MAKG CONN P2.

qxd

4/4/02

4:41 PM

Page 14

by Vince Virgilio,
EAST Training, Inc. and

Steve Bodofsky,
Steve Bodofsky Productions

n the last issue of GEARS, we

looked at how easily you can connect a scope or meter to typical
sensors without having a schematic or
menu to guide you. In this issue, well
look at a few sensors that arent quite
so obvious.

Mass Airflow (MAF) Sensors

Figure 1

Figure 2

14

Common Mass Airflow (MAF) sensors. Left to right:

1990 Mazda B2200 and 1988 Toyota Camry.

A waveform from a digital Mass Airflow (MAF) sensor. The frequency of the pulses will increase as engine RPM increases.

Mass airflow sensors provide the

computer with an indication of engine
load. By measuring the amount of air
entering the engine, the computer can
determine engine load with much
greater accuracy than with a typical
MAF sensor (figure 1).
NOTE: Some GM vehicles have
both a mass airflow sensor and a MAP
sensor. On those vehicles, the MAP
provides a backup for the mass airflow
sensor, in case the MAF fails.
The problem with testing mass airflow sensors is there are a number of
different ones in use, with different
wiring configurations. In addition,
some of those sensors have an air
charge temperature sensor built in,
which adds a couple more wires to the
connector.
But in general, there are only two
different types of mass airflow sensors:
frequency sensors and analog sensors.
Frequency sensors provide a digital signal that increases in frequency as
the flow of air through the engine
increases. Analog sensors provide a
variable voltage signal, much like a
TPS does.
There are two types of analog sensor: the hot-wire sensor, commonly
used on GM vehicles, and the flapper
design, which is more common on
imports. But in each case, the sensor
GEARS May 2002

allomatic placed

3/20/02

10:53 AM

Page 15

Todays Market Demands

the Best. Allomatic Delivers.
Meeting the demands of
todays market means
keeping pace with the
industrys latest transmissions.
Allomatic offers a large and
diverse product line that
includes filters, friction plates,
steels and bands. To keep pace
with market demands,
Allomatic adds parts for late
model transmissions when
theyre introduced. Allomatic
delivers replacement parts that
are manufactured and quality
tested to assure value with
consistent dependable OE
performance.

A Raytech Powertrain, Inc. Company

Plant:
Sales:

609 East Chaney Street

Sullivan, IN 47882

110 Jericho Turnpike

Floral Park, NY 11001
Toll Free: 1-800-568-0330
Web Site: www.allomatic.com

MAKG CONN P2.qxd

4/3/02

5:04 PM

Page 16

Making the Connection, Part 2

Figure 3

A waveform from an analog Mass Airflow (MAF) sensor, such as a

vane-type sensor or hot-wire sensor. The signal voltage increases as
engine RPM increases.

Figure 4

This is how the oxygen sensor signal should look on a system thats
working properly. The voltage should switch anywhere from once every
two seconds, to 5 times a second.

develops a DC signal that varies with

the amount of air flowing through the
engine.
So how can you use that information to check the signal from a mass airflow sensor? Heres how:
Connect your meter or scope
negative probe to a good
ground.
Set your meter to read DC
Volts.
16

Turn the key on, engine off.

Backprobe the wires, one at a
time, and record your results
from each one.

constant zero volts. These are the power

grounds or sensor signal grounds for
the sensor (yes, there is a difference!).
The last one or two wires should
provide a small voltage signal; anywhere from a few tenths to a volt or
two. If youre using a scope, you should
be able to tell right away whether one of
those is a digital signal. If youre using
a meter, switch it to Frequency and see
if either of those signals is a digital frequency.
If one of the signals is a digital frequency, thats the MAF sensor signal
(figure 2); the other is the air charge
temperature sensor. Start the engine,
and the MAF sensors frequency should
increase with engine RPM.
If neither of the signals show frequency, switch your meter back to DC
Volts, and start the engine. Then check
both signals again: The one that
increased as soon as you started the
engine is the MAF sensor signal (figure
3). The sensor will create an analog
voltage signal that increases with
engine RPM.
Before you attempt to examine the
sensor signal further, switch your meter
or scopes ground lead to a sensor
ground. It doesnt have to be the ground
from the MAF sensor: All of the sensor
grounds are pretty much the same. As
youll see, the ground you use can have
a big effect on the signal measurement.
If the MAF sensor has an air
charge temperature sensor built in, you
may want to check that as well. The easiest way to check the air charge temperature sensor is to compare its voltage
signal with the Engine Coolant
Temperature sensor voltage signal
while the engine is cold. They should be
almost identical.
Once you start the engine, the
engine coolant temperature sensor signal will decrease fairly quickly; the air
charge temperature sensor will
decrease, but much less, and much
more slowly.

