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garret.

qxd

10/22/03

3:19 PM

Page 10

by Steve Garrett

s the technology of todays


vehicles continues to accelerate it is easy for one to become
overwhelmed. Traveling across the
country we see many shops (both dealers and independents) that are struggling to fix the customers car, pay the
bills and maintain a stable work force
within their businesses. When we conduct a seminar we are under very tight
time constraints to assure that all the
information we need to present is in
fact covered within the seminar.
In many instances we assume that
the technicians, shop foreman, service
managers and shop owners that are
attending have good fundamental backgrounds and fully understand what we
are discussing. Many people that
attend training seminars do not ask
questions even though they may have a
10

question
that
everyone
could
benefit from having asked. We
realize that some of the information that
we are covering is quite complex and
that we could actually use several hours
to fully train someone who does not
have the background fundamentals
regarding the subjects.
The problem is as clear as the nose
on many of our faces. The solution on
the other hand is much more of a challenge. At ATRA we have made a conscious choice to become part of the
solution, rather than part of the problem. In other words, the articles that
are chosen for this magazine are
designed to not only help you with specific product concerns, but they are also
designed to teach you how the systems
you are working with operate along
with how to efficiently diagnose them.
In addition we offer quality factory
hands-on training through AC Delco as
well as various types of books and literature from our book store.
And that leads us to this editions

article. A few months ago I was


approached at one of the seminars by a
couple of young men regarding the GM
APP system. We had spent some time
covering the problems that you commonly see on these systems. The gentlemen had some questions on how to
diagnose problems with the APP system. It became clear that they really
had no idea what I was talking about in
the seminar, so I took some time over
lunch to show them how the system
worked. Per their request, this article is
for Bob and Jim as well as anyone else
out there who are just too reserved to
ask why something works the way it
does.

TAC
Starting with the 1994 GM 6.5L
EFI diesel, and followed by the 1997
LS1 5.7L gas application, GM introduced the Electronic throttle control
system. Since its introduction, several
other applications and manufactures
have adopted electronic throttle control
systems. The GM-Delphi system were
going to discuss in this article will vary
slightly based on the application and
the year of the vehicle. Other manufactures share some of the chacteristics
utilized by the GM system but the
fundamental principles the systems try
to accomplish is the same.
Electronic throttle control is a conGEARS November 2003

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7/8/03

12:18 PM

Page 9

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garret.qxd

10/22/03

3:19 PM

Page 12

Put the Pedal to the Metal

Figure 1: The TAC System, (Courtesy General Motors Corp)

Figure 2: APP Sensor Operation, (Courtesy General Motors Corp)

cept that was developed to reduce production costs while improving throttle
response. By controlling the throttle
electronically the throttle cable and the
cruise control system could be eliminated.
The early gas applications utilized
5 major components to make the system operate, they were:
The Accelerator Pedal Position
Sensor (APP)
The Throttle Actuator Control
Module (TAC)
The Throttle Actuator Motor
12

The TP sensor assembly


The PCM

See Figure 1 (Courtesy General


Motors Corp), The TAC System.

APP Sensor
Known as the Accelerator Pedal
Position Sensor (APP) it is mounted to
the bulk head and physically takes
place of the vehicles accelerator pedal.
The sensor assembly contains 2 or 3
individual pedal position sensors
mounted within the one APP housing.

Each of the sensors resemble TP sensors in construction as well as operation.


Each individual sensor is basically
a potentiometer and like other TP style
potentiometers, three separate circuits
are connected to each sensor within the
APP assembly. Separate 5V reference,
APP signal and ground circuits are used
to enable the operation of each individual sensor.
Like a typical TP sensor, the APP
sensors are fed a regulated 5 volt signal
at one end of the potentiometer, while
the other end of the potentiometer is
ground. The signal circuit is connected
to the movable contact within the
potentiometer. As the pedal is moved,
the signal circuit output will vary based
on the position of the moveable contact
on the resistor grid of the potentiometer. Like other TP style sensors, the
APP sensors are basically a form of
voltage divider network.
The output from the APP sensors is
typically fed to the TAC module. On a
three sensor system the APP sensor #1
will typically start low below 1 volt at
0% throttle opening and increase in
voltage as the throttle is opened. APP
sensor #2 will generally start at slightly
above 4 volts at 0% throttle opening
and it will decrease as throttle opening
increases. APP sensor #3 starts typically starts at approximately 4 volts at 0%
throttle opening and also decreases as
the throttle is opened. As you can see
APP #2 & 3 both decrease in value as
the throttle is opened, but they do not
decrease at the same rate. By monitoring both the voltage values developed
by the APP assembly, and the rate of
change (Delta), the TAC module can
identify when the customer is requesting
rapid acceleration (Figure 2).
The PCM monitors the APP values
it receives from the TAC module to
determine the actual accelerator pedal
position. By using three sensors and by
having varied values from sensor to
sensor, the TAC module and the PCM
determine the actual position of the
accelerator pedal as well as perform
diagnostic tests on the sensor and its
circuits that are out of range when compared to the other sensors.

