LilYellowZQ8
12-07-04, 07:17 PM
Written by Jedi Master.
Understanding exhaust gas recirculation systems
By Henry Guzman
Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems were introduced in the early '70s to reduce an exhaust emission that was not being cleaned by the other smog controls. Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are formed when temperatures in the combustion chamber get too hot. At 2500 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter, the nitrogen and oxygen in the combustion chamber can chemically combine to form nitrous oxides, which, when combined with hydrocarbons (HCs) and the presence of sunlight, produces an ugly haze in our skies known commonly as smog.
How to reduce NOx NOx formation can be reduced by:
ﾃつｷ Enriching the air fuel (A/F) mixture to reduce combustion temperatures. However, this increases HC and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions.
ﾃつｷ Lowering the compression ratio and retarding ignition timing; but this leads to reduced performance and fuel economy.
ﾃつｷ Recirculating some exhaust gases.
How EGR systems work The EGR valve recirculates exhaust into the intake stream. Exhaust gases have already combusted, so they do not burn again when they are recirculated. These gases displace some of the normal intake charge. This chemically slows and cools the combustion process by several hundred degrees, thus reducing NOx formation.
The design challenge The EGR system of today must precisely control the flow of recirculated exhaust. Too much flow will retard engine performance and cause a hesitation on acceleration. Too little flow will increase NOx and cause engine ping. A well-designed system will actually increase engine performance and economy. Why? As the combustion chamber temperature is reduced, engine detonation potential is also reduced. This factor enabled the software engineers to write a more aggressive timing advance curve into the spark timing program. If the EGR valve is not flowing, onboard diagnostics (OBD) systems will set a code and the power control module (PCM) will use a backup timing curve that has less advance to prevent engine ping. Less timing advance means less performance and economy.
Evolution of the EGR systems The first EGR valves appeared in 1973 on GM cars. Bolted to the intake manifold next to the carburetor, it has ports to the intake and exhaust manifolds. It has a diaphragm that pulls open a valve stem, which allows exhaust to enter the intake manifold when ported vacuum is applied to it. Ported vacuum increases with throttle opening. A thermal vacuum switch prevents vacuum from reaching the EGR during cold engine starts. This system had many problems. It would often open too soon or too much, which caused a hesitation on acceleration as massive amounts of recirculated exhaust hit the combustion chamber. Many people simply disconnected it when it began to cause problems because they did not understand its importance or design. By 1975, if you unplugged an EGR valve, you'd have a driveability complaint of engine ping. Manufacturers and technicians of that era experimented with vacuum orifice restrictors and vacuum delay valves to try to find a happy medium between clean air and performance.
Closed loop systems By 1981, closed loop computer controls were in place. EGR flow was now more carefully controlled with dual diaphragm and back-pressure EGR valves. Modulating the vacuum to the EGR valve's pull, open diaphragm controlled the flow of recirculated ex- haust. Called by various names such as amplifiers, transducers and modulators, both remote and integral vacuum modulated devices were used. The flow of vacuum was further controlled by solenoids that blocked the vacuum ports until certain criteria were met such as engine temperature, rpm and manifold absolute pressure (MAP).
As the manufacturers began to use these complex schemes with vacuum amplifiers, delay valves and solenoids, they added a lot of "spaghetti" to the engine compartment. Plastic vacuum connections would break and rot with age and were not very reliable. Vacuum diagrams were invented and became essential to the smog driveability technicians of the day. As these systems evolved, they had fewer parts and less vacuum tubing. This was achieved by the use of pulse width modulated EGR solenoids. The PCM controlled EGR flow through the use of these solenoids to modulate vacuum to the EGR valve instead of just turning it on or off periodically.
What is pulse width modulation? Let's take a moment to discuss how computers think so we can better understand this common form of PCM control. Computers are binary. The machine language they operate in consists of only two variables: on or off, true or false, high or low. That's the only way a PCM can think. As a result, computer controlled outputs are always on or off, high (system voltage) or low (ground). Therefore, a computer output is always a square wave, or an on-off step when viewed on a lab scope. The high portion of the waveform will usually be battery voltage or PCM voltage of approximately 5 volts, with a few exceptions where the PCM operates at a different voltage.
