but it cannot figure out the throttling action. In other words, it
cannot distinguish the throttling from an open circuit (de-energized)
condition.
Yet current controlled injectors will still yield a
millisecond on-time reading on these DVOMs. You will find it is also
always the same, regardless of the operating conditions. This is
because it is only measuring the initial completely-closed circuit on-
time, which always takes the same amount of time (to lift the injector
pintle off its seat). So even though you get a reading, it is useless.
The second limitation is that a few erratic conditions can
cause inaccurate readings. This is because of a DVOM's slow display
rate; roughly two to five times a second. As we covered earlier,
measurements in between display updates get averaged. So conditions
like skipped injector pulses or intermittent long/short injector
pulses tend to get "averaged out", which will cause you to miss
important details.
The last limitation is that varying engine speeds can result
in inaccurate readings. This is caused by the quickly shifting
injector on-time as the engine load varies, or the RPM moves from a
state of acceleration to stabilization, or similar situations. It too
is caused by the averaging of all measurements in between DVOM display
periods. You can avoid this by checking on-time when there are no RPM
or load changes.
A lab scope allows you to overcome each one of these
limitations.
Checking Injector On-Time With Dwell Or Duty
If no tool is available to directly measure injector
millisecond on-time measurement, some techs use a simple DVOM dwell or
duty cycle functions as a replacement.
While this is an approach of last resort, it does provide
benefits. We will discuss the strengths and weaknesses in a moment,
but first we will look at how a duty cycle meter and dwell meter work.
How A Duty Cycle Meter and Dwell Meter Work
All readings are obtained by comparing how long something has
been OFF to how long it has been ON in a fixed time period. A dwell
meter and duty cycle meter actually come up with the same answers
using different scales. You can convert freely between them. See
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DWELL & DUTY CYCLE READINGS TABLE .
The DVOM display updates roughly one time a second, although
some DVOMs can be a little faster or slower. All measurements during
this update period are tallied inside the DVOM as ON time or OFF time,
and then the total ratio is displayed as either a percentage (duty
cycle) or degrees (dwell meter).
For example, let's say a DVOM had an update rate of exactly 1
second (1000 milliseconds). Let's also say that it has been
measuring/tallying an injector circuit that had been ON a total of 250
mS out of the 1000 mS. That is a ratio of one-quarter, which would be
displayed as 25% duty cycle or 15
dwell (six-cylinder scale). Note
that most duty cycle meters can reverse the readings by selecting the
positive or negative slope to trigger on. If this reading were
reversed, a duty cycle meter would display 75%.
Strengths of Dwell/Duty Meter
The obvious strength of a dwell/duty meter is that you can
compare injector on-time against a known-good reading. This is the
only practical way to use a dwell/duty meter, but requires you to have
known-good values to compare against.
Another strength is that you can roughly convert injector mS
on-time into dwell reading with some computations.
A final strength is that because the meter averages
everything together it does not miss anything (though this is also a
severe weakness that we will look at later). If an injector has a
fault where it occasionally skips a pulse, the meter registers it and
the reading changes accordingly.
Let's go back to figuring out dwell/duty readings by using
injector on-time specification. This is not generally practical, but
we will cover it for completeness. You NEED to know three things:
* Injector mS on-time specification.
* Engine RPM when specification is valid.
* How many times the injectors fire per crankshaft revolution.
The first two are self-explanatory. The last one may require
some research into whether it is a bank-fire type that injects every
360
of crankshaft rotation, a bank-fire that injects every 720 , or
an SFI that injects every 720 . Many manufacturers do not release this
data so you may have to figure it out yourself with a frequency meter.
Here are the four complete steps to convert millisecond on-
time:
1) Determine the injector pulse width and RPM it was obtained
at. Let's say the specification is for one millisecond of on-time at a
hot idle of 600 RPM.
2) Determine injector firing method for the complete 4 stroke
cycle. Let's say this is a 360
bank-fired, meaning an injector fires
each and every crankshaft revolution.
3) Determine how many times the injector will fire at the
specified engine speed (600 RPM) in a fixed time period. We will use
100 milliseconds because it is easy to use.
Six hundred crankshaft Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) divided
by 60 seconds equals 10 revolutions per second.
Multiplying 10 times .100 yields one; the crankshaft turns
one time in 100 milliseconds. With exactly one crankshaft rotation in
100 milliseconds, we know that the injector fires exactly one time.