Oxygen (O2) Sensors

One or two of the wires you backprobe will have a constant voltage of 5
or 12 volts, depending on the car youre
working on. These are the power supply
wires for the sensor.
One or two of the wires will have a

You might be thinking Wait a

minute, were transmission techs: Why
would we care about testing the oxygen
sensor? But there are a couple really
good reasons for a transmission technician to want to check the oxygen sensor
GEARS May 2002

MAKG CONN P2.qxd

4/3/02

5:04 PM

Page 17

signal.
To begin with, the oxygen sensor
signal is one of the most accurate ways
of determining whether the computer
system is in closed loop. That regular
switching, from high to low and back
again, tells you the computer is accepting the oxygen sensor signal, and is
adjusting the fuel delivery based on that
signal (figure 4).
And the oxygen sensor signal is
one of the best tools for examining
engine performance, to help you determine whether a driveability problem is
being caused by the engine or transmission. Misfires, lean operation and even
vacuum leaks can be easier to identify
using the oxygen sensor signal (figure
5).
Well ignore the really unusual
ones, like the titanium sensor used on
some Jeeps and Toyotas. And well
completely ignore the 7-wire sensor
that appears on the special lean-running
Hondas: Those things are an article all
by themselves.
For now well just consider the
simple zirconia sensor that appears on
virtually everything else made today.
You know them: the sensors that create
their own voltage that ranges from zero
to one volt. And covering those sensors
alone is enough, because they come in
four flavors: one-, two-, three- and fourwire sensors. Heres how those configurations differ:
One-Wire O2 Sensor: Theres only
one wire; thats the sensor wire.
These sensors use the engine
block as the ground.
Two-Wire O2 Sensor: One wire is
the signal wire, the other is the
sensor ground.
Three-Wire O2 Sensor: The first
heated oxygen sensor. One
wire is the signal wire, one
wire is 12 volts for the heater,
and the third wire is a shared
ground.
Four-Wire O2 Sensor: A later heated oxygen sensor. One wire is
sensor signal; one is sensor
ground. The other two wires
and power and ground for the
heater.
So how do you connect your scope
or meter to these sensors, to check the
GEARS May 2002

Figure 5

This waveform is from the same vehicle as the one in figure 3, but with
one cylinder shorted. This is how a misfire appears on an oxygen sensor signal.

Its easy to connect to a singlewire sensor: Connect the positive probe to the signal wire, and
the negative probe to a good
ground, as close to the sensor
as possible.
Figure 6

signal? If the oxygen sensor has only

one wire, thats easy: Connect your
meter or scope positive lead to the sensor wire, and the ground lead to a
ground near the sensor (figure 6).
If the sensor has more than one
wire:

Connect your scope or meter

ground lead to a good ground.
Set your meter to read DC
Volts.
Start the engine.
Backprobe the leads, one at a
time.
17

MAKG CONN P2.qxd

4/3/02

5:04 PM

Page 18

Making the Connection, Part 2

Three-wire oxygen
sensors share a
ground between the
sensor and the heater.
Connect your positive
probe to the sensor
wire, and the negative
probe to the shared
ground.

Find the signal wire.

Then connect the
positive probe to it,
and the negative
probe to the other
wire.

Figure 7

Figure 8

the other wire (figure 7).

On a three-wire sensor, one wire is the signal wire, one
wire provides 12 volts for the heater, and the third wire is
ground. Once youve identified which is which, connect the
positive lead to the signal wire and ground lead to the ground
wire (figure 8).
The four-wire sensor is a little different:
One wire is the sensor signal wire.
One wire is the sensor ground.
One wire is 12 volts for the sensor heater.
One wire is ground for the sensor heater.
The problem is, theres almost no way to tell the difference between the sensor ground and the heater ground. They
both offer zero volts. So bypass the problem: Connect the positive lead to the sensor wire, and the negative lead to a sensor
ground on a different sensor, such as the TPS (figure 9).

