Fuel Trim

The engine control module (ECM) controls the air/fuel metering system in order to provide the best possible combination of driveability, fuel economy, and emission control. The ECM monitors the heated oxygen sensor (HO2S) signal voltage while fuel injectors based on this signal. The ideal fuel trim (FT) values are around 0 percent for both short term and long term FT. A positive FT value indicates the ECM is adding fuel in order to compensate for a lean condition by increasing the pulse width. A negative FT value indicates that the ECM is reducing the amount of fuel in order to compensate for a rich condition by decreasing the pulse width. A change made to the fuel delivery changes the short term and long term FT values. The short term FT values change rapidly in response to the HO2S signal voltage. These changes fine tune the engine fueling. The long term FT makes coarse adjustments to fueling in order to re-center and restore control to short term FT. A scan tool can be used to monitor the short term and long term FT values. A block of cells contain information arranged in combinations of engine RPM and load for a full range of vehicle operating conditions. The long term FT diagnostic is based on an average of cells currently being used. If the powertrain control module (PCM) detects an excessive lean or rich condition, the ECM will set a FT DTC.