4) Determine the ratio of injector on-time vs. off-time in
the fixed time period, then figure duty cycle and/or dwell. The
injector fires one time for a total of one millisecond in any given
100 millisecond period.
One hundred minus one equals 99. We have a 99% duty cycle. If
we wanted to know the dwell (on 6 cylinder scale), multiple 99% times
.6; this equals 59.4
dwell.
Weaknesses of Dwell/Duty Meter
The weaknesses are significant. First, there is no one-to-one
correspondence to actual mS on-time. No manufacturer releases
dwell/duty data, and it is time-consuming to convert the mS on-time
readings. Besides, there can be a large degree of error because the
conversion forces you to assume that the injector(s) are always firing\
at the same rate for the same period of time. This can be a dangerous
assumption.
Second, all level of detail is lost in the averaging process.
This is the primary weakness. You cannot see the details you need to
make a confident diagnosis.
Here is one example. Imagine a vehicle that has a faulty
injector driver that occasionally skips an injector pulse. Every
skipped pulse means that that cylinder does not fire, thus unburned O2
gets pushed into the exhaust and passes the O2 sensor. The O2 sensor
indicates lean, so the computer fattens up the mixture to compensate
for the supposed "lean" condition.
A connected dwell/duty meter would see the fattened pulse
width but would also see the skipped pulses. It would tally both and
likely come back with a reading that indicated the "pulse width" was
within specification because the rich mixture and missing pulses
offset each other.
This situation is not a far-fetched scenario. Some early GM
Application Front - In. (mm) Rear - In. (mm\
)
Gas Engine With
14" & 15" Wheels (1) ....... 29.04-29.82
(737.5-757.5) .......... 29.76-30.54\
(756.0-776.0)\
Gas Engine With 15",
16" & 17" Wheels ( 2) ....... 29.27-30.05
(743.5-765.5) ........... 30.0-30.78\
(762.0-782.0)\
CNG & Electric Vehicles ..... 30.46-31.24
(783.5-803.5) ........... 31.2-31.98\
(792.5-812.5)\
( 1) - With tire sizes P205/75R 15 and P215/65R 15.
( 2) - With tire sizes P215/70R 15, P215/65R 16 and 215/65R 17.
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
HOIST
CAUTION: On Ram Van/Wagon, ensure there is adequate drive shaft
clearance while raising vehicle. DO NOT raise vehicle by
hoisting or jacking against front lower control arms. If rear
axle, fuel tank, spare tire and liftgate will be removed for
service, place additional weight on rear end of vehicle. This
will prevent tipping as center of gravity changes.
Caravan, Ram Van/Wagon, Town & Country, & Voyager
To raise vehicle on single and twin post type hoists, ensure
hoist pads contact vehicle frame behind front control arm pivots and
inside rear wheels on rear axle housing. Always use hoist adapters.
See Fig. 2 or 5.
Dakota & Ram Pickup
Vehicle may be raised on single or twin post swiveling arm,
or ramp-type drive hoists. If using swiveling arm hoist, ensure
lifting arms, pads or ramps are positioned evenly on frame rails, and
adequate clearance is maintained for transfer case (4WD models) or
skid plate. All hoists must be equipped with adapters to properly
support vehicle. See Fig. 3.
WHEEL ALIGNMENT PROCEDURES
FRONT WHEEL CAMBER & CASTER ADJUSTMENT
CAUTION: DO NOT adjust caster by heating or bending suspension
components. If caster angle is incorrect, replace
component(s) causing incorrect angle.
Caravan, Town & Country, & Voyager
1) Caster is factory preset and cannot be adjusted. Camber is
factory preset, but can be adjusted with a camber service kit. Raise
and support vehicle. While holding lower strut attaching bolts
stationary, loosen attaching nuts. See Fig. 6. Remove upper attaching
nut and bolt. Install camber service kit attaching/adjusting bolt and
nut. While holding bolt stationary, lightly tighten nut. Repeat
procedure for lower attaching nut and bolt.
2) Lower vehicle until vehicle weight is supported by
suspension. Bounce vehicle several times and allow suspension to
settle. Rotate new cam bolt to move top of wheel in or out to
specified camber. See WHEEL ALIGNMENT SPECIFICATIONS table. Tighten
through-bolt nuts to specification. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS table.