ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - V8
18-2-18 DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) sensor (C0196)
The ECT sensor is located at the front of the engine adjacent to the coolant outlet pipe. The ECT sensor forms a vital
part of the ECM operating strategy, and therefore the optimum control of the running of the engine. Richer air/ fuel
ratio is required at lower coolant temperatures such as cold starting. Coolant temperature information from the ECT
sensor is also vital to enable the ECM to weaken the air/ fuel mixture as temperature rises to maintain low emissions
and optimum performance.
For NAS vehicles with secondary air injection, the signal from the ECT sensor is monitored at engine start, to
determine whether the conditions are cold enough to warrant secondary air injection to be employed. The ECT sensor
is then monitored to switch off the secondary air injection when the required engine coolant temperature has been
attained.
+ EMISSION CONTROL - V8, DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION, Secondary Air Injection System.
The ECT works as a Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC) sensor. As temperature rises, the resistance in the
sensor decreases, as temperature decreases, the resistance in the sensor increases. The ECT sensor forms part of
a voltage divider chain with a pull up resistor within the ECM. Consequently as the ECT sensor resistance changes,
the analogue voltage at the input signal from the ECT sensor to the ECM will be adjusted which corresponds to the
temperature of the engine coolant. With this information, the ECM can implement the correct strategies for cold start,
warm up etc. The ECM supplies the instrument cluster with a pulse width modulated (PWM) coolant temperature
signal to drive the temperature gauge.
ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - V8
18-2-20 DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
There are three types of ECT sensor diagnostic checks:
lThe ECT sensor signal is within limits, but is inaccurate – the engine has to be running and the signal indicates
a coolant temperature below 40°C (104°F). The signal differs too much from the coolant temperature model for
longer than 2.53 seconds.
lThe ECT sensor signal is greater than the maximum threshold value – the ECM has to be powered up to perform
the diagnostic, but the engine does not need to be running.
lThe ECT sensor signal is less than the minimum threshold value – the ECM has to be powered up to perform
the diagnostic, but the engine does not need to be running.
Should a malfunction of the component occur the following fault codes may be evident and can be retrieved by
TestBook:
P code J2012 description Land Rover description
P0116 Engine coolant temperature circuit/range
performance problemSignal differs too much from temperature model for
longer than 2.53s
P0117 Engine coolant temperature circuit low input Open circuit or short circuit to battery supply
P0118 Engine coolant temperature circuit high input Short circuit to earth
ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - V8
18-2-22 DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
Input/Output
The ECM provides the thermostat monitoring sensor with a 5 volt reference via pin 21 of connector C0635 of the ECM,
and an earth via pin 5 of connector C0635 of the ECM.
There are three types of thermostat monitoring sensor diagnostic checks:
lSensor signal is above maximum threshold. For the ECM to register this as a fault, and illuminate the MIL, the
temperature registered by the thermostat monitoring sensor must be above 140 °C (284 °F) for more than 1
second.
lSensor signal is below minimum threshold. For the ECM to register this as a fault, and illuminate the MIL, the
temperature registered by the thermostat monitoring sensor must be below -33 °C (-27 °F) for more than 1
second, while the inlet air temperature reading is greater than -32 °C (-25 °F).
lSignal difference between ECT sensor and thermostat monitoring sensor is below maximum threshold. For the
ECM to register this as a fault, and illuminate the MIL, the following conditions must exist:
lNo maximum or minimum threshold signal faults exist.
lNo faults are recorded against the thermostat monitoring sensor or vehicle speed signal.
lEngine not in idle speed control.
lFuel cut-off not active.
lEngine speed is greater than 400 rpm.
lRoad speed is greater than 0 mph.
lIntegrated mass air flow from engine start to fuel cut-off is greater than set value (between 3 kg and 10 kg
dependent upon engine coolant temperature at engine start).
lEngine coolant temperature at engine start is between 9 °C and 39 °C (48 °F and 102 °F).
lHigh range is selected.
lDelay time before thermostat monitoring is enabled is between set limits (between 50 and 500 seconds
dependent upon engine coolant temperature at engine start).
lEngine coolant temperature is greater than 90 °C (194 °F).
lThe difference between the ECT sensor reading and the thermostat monitoring sensor reading is less than
39 °C (102 °F).
ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - V8
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION 18-2-23
Should a malfunction occur, the following fault codes may be evident and can be retrieved by TestBook:
Mass Air Flow (MAF)/ Inlet Air Temperature (IAT) sensor (C0149)
The MAF/ IAT sensors are combined into a single unit and located between the air filter housing and the inlet manifold.
The ECM receives input signals from the MAF/ IAT sensor to calculate the mass of air flowing into the engine inlet
manifold.
Input/Output
The MAF sensor has both electrical input and output. Input to the MAF sensor comes from two different sources.
Battery voltage is supplied to the MAF sensor via fuse 2 of the engine compartment fuse box. The MAF sensor also
utilises a 5 volt reference input via pin 7 of connector C0636 of the ECM. The MAF sensor output voltage is measured
via pin 23 of connector C0636 of the ECM.