GEARS November 2003

garret.qxd

10/22/03

3:20 PM

Page 13

Typical three sensor APP voltage


values will appear as follows:
Actual sensor voltage values
6.6L Dura Max

APP 1
Idle
50%
WOT

.61
1.65
2.65

APP 2
.61
1.60
2.59

APP 1 APP 2 APP 3


Idle
50%
WOT

.71
1.3
2.5

4.3
3.71
2.5

4.0
3.60
2.9

Two sensor systems operate a little


different than the three sensor system
described above. The primary differences are:
Only two potentiometers are
used in the APP assembly
The sensors operate in unison
with each other
With a two sensor APP system,
both sensors will start at a low voltage
value and increase as the throttle is
opened. Typical two sensor APP voltage values will appear as follows:

One thing to keep in mind with any


APP or TP voltage values you are monitoring, the values you see may vary
slightly from vehicle to vehicle. The
processors that GM has used for
decades perform a function know as
ratio metric comparison. The processor
monitors the voltage value it is supplying to the sensor. It then monitors the
signal from the sensor and performs a
comparison between the actual reference voltage and the signal voltage to
determine the position of the sensor.
By utilizing the comparison values the
processor is affected very little by
fluctuating battery voltages or problems with the processors 5v regulator,
or its circuits.

One thing to
keep in mind
with any APP
or TP voltage
values you are
monitoring,
the values you
see may vary
slightly from
vehicle to
vehicle.

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GEARS November 2003

13

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10/22/03

3:20 PM

Page 14

Put the Pedal to the Metal

Figure 3: Early Design TAC System, (Courtesy General Motors Corp)

TAC MOTOR
The gas applications typically use
a device known as a Throttle Actuator
Control Motor (TAC motor) to control
the position of the throttle plates. The
motor is connected mechanically to the
throttle body throttle plate. To open or
close the throttle plate, the TAC module
sends a PWM signal to the TAC motor.
The Bi Directional (reversible) DC
motor responds to the signal, opening
or closing the throttle plate the desired
amount. The motor is driven at 24 kHz,
12 volts and the duty cycle is varied via
a pair of PWM driver circuits. Neither
the 6.5L EFI diesel nor the Dura Max
Diesel uses the TAC motor, TP sensors
or a TAC module.

TP Sensors
Mounted to the side of the throttle
body is the TP sensor assembly. Within
the TP assembly, two potentiometers
send throttle plate position values to the
TAC module. The TAC module determines if the actual TP values match the
commanded APP position. In other
words if the customer is opening the
14

throttle 30%, the TP values should also


indicate the throttle plates are open
30%. If the TP values fail to match the
APP values the TAC module will command the TAC motor to open or close
the throttle plate until the values match.
The TP sensors voltage values will
vary based on throttle opening just like
a typical TPS. Typical voltage output
for the sensors is as follows:
3 Sensor APP system
TP 1
TP 2
Idle
.98
4.0
50%
1.98
2.98
WOT
4.35
.65
2 Sensor APP System
TP 1
TP 2
Idle
.7
.7
50%
2.0
1.9
WOT
4.0
3.9

TAC Module
The TAC module is the heart
of the system on most of the gas applications. The processor receives input
information from several sensors and
switches and then sends out the appro-

priate command to the TAC motor. In


addition, the TAC module sends information regarding system operation to
the PCM via a data line. The TAC
module does not store DTCs for malfunctions that may occur.
Diesel applications do not use a
TAC motor, TP sensors or a TAC module. Instead the APP sensors feed their
voltages directly to the PCM. Instead of
controlling a TAC motor and throttle
plates, diesel applications control the
injector pump fuel delivery to control
engine speed. See Figure 4, TAC module (Courtesy General Motors Corp)
page 16.

PCM Interface
Gas applications typically share
information between the TAC module
and the PCM. The information is sent to
the PCM via a UART data line hard
wired between the TAC module and the
PCM. The information that is sent is
related to the TP sensors, APP sensors,
and other relevant information. In addition the PCM sends the TAC module
information regarding the vehicles
GEARS November 2003

garret.qxd

10/22/03

3:20 PM

Page 15

operating parameters such a MAF,


MAP and other information.
If the vehicle is equipped with a
TCM, the PCM will share the throttle
data with the TCM via the class II data
line.