Once the PCM receives its inputs, such as rpm, throttle angle, coolant temperature and MAP, it then calculates a response based on the software program that is embedded into it. Next, it makes its decision and sends a command in the form of a pulse width modulated signal to turn the EGR solenoid on and off rapidly. The EGR solenoid has two vacuum nipples. One side gets either manifold or ported engine vacuum. The other nipple goes to the EGR valve. Its default position is to block vacuum to the EGR valve. A vent is incorporated to bleed off vacuum when the solenoid is being pulsed. Vacuum flows to the EGR in rapid on-off pulses as the solenoid is commanded by the PCM.
OBD I systems With each succeeding year, the EGR designs became more refined. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) liked GM and Chrysler's onboard diagnostic systems. In 1988, CARB required that all cars sold in California be equipped with an onboard diagnostic system and a "check engine" light to notify the driver of emission system failure. By this time, all manufacturers had to have an EGR system that was capable of alerting the driver if it was not working. OBD I diagnostics and trouble codes were added in to flag opens, shorts and sticking solenoids.
OBD II EGR systems OBD II requires that the EGR system be monitored for abnormally low or high flow rate malfunctions. The EGR is considered malfunctioning when an EGR component fails or a fault in the flow rate results in the vehicle exceeding the Federal Test Procedure (FTP) by 1.5 times. FTP is the government-mandated drive cycle smog test that all new cars must pass and adhere to.
The diagnostic executive, also called the diagnostic task manager by Chrysler, controls the EGR monitor. The executive is an OBD II software agent given the task of managing all the onboard monitors and the scan tool interface. The executive coordinates the sequencing and actuation of all the monitor's test routines. There are eight main monitors whose sole function is to directly monitor and test the components assigned to them to ensure they meet FTP standards for life. These monitors are:
ﾃつｷ Catalyst monitor
ﾃつｷ EGR monitor
ﾃつｷ EVAP monitor
ﾃつｷ Fuel system monitor
ﾃつｷ Misfire monitor
ﾃつｷ Oxygen monitor
ﾃつｷ Oxygen heater monitor
ﾃつｷ Secondary air injection monitor
A closer look at the EGR monitor Monitor tests are both intrusive and non-intrusive. An example of an intrusive test is when the EGR monitor cycles the EGR valve during a condition when it normally would be closed. In some cases, the customer may feel an intrusive test as a slight miss.
Understanding exhaust gas recirculation systems
By Henry Guzman
Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems were introduced in the early '70s to reduce an exhaust emission that was not being cleaned by the other smog controls. Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are formed when temperatures in the combustion chamber get too hot. At 2500 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter, the nitrogen and oxygen in the combustion chamber can chemically combine to form nitrous oxides, which, when combined with hydrocarbons (HCs) and the presence of sunlight, produces an ugly haze in our skies known commonly as smog.
How to reduce NOx NOx formation can be reduced by:
ﾃつｷ Enriching the air fuel (A/F) mixture to reduce combustion temperatures. However, this increases HC and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions.
ﾃつｷ Lowering the compression ratio and retarding ignition timing; but this leads to reduced performance and fuel economy.
ﾃつｷ Recirculating some exhaust gases.
How EGR systems work The EGR valve recirculates exhaust into the intake stream. Exhaust gases have already combusted, so they do not burn again when they are recirculated. These gases displace some of the normal intake charge. This chemically slows and cools the combustion process by several hundred degrees, thus reducing NOx formation.
The design challenge The EGR system of today must precisely control the flow of recirculated exhaust. Too much flow will retard engine performance and cause a hesitation on acceleration. Too little flow will increase NOx and cause engine ping. A well-designed system will actually increase engine performance and economy. Why? As the combustion chamber temperature is reduced, engine detonation potential is also reduced. This factor enabled the software engineers to write a more aggressive timing advance curve into the spark timing program. If the EGR valve is not flowing, onboard diagnostics (OBD) systems will set a code and the power control module (PCM) will use a backup timing curve that has less advance to prevent engine ping. Less timing advance means less performance and economy.
Evolution of the EGR systems The first EGR valves appeared in 1973 on GM cars. Bolted to the intake manifold next to the carburetor, it has ports to the intake and exhaust manifolds. It has a diaphragm that pulls open a valve stem, which allows exhaust to enter the intake manifold when ported vacuum is applied to it. Ported vacuum increases with throttle opening. A thermal vacuum switch prevents vacuum from reaching the EGR during cold engine starts. This system had many problems. It would often open too soon or too much, which caused a hesitation on acceleration as massive amounts of recirculated exhaust hit the combustion chamber. Many people simply disconnected it when it began to cause problems because they did not understand its importance or design. By 1975, if you unplugged an EGR valve, you'd have a driveability complaint of engine ping. Manufacturers and technicians of that era experimented with vacuum orifice restrictors and vacuum delay valves to try to find a happy medium between clean air and performance.
