Circuit Description
A closed loop air/fuel metering system is used to provide the best combination
of driveability, fuel economy, and emission control. In this system, short term fuel
trim is accomplished by the ECM rapidly responding to the oxygen sensor readings.
These changes finely tune engine fueling. Additionally, long term fuel trim is determined
by trends in short term fuel trim, and serves as a coarse tuning mechanism for engine
fueling. Fuel trim values near 0% are ideal. As the value increases, this indicates
that the engine is running lean. Negative or decreasing values indicate a rich state
of operation. The ECM in the vehicle stores fuel trim values for three different speed/load
ranges: one at idle and another at medium speed/load, another at high speed/load.
This code sets when the fuel trim is excessively high in any of the three speed/load
ranges.
DTC Parameters
DTC P0171 will set if vehicle is in closed loop, and the following fuel trim
limits have been exceded:
P0171 is a (type B) DTC.
Diagnostic Aids
The following are malfunctions that could cause a lean condition:
• | Poor fuel quality or water in fuel |
• | Exhaust leakage around manifold gasket or front O2S sensor |
Important: If the front oxygen reading is greater than 1.2, and the rear HO2S is below
300 mV all the time, the O2 sensors are probably not at fa