Diagnostic DTCs
Several DTCs are available to aid
you in diagnosing faults with this system. In some instances if multiple
DTCs are set, the SES and the
REDUCED POWER lights will be illuminated and drivability concerns may
arise. The most common DTCs on
the 3 APP sensor systems are:
P1220
Conditions needed to set the DTC
Neither P1517 or P1518 are
set
Ignition is in the Run or Crank
position
TP 2 voltage less than .13
volts or greater than 4.87 volts
The above conditions are present for more than one second
P1221
Conditions needed to set the DTC
Neither P1517 or P1518 are
set
Ignition is in the Run or Crank
position
TP 2 and TP 1 values vary
from each other by more than
7.5%
The above conditions are met
for more than 1 second
P1275
Conditions needed to set the DTC
P0601, P0602, P0606, P1517,
P1518 are not set
Ignition is in the Run or Crank
position
APP sensor 1 voltage is less
than .25 volts or greater than
4.22 volts
The above condition are met
for more than 1 second
P1276
Conditions needed to set the DTC
P0606, P1517, P1518 are not
set
Ignition is in the run or crank
position
APP sensor 1 disagrees with
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garret.qxd

10/22/03

3:20 PM

Page 16

Put the Pedal to the Metal

Figure 4: TAC Module, (Courtesy General Motors Corp)

the value from sensor 2 by


more than 10.5% and with
sensor 3 by more than 13%
The above conditions are met
for more than 1 second

P1280
Conditions needed to set the DTC
P0601, P0602, P0606, P1517,
P1518 are not set
Ignition is in the Run or Crank
position
APP sensor 2 voltage less than
.83 volts or more than 4.84
volts
The above conditions are met
for more than 1 second

P1281
Conditions needed to set the DTC
* P0606, P1517, P1518 are not
set
Ignition is in the run or crank
position
APP sensor 2 disagrees with
the value from sensor 1 by
more than 10.5% and with
sensor 3 by more than 13%
The above conditions are met
for more than 1 second
P1285
Conditions needed to set the DTC
P0606, P1517, P1518 are not
set
Ignition is in the Run or Crank
position
APP sensor 3 voltage less than
1.63 volts or more than 4.28
volts
The above conditions are met
for more than 1 second
P1286
Conditions needed to set the DTC
P0606, P1517, P1518 are not set
16

Ignition is in the run or crank


position
APP sensor 3 disagrees with
the value from sensor 1 by
more than 13% and with sensor 2 by more than 13%
The above conditions are met
for more than 1 second

The most common DTCs on the


2 APP sensor systems are:
P2108
Conditions needed to set the DTC
P1518 is not set
Ignition is in the run or crank
position
RAM, ROM, Math logic,
Internal timer, watch dog circuit or other internal fault has
occurred
The above conditions are met
for more than 1 second
P2120
Conditions needed to set the DTC
P0601, P0602, P0606, P1517,
P1518, P2108 are not set
Ignition is in the Run or Crank
position
APP sensor 1 voltage is less
than .25 volts or greater than
4.49 volts or 5 v ref circuit is
less than 4.54 volts or more
than 5.21 volts
The above condition are met
for more than 1 second
P2121
Conditions needed to set the DTC
P0606, P1518, P2108 are not
set
Ignition is in the run or crank
position
APP sensor 1 disagrees with
the value from sensor 2 by
more than 10.5%

The above conditions are met


for more than 1 second

P2125
Conditions needed to set the DTC
P0601, P0602, P0606, P1518,
P2108 are not set
Ignition is in the Run or Crank
position
APP sensor 2 voltage is less
than .25 volts or greater than
4.49 volts or 5 v ref circuit is
less than 4.54 volts or more
than 5.21 volts
The above condition are met
for more than 1 second
P2135
Conditions needed to set the DTC
P1518, P2108 are not set
Ignition is in the run or crank
position
APP sensor 2 disagrees with
the value from sensor 1 by
more than 7.5%
The above conditions are met
for more than 1 second
Well as you can see, the TAC system is not as overwhelming as one
might think when you first look at it.
Remember, dont be shy about asking
questions. Questions are how we all
learn and believe me; I have never met
anyone that knows every thing about
anything. A lot of people think they do;
only to find out they really did not
know as much as they thought. In my
humble opinion, if I do not learn something new during the day it really was
not a very good day. In reality I have
found that the more I know, the more I
realize how much I do not know, so
keep the questions coming. Until next
time just keep the pedal to the metal!

GEARS November 2003

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