the low amperage and voltage levels utilized in the powertrain control systems. Make the best possible bond at all splices. Use rosin-core solder in these areas.

Molded-on connectors require complete replacement of the connector. Splice a new connector into the harness. Replacement connectors and terminals are listed in Group 8.965 in the Standard Parts Catalog.