The IAT sensor has only electrical output. Output from the IAT sensor is measured at pin 34 of connector C0636 of
the ECM, this is a variable voltage/ resistance measured by the sensor to provide air temperature information to the
ECM.
The MAF/ IAT sensor share the same sensor earth. Sensor earth is via pin 9 of connector C0636 of the ECM.
The MAF/ IAT sensor and its connector has silver plated terminals for its low current signals to protect against
corrosion. DO NOT apply 12V to the 5V supply, as this will destroy the internal circuitry. The MAF/IAT sensor should
not be dropped or roughly handled and should be kept free from contamination.
P code J2012 description Land Rover description
P1117 Radiator outlet temperature
thermister lowThermostat reading below -33 °C (-
27 °F)
P1118 Radiator outlet temperature
thermister highThermostat reading above 140 °C
(284 °F)
P0126 Engine thermostat defective Difference in radiator and engine
coolant temperatures too small
ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - V8
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION 18-2-29
In the event of a TP sensor signal failure any of the following symptoms may be observed:
lEngine performance concern.
lDelayed throttle response.
lFailure of emission control.
lClosed loop idle speed control inoperative.
lAutomatic gearbox kickdown inoperative.
lIncorrect altitude adaptation.
lMIL illuminated (NAS only).
There are three throttle position sensor diagnostic checks:
lTP sensor signal is greater than the maximum threshold value – the engine speed must be greater than 400 rev/
min for longer than 2 seconds and the signal must be greater than 96% for longer than 50 ms.
lTP sensor signal is less than the minimum threshold – the engine speed must be greater than 400 rev/min for
longer than 2 seconds and the signal must be less than 4% for longer than 50 ms.
lRatio of throttle position to mass of air flow – the calculated throttle angle must be outside limits when the engine
speed is between 800 rev/min and 4000 rev/min, the engine load is between 2 and 6.5 and the coolant
temperature is above -10°C (14°F).
Should a malfunction of the TP sensor occur the following fault codes may be evident and can be retrieved by
TestBook.
P code J2012 description Land Rover description
P0101 Mass or volume air flow circuit range/
performance problemLoad monitoring, the ratio of throttle position to air flow
P0122 TPS a circuit low input Signal < minimum threshold
P0123 TPS a circuit high input Signal > maximum threshold
ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - V8
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION 18-2-43
The ECM performs the following diagnostic checks to confirm correct knock sensor operation:
lKS signal level is less than the minimum threshold (dependent on engine speed) – the engine must be running,
coolant temperature above 60°C (140°F), number of camshaft revolutions since start greater than 50 and the KS
signal profile must be less than the threshold value at a given engine speed for a fault condition to be flagged
lKS signal is greater than the maximum threshold (dependent on engine speed) – the engine must be running,
coolant temperature above 60°C (140°F), number of camshaft revolutions since start greater than 50 and the KS
signal profile must be greater than the threshold value at a given engine speed for a fault condition to be flagged
lError counter for verification of knock internal circuitry exceeded – the engine must be running, coolant
temperature above 60°C (140°F), number of camshaft revolutions since start greater than 50 and the error
counter greater than the threshold value at a given engine speed for a fault condition to be flagged
Should a malfunction of the component occur the following fault codes may be evident and can be retrieved by
TestBook:
Spark plugs
The spark plugs are platinum tipped on both centre and earth electrodes. The platinum tips give a long maintenance
free life.
Cleaning or resetting the spark plug gap is not recommended as this could result in damaging the platinum tips and
thereby reducing reliability.
The misfire detection system will malfunction and store erroneous codes if the incorrect spark plugs are used.
Input/Output
The ignition coils provide a voltage to the spark plugs via the ht leads. The cylinder head via the individual thread of
each spark plug provides the earth path.
The spark plugs can fail in the following ways:
lFaulty component.
lConnector or wiring fault.
lBreakdown of high tension lead causing tracking to chassis earth.
lIncorrect spark plugs fitted.
In the event of a spark plug failure, misfire on specific cylinder may be observed:
P Code J2012 Description Land Rover Description
P0327 Knock sensor 1 circuit low input (bank 1 or single
sensor)LH bank signal less than threshold determined from
ECM model above 2200 rev/min
P0328 Knock sensor 1 circuit high input (bank 1 or
single sensor)LH bank signal greater than threshold determined from
ECM model above 2200 rev/min
P0332 Knock sensor 2 circuit low input (bank 2) RH bank signal less than threshold determined from
ECM model above 2200 rev/min
P0333 Knock sensor 2 circuit high input (bank 2) RH bank signal greater than threshold determined from
ECM model above 2200 rev/min
ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - V8
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION 18-2-49
Operation - engine management
Fuel quantity
The ECM controls engine fuel quantity by providing sequential injection to the cylinders. Sequential injection allows
each injector to deliver fuel to the cylinders in the required firing order.
