This was originally published July 2006.
The newest EVAP leak detection system is designed to perform its tests right there on the driveway.
Before cars had emission controls, gasoline evaporating from the fuel system generated almost as much unburned hydrocarbon emissions as the engine did. Sealing the fuel tank to prevent evaporative emissions was not a solution because pressure builds up with heat, making the emissions problem potentially a lot worse.
Today, the pressure is vented through a tube that leads to a canister filled with activated charcoal that absorbs fuel vapors. When the engine is running, the vapors are drawn into the intake manifold and burned in the engine.
It seems simple enough, but as it turns out, engineering an effective and legal evaporative emissions control system (EVAP) is not as easy as designing a leak-free fuel system. That's because the EVAP system is opened at both ends at least once every drive cycle to purge the vapor storage canister. It's also opened every time the tank is refilled, introducing the opportunity for malfunction caused by human error. Add in the on-board refueling vapor recovery system (OVR), and the on-board diagnostics (OBD) system that checks the whole EVAP system for leaks, and things can get complicated in a hurry.THE LOGIC
Designing any system that can be tested while it's actually in use is a big challenge. Powertrain engineers will tell you that's why testing the EVAP system is the most difficult part of OBD. OBD II checks for leaks by putting the EVAP system under vacuum, closing all the valves to seal the system and then measuring the rate of vacuum decay.
Test vacuum is easy to generate, using either manifold vacuum or a leak detection pump (LDP), but the test vacuum must be very small to avoid the possibility of creating a leak in an otherwise tight system. Test vacuum is typically about 7 inches of water (HIn general, those conditions are:
- Fuel level between 15 percent and 85 percent.
- Ambient temperature between 40°F and 86°F.
- Coolant temperature close to ambient (cold start).
- Altitude below 8,000 feet (barometer greater than 75 kpa).
- Engine at idle or steady speed/load for a specific period of time.
Depending on where and how the vehicle is typically used, it's common that the EVAP monitor will not run to completion for months at a time, and it's even possible that the test will never be completed. If the monitor does run and detect a small leak, it must do so twice before it will set a hard fault code and turn on the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL).
However, there is one way to leak test an EVAP system using test conditions that are very easy to meet. Called Natural Vacuum Leak Detection (NVLD), it was introduced by DaimlerChrysler (DCX) on the 2002 LH platform. DCX and other manufacturers are gradually switching over to this type of EVAP test as new models are introduced. Like existing Ford and General Motors (GM) EVAP systems, it uses solenoid valves at each end of the system, so DCX will gradually phase out the old Leak Detection Pump (LDP). The big advantage of NVLD is that it can detect small leaks with great accuracy because the test runs with the vehicle parked and the engine turned off.NVLD takes advantage of Boyle's Gas Law, which describes the relationship between volume, temperature and pressure of a gas. Basically, if volume is held constant and either of the other two changes, so will the other. In a fuel system, the volume of air in the tank is held constant when the engine is off and the EVAP system solenoid valves are all closed. If temperature increases or decreases, so does pressure in the tank, as long as the EVAP system is not leaking. Engineers have learned over the years that the vapor pressure in the fuel tank drops slightly in the first 20 minutes or so after shut-down. This is true even on a cool day and on vehicles with a returnless fuel system because the fuel stops sloshing around in the tank. So all that's needed to leak-test an EVAP system is to detect the resulting pressure drop with the ignition switched off. To be sure, that pressure drop can be miniscule and last a very short period of time, especially in warm ambient conditions. However, it occurs far more often than under the general conditions mentioned earlier.
THE HARDWARE
The NVLD assembly can be mounted anywhere, but on DCX's LH platform, it's mounted directly on the EVAP charcoal canister. That canister is mounted under the car right next to the fuel tank. The assembly includes a diaphragm-operated switch, two check valves and the fuel system vent valve, which is a normally closed solenoid valve.
One of the check valves is a pressure relief valve for the entire fuel storage system. It opens at a pressure of only 0.5 inch H
There are three wires connected to the NVLD housing. The white/dark green wire (PCM pin C3-8) carries 12 volts to the vent valve solenoid from the PCM. The red wire (PCM pin C3-35) carries a 5-volt reference signal from the PCM to the NVLD switch; this is the switch sense circuit. The black wire is a chassis ground for both circuits. Depending on the model, there might be a resistor or even a diode on the switch, so checking for continuity between the switch circuit and ground with the NVLD switch closed will yield some resistance. A scan tool that can read the switch circuit will simply report the switch open or closed.
Unlike Ford and GM models, which read fuel tank pressure with a sensor, the NVLD system uses a simple on-off switch operated by a diaphragm. The normally open NVLD switch will close with a vacuum of only 1 inch H
Remember, there's a check valve that opens at 3 to 6 inches H
THE TEST
All that's needed for the small-leak EVAP test to run is an ambient temperature greater than 40°F and fuel level less than 85 percent. When the ignition is switched off, a switch monitor in the PCM remains powered up. As the fuel in the tank settles or cools down, vapor pressure decreases and creates a natural vacuum in the tank. Remember, the purge valve and vent valve are closed with the key off.
This vacuum will be slight, but the NVLD switch only needs a vacuum of 1 inch H
In general, after the engine is turned off, it should take only about five minutes to build 1 inch H
Obviously, there are some operating or ambient conditions that can prevent a build-up of natural vacuum in the tank, even if the system is tight. If that happens, the OBD system will run the small-leak test at each shutdown for one week without a single "pass" before it decides to turn on the MIL. The OBD system has timers to monitor engine-off time and engine-run time, giving it the ability to roughly calculate real time.
To make sure the NVLD switch is working, the PCM runs a "rationality test" with each drive cycle. When the ignition is first switched on, the solenoid vent valve in the NVLD assembly is opened to vent any vacuum in the system. The NVLD switch should open. When the PCM starts purging the EVAP canister after closed-loop begins, the vent valve will be closed briefly to draw a slight vacuum on the system, and the NVLD switch should close. If the switch doesn't operate as expected, a pending code is set. If it fails in two trips, the MIL will be turned on and P0452 (switch sense circuit low) or P0453 (switch sense circuit high) will be set. There may be other codes too, because the actual failure could be electrical, electronic or an EVAP leak.
The NVLD diaphragm is in the top of the NVLD assembly housing, and it pulls up to close the switch. A passage transfers vacuum from the inlet on the bottom of the housing to the top of the diaphragm. If the NVLD housing is damaged, even at the electrical connector, there will be no vacuum transmitted to the diaphragm. In fact, the EVAP system will leak.
As noted previously, the NVLD assembly on some models is mounted directly on the EVAP canister, but it also can be mounted anywhere on the vehicle. If you decide to use a hand vacuum pump to test for switch closure, remember that the switch is supposed to close with only 1 inch H
WHAT'S NEXT?
GM introduced Engine Off Natural Vacuum (EONV) testing in its 2003 trucks, and Ford began using EONV in 2005 F-Series trucks sold in California and other "green" states. Toyota, Mazda and other automakers are also using it in some their models. This system uses a pressure sensor instead of a simple switch, and the enable criteria are stricter because the monitor must calibrate itself for ambient conditions. Also, because the PCM may remain active for up to 45 minutes after engine shutdown, it's being introduced as each manufacturer introduces new low-current-draw PCM platforms.
It will take several years and the strategy may see some other changes, but natural vacuum leak detection is proving to be so reliable, eventually all manufacturers will use it for small-leak EVAP testing.