3.VISUAL AND PHYSICAL INSPECTION
Perform a visual and physical inspection of the entire Evaporative Emission system.
Check for the follow conditions:
- Holes or cracks
- Loose seal points
- Evidence of damaged components
- Incorrect routing of hoses and tubes
- Fuel Cap gasket seal
Were any of the above conditions found?
Ye s>>
Repair as necessary.
Perform the POWERTRAIN VERIFICATION TEST. (Refer to 9 - ENGINE - STANDARD PROCEDURE)
No>>
Go To 4
4.VERIFY EVAPORATIVE EMISSION LEAK
To continue testing you will need Miller Tool #8404A Evaporative EmissionLeak Detector (EELD).
WARNING: Keep lit cigarettes, sparks, flames, and other ignition sourcesaway from the test area to prevent
the ignition of explosive gases. Keep the test area well ventilated.
NOTE: The fuel tank should have between 20% and 80% of fuel tank capacity to properly test the Evap
system.
Connect the red power lead of the EELD to the battery positive terminal and the black ground lead to battery neg-
ative terminal.
Block the vent hose of the canister if using the service port.
Connect shop air to the EELD.
Set the smoke/air control switch to AIR.
Insert the tester’s AIR supply tip (clear hose) into the appropriate calibration orifice on the tester’s control panel
(based on DTC leak size).
Press the remote smoke/air start button.
Position the red flag on the air flow meter so it is aligned with the indicatorball.
When the calibration is complete, release the remote button. The EELD flowmeter is now calibrated in liters per
minute to the size leak indicated by the DTC set in the PCM.
Install the service port adapter #8404-14 on the vehicle’s service port and block the vent hose of the EVAP Canister
(if equipped) or install the #8404-ADP service adaptor into the filter line.
Connect the Air supply hose from the EELD to the service port (if equipped) or to the #8404-ADP adapter.
Press the remote button to activate AIR flow.
NOTE: Larger volume fuel tanks, lower fuel levels or if the vehicle is equipped with a Flow Management
Valve may indicate high flow and will require 4 to 5 minutes to fill.
Compare the flow meter indicator ball reading to the red flag.
ABOVE the red flag indicates a leak present.
BELOW the red flag indicates a sealed system.
Is the indicator ball above the red flag?
Ye s>>
Go To 5
No>>
Refer to the Freeze Frame data recorded in Step 1. If the data indicates thatthe vehicle was in motion
when the DTC was set, verify that all hoses are properly connected. Test Complete.
3.VISUAL AND PHYSICAL INSPECTION
Perform a visual and physical inspection of the entire Evaporative Emission system.
Check for the follow conditions:
- Holes or cracks
- Loose seal points
- Evidence of damaged components
- Incorrect routing of hoses and tubes
- Fuel Cap gasket seal
Were any of the above conditions found?
Ye s>>
Repair as necessary.
Perform the POWERTRAIN VERIFICATION TEST. (Refer to 9 - ENGINE - STANDARD PROCEDURE)
No>>
Go To 4
4.VERIFY EVAPORATIVE EMISSION LEAK
To continue testing you will need Miller Tool #8404A Evaporative EmissionLeak Detector (EELD).
WARNING: Keep lit cigarettes, sparks, flames, and other ignition sourcesaway from the test area to prevent
the ignition of explosive gases. Keep the test area well ventilated.
NOTE: The fuel tank should have between 20% and 80% of fuel tank capacity to properly test the Evap
system.
Connect the red power lead of the EELD to the battery positive terminal and the black ground lead to battery neg-
ative terminal.
Block the vent hose of the canister if using the service port.
Connect shop air to the EELD.
Set the smoke/air control switch to AIR.
Insert the tester’s AIR supply tip (clear hose) into the appropriate calibration orifice on the tester’s control panel
(based on DTC leak size).
Press the remote smoke/air start button.
Position the red flag on the air flow meter so it is aligned with the indicatorball.
When the calibration is complete, release the remote button. The EELD flowmeter is now calibrated in liters per
minute to the size leak indicated by the DTC set in the PCM.
Install the service port adapter #8404-14 on the vehicle’s service port and block the vent hose of the EVAP Canister
(if equipped) or install the #8404-ADP service adaptor into the filter line.
Connect the Air supply hose from the EELD to the service port (if equipped) or to the #8404-ADP adapter.
Press the remote button to activate AIR flow.
NOTE: Larger volume fuel tanks, lower fuel levels or if the vehicle is equipped with a Flow Management
Valve may indicate high flow and will require 4 to 5 minutes to fill.