Closed loop systems By 1981, closed loop computer controls were in place. EGR flow was now more carefully controlled with dual diaphragm and back-pressure EGR valves. Modulating the vacuum to the EGR valve's pull, open diaphragm controlled the flow of recirculated ex- haust. Called by various names such as amplifiers, transducers and modulators, both remote and integral vacuum modulated devices were used. The flow of vacuum was further controlled by solenoids that blocked the vacuum ports until certain criteria were met such as engine temperature, rpm and manifold absolute pressure (MAP).
As the manufacturers began to use these complex schemes with vacuum amplifiers, delay valves and solenoids, they added a lot of "spaghetti" to the engine compartment. Plastic vacuum connections would break and rot with age and were not very reliable. Vacuum diagrams were invented and became essential to the smog driveability technicians of the day. As these systems evolved, they had fewer parts and less vacuum tubing. This was achieved by the use of pulse width modulated EGR solenoids. The PCM controlled EGR flow through the use of these solenoids to modulate vacuum to the EGR valve instead of just turning it on or off periodically.
What is pulse width modulation? Let's take a moment to discuss how computers think so we can better understand this common form of PCM control. Computers are binary. The machine language they operate in consists of only two variables: on or off, true or false, high or low. That's the only way a PCM can think. As a result, computer controlled outputs are always on or off, high (system voltage) or low (ground). Therefore, a computer output is always a square wave, or an on-off step when viewed on a lab scope. The high portion of the waveform will usually be battery voltage or PCM voltage of approximately 5 volts, with a few exceptions where the PCM operates at a different voltage.
Once the PCM receives its inputs, such as rpm, throttle angle, coolant temperature and MAP, it then calculates a response based on the software program that is embedded into it. Next, it makes its decision and sends a command in the form of a pulse width modulated signal to turn the EGR solenoid on and off rapidly. The EGR solenoid has two vacuum nipples. One side gets either manifold or ported engine vacuum. The other nipple goes to the EGR valve. Its default position is to block vacuum to the EGR valve. A vent is incorporated to bleed off vacuum when the solenoid is being pulsed. Vacuum flows to the EGR in rapid on-off pulses as the solenoid is commanded by the PCM.
OBD I systems With each succeeding year, the EGR designs became more refined. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) liked GM and Chrysler's onboard diagnostic systems. In 1988, CARB required that all cars sold in California be equipped with an onboard diagnostic system and a "check engine" light to notify the driver of emission system failure. By this time, all manufacturers had to have an EGR system that was capable of alerting the driver if it was not working. OBD I diagnostics and trouble codes were added in to flag opens, shorts and sticking solenoids.
OBD II EGR systems OBD II requires that the EGR system be monitored for abnormally low or high flow rate malfunctions. The EGR is considered malfunctioning when an EGR component fails or a fault in the flow rate results in the vehicle exceeding the Federal Test Procedure (FTP) by 1.5 times. FTP is the government-mandated drive cycle smog test that all new cars must pass and adhere to.
The diagnostic executive, also called the diagnostic task manager by Chrysler, controls the EGR monitor. The executive is an OBD II software agent given the task of managing all the onboard monitors and the scan tool interface. The executive coordinates the sequencing and actuation of all the monitor's test routines. There are eight main monitors whose sole function is to directly monitor and test the components assigned to them to ensure they meet FTP standards for life. These monitors are:
ﾃつｷ Catalyst monitor
ﾃつｷ EGR monitor
ﾃつｷ EVAP monitor
ﾃつｷ Fuel system monitor
ﾃつｷ Misfire monitor
ﾃつｷ Oxygen monitor
ﾃつｷ Oxygen heater monitor
ﾃつｷ Secondary air injection monitor
A closer look at the EGR monitor Monitor tests are both intrusive and non-intrusive. An example of an intrusive test is when the EGR monitor cycles the EGR valve during a condition when it normally would be closed. In some cases, the customer may feel an intrusive test as a slight miss.