To achieve optimum fuel quantity under all driving conditions, the ECM provides an adaptive fuel strategy.
Conditions
Adaptive fuel strategy must be maintained under all throttle positions except:
lCold starting.
lHot starting.
lWide open throttle.
lAcceleration.
All of the throttle positions mentioned above are deemed to be 'open loop'. Open loop fuelling does not rely on
information from the HO
2 sensors, but the air/ fuel ratio is set directly by the ECM. During cold start conditions the
ECM uses ECT information to allow more fuel to be injected into the cylinders to facilitate cold starting. This strategy
is maintained until the HO
2 sensors are at working temperature and can pass exhaust gas information to the ECM.
Because of the specific nature of the other functions e.g. hot starting, idle, wide open throttle, and acceleration they
also require an 'open loop' strategy. For NAS vehicles with secondary air injection for cold start conditions, refer to
the Emissions section.
+ EMISSION CONTROL - V8, DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION, Secondary Air Injection System.
Adaptive fuel strategy also allows for wear in the engine and components, as well as slight differences in component
signals, as no two components will give exactly the same readings.
Function
To be able to calculate the amount of fuel to be injected into each cylinder, the ECM needs to determine the amount
of air mass drawn into each cylinder. To perform this calculation, the ECM processes information from the following
sensors:
lMass air flow (MAF) sensor.
lCrank speed and position (CKP) sensor.
lEngine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor.
lThrottle position (TP) sensor.
During one engine revolution, 4 of the 8 cylinders draw in air. The ECM uses CKP sensor information to determine
that one engine revolution has taken place, and the MAF sensor information to determine how much air has been
drawn into engine. The amount of air drawn into each cylinder is therefore 1/4 of the total amount measured by the
ECM via the MAF sensor.
The ECM refers the measured air mass against a fuel quantity map in its memory and then supplies an earth path to
the relevant fuel injector for a period corresponding to the exact amount of fuel to be injected into the lower inlet
manifold. This fuel quantity is in direct relation to the air mass drawn into each cylinder to provide the optimum ratio.
During adaptive fuelling conditions, information from the heated oxygen sensors (HO
2S) is used by the ECM to correct
the fuel quantity to keep the air/ fuel ratio as close to the stoichiometric ideal as possible.
Closed loop fuelling
The ECM uses a closed loop fuelling system as part of its fuelling strategy. The operation of the three-way catalytic
converter relies on the ECM being able to optimise the air/ fuel mixture, switching between rich and lean either side
of lambda one. Closed loop fuelling is not standard for all markets, vehicles that are not fitted with HO
2S do not have
closed loop fuelling.
The ideal stoichiometric ratio is represented by λ =1. The ratio can be explained as 14.7 parts of air to every 1 part of
fuel.
ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - V8
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION 18-2-57
Low fuel level signal
When the fuel level in the fuel tank becomes low enough to illuminate the low fuel level warning lamp in the instrument
cluster, the instrument cluster generates a low fuel level signal. If the low fuel level signal is present during the ECM
misfire detection function the ECM can use it to check for a 'false misfire'.
Conditions
The fuel sender generates the low fuel level signal when the fuel sender resistance is greater than 158 ± 8 ohms.
Function
The illumination of the low fuel level warning lamp in the instrument cluster triggers the low fuel level signal to be sent
to the ECM. This signal is processed via pin 8 of connector C0637 of the ECM.
Should a misfire occur while the fuel level is low, the following fault code may be evident and can be retrieved by
TestBook.
Coolant temperature gauge signal
The ECM controls the temperature gauge in the instrument cluster. The ECM sends a coolant temperature signal to
the temperature gauge in the instrument cluster in the form of a PWM square wave signal.
The frequency of the signal determines the level of the temperature gauge.
Conditions
The ECM operates the PWM signal under the following parameters:
l-40 °C (-40 °F) = a pulse width of 768 µs.
l140 °C (284 °F) = a pulse width of 4848 µs.
Function
The coolant temperature signal is an output from the ECM to the instrument cluster. The coolant temperature signal
is generated via pin 44 of connector C0636 of the ECM.
The coolant temperature signal can fail in the following ways:
lWiring short circuit to vehicle supply.
lWiring short circuit to vehicle earth.
lWiring open circuit.
In the event of a coolant temperature signal failure any of the following symptoms may be observed:
lCoolant temperature gauge will read cold at all times.
lCoolant temperature warning lamp remains on at all times.
Controller Area Network (CAN) system
The controller area network (CAN) system is a high speed serial interface between the ECM and the Electronic
Automatic Transmission (EAT) ECU. The CAN system uses a 'data bus' to transmit information messages between
the ECM and the EAT ECU. Because there are only two components in this CAN system, one will transmit information
messages and the other will receive information messages, and vice-versa.
P Code J2012 Description Land Rover Description
P1319 Misfire detected at low fuel level Misfire detected with low fuel level