Compare the flow meter indicator ball reading to the red flag.
ABOVE the red flag indicates a leak present.
BELOW the red flag indicates a sealed system.
Is the indicator ball above the red flag?
Ye s>>
Go To 5
No>>
Refer to the INTERMITTENT CONDITION Diagnostic Procedure.
Perform the POWERTRAIN VERIFICATION TEST. (Refer to 9 - ENGINE - STANDARD PROCEDURE)
PUMP-NATURAL VAC LEAK DETECTION
DESCRIPTION
Vehicles equipped with an NGC Powertrain Control Module (PCM) use a Natural Vacuum Leak Detection (NVLD)
pump and system. Vehicles equipped with a JTEC PCM use an LDP (Leak Detection Pump). Refer to Leak Detec-
tion Pump (LDP) for additional information.
The NVLD pump is located in the same area as the leak detection pump. Refer toNVLD Removal / Installation for
additional information.
OPERATION
The Natural Vacuum Leak Detection (NVLD) system is the next generation evaporative leak detection system that
will first be used on vehicles equipped with the Next Generation Controller (NGC). This new system replaces the
leak detection pump as the method of evaporative system leak detection. This is to detect a leak equivalent to a
0.020
(0.5 mm) hole. This system has the capability to detect holes of this size very dependably.
The basic leak detection theory employed with NVLD is the
Gas Law. This is to say that the pressure in a sealed
vessel will change if the temperature of the gas in the vessel changes. The vessel will only see this effect if it is
indeed sealed. Even small leaks will allow the pressure in the vessel to come to equilibrium with the ambient pres-
sure. In addition to the detection of very small leaks, this system has the capability of detecting medium as well as
large evaporative system leaks.
A vent valve seals the canister vent during engine off conditions. If the vapor system has a leak of less than the
failure threshold, the evaporativesystem will be pulled into a vacuum, either due to the cool down from operating
temperature or diurnal ambient temperature cycling. The diurnal effect is considered one of the primary contributors
to the leak determination by this diagnostic. When the vacuum in the systemexceeds about 1
H2O (0.25 KPA), a
vacuum switch closes. The switch closure sends a signal to the NGC. The NGC,via appropriate logic strategies,
utilizes the switch signal, or lack thereof, to make a determination of whether a leak is present.
The NVLD device is designed with a normally open vacuum switch, a normally closed solenoid, and a seal, which
is actuated by both the solenoid and a diaphragm. The NVLD is located on the atmospheric vent side of the can-
ister. The NVLD assembly may be mounted on top of the canister outlet, or in-line between the canister and atmo-
spheric vent filter. The normally open vacuum switch will close with about1
H2O (0.25 KPA) vacuum in the
evaporative system. The diaphragm actuates the switch. This is above the opening point of the fuel inlet check valve
in the fill tube so cap off leaks can be detected. Submerged fill systems must have recirculation lines that do not
have the in-line normally closed check valve that protects the system fromfailednozzleliquidingestion,inorderto
detect cap off conditions.
The normally closed valve in the NVLD is intended to maintain the seal on theevaporative system during the engine
off condition. If vacuum in the evaporative system exceeds 3
to 6H2O (0.75 to 1.5 KPA), the valve will be pulled
off the seat, opening the seal. This will protect the system from excessivevacuum as well as allowing sufficient
purge flow in the event that the solenoid was to become inoperative.
The solenoid actuates the valve to unseal the canister vent while the engine is running. It also will be used to close
the vent during the medium and large leak tests and during the purge flow check. This solenoid requires an initial
1.5 amps of current to pull the valveopen, but after 100 mili-seconds, willbedutycycleddowntoanaverageof
about 150 mA for the remainder of the drive cycle.
Another feature in the device is a diaphragm that will open the seal in the NVLD with pressure in the evaporative
system. The device will
blow offat about 0.5H2O (0.12 KPA) pressure to permit the venting of vapors during
refueling. An added benefit to this is that it will also allow the tank to
breatheduring increasing temperatures, thus
limiting the pressure in the tank to this low level. This is beneficial because the induced vacuum during a subse-
quent declining temperature will achieve the switch closed (pass threshold) sooner than if the tank had to decay
from a built up pressure.
The device itself has 3 wires: Switch sense, solenoid driver and ground. Italso includes a resistor to protect the
switch from a short to battery or a short to ground. The NGC utilizes a high-side driver to energize and duty-cycle
the solenoid.