One Ground Isnt Just as Good

as Another

Figure 9

Four-wire sensors have two grounds: one for the

sensor, the other for the heater. Instead of trying
to figure out which is the sensor ground, connect the negative probe to the ground at another
sensor, such as the TPS.

On a two-wire sensor, one wire is the signal wire, the

other is ground. Once youve found which is the signal wire,
connect your positive lead to that wire and the ground lead to
18

Think theres no need to switch your meter or scopes

ground lead to the sensor ground? Think again: Those sensor
ground circuits are buffered to filter out much of the noise
from inside the engine compartment. Thats why many manufacturers specs allow for up to a half-volt difference between
the chassis ground and the sensor ground.
Think about it: Suppose the throttle position sensor base
signal is supposed to be half a volt, and theres a half-volt difference between the chassis ground and sensor ground. If you
tried to adjust the TPS minimum voltage with your meter connected to the wrong ground, youd actually be setting the TPS
GEARS May 2002

3/20/02

11:07 AM

COMPLAINT:

Page 19

TM

GRTSAD0502

DELAYED ENGAGEMENT AND CONVERTER BUSHING FAILURE

MANUAL VALVE

CAUSE:
Chrysler rear wheel drive
units do not charge the
converter or cooler in park

CHRYSLER RWD UNITS

!

'78 ON W/TCC

No valve body
modifications required
with either valve

Also Available:
Lube-regulated pressure
regulator valve
22771A-02K
Patent Pending

CORRECTION:
Install this manual valve
to allow the converter to
charge in park. No modifications are necessary.
Part No.

22771-09

Valve Body

Patent Pending
IMPORTANT!
Either valve can
be used independently.
For greatest benefit, use as a pair.

Manual Valve
22771-09
Patent Pending

Featured product
of the month:

THM 400
P/N: 34310-01

Accumulator Piston
Retaining ring

COMPLAINT:

SCORED OR DAMAGED 4TH ACCUMULATOR BORE

Also:

Poor shift quality

4TH ACCUMULATOR BORE SLEEVE AND PISTON KIT

Accumulator Body

CAUSE:

4L80-E

Debris and piston contact

can score the housing bore

Also available
from Sonnax :
TM

ATX
Teflon square cut seal
and D-ring seal

CORRECTION:

P/N:

86940-05K
ATX BOOST VALVE
& SLEEVE KIT

Install this sleeve and

pinless accumulator piston.
Part No.

34805-01K

Sleeve

4L60, 3T40,
4T60, 200,
325-4L, 200-4R

Pinless accumulator
piston

P/N:

77872-02K
OEM Spring

Universal TV Cable
Repair Kit

Visit our website dedicated to assist & guide transmission rebuilders

www.sonnax.com
Sonnax Automatic Drive P.O. Box 440
Bellows Falls, Vermont 05101-0440 USA
802/463-9722 800/843-2600
fax: 802/463-4059 info@sonnax.com

and visit our website:

for Sonnax reamers & other tools.

TM

See your nearest

Transmission
Specialties
distributor & ask
for Sonnax
quality engineered
products.

MAKG CONN P2www.qxd

4/24/02

10:41 AM

Page 20

Making the Connection, Part 2

Figure 10A

The signal on the left was taken with the scope connected properly,
using the sensor ground. Then we switched the ground probe to a regular chassis ground: Thats the only difference between how the two
signals were acquired.

voltage to zero. And since the signal

would read 0.5 volts on your meter,
youd have no way of knowing there was
a problem until the system set a code.
Here are two oxygen sensor signals,
taken from the exact same car, using the
same scope and same setup. The only
difference between the two is the
ground used: The first shows the oxygen sensor signal with the ground lead
connected to a good ground on the
engine. The second shows the difference
with the ground switched to the proper
sensor ground (figure 10).
As you can see, using the proper
ground clears up an awful lot of noise in
the signal. You could easily mistake that
noise for a misfire in the engine. Whats
more, a spike from that noise could drop
below zero just as it did in this signal
causing you to suspect the sensor
itself was faulty.
Thats why its important to use the
proper sensor ground when measuring
the sensor signal.

Building Quality Since 1977

Out Our


Specials At

www.instaclean.com

1-800-331-6405
955 Kiowa Ave. Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403-2838

20

GEARS May 2002

MAKG CONN P2.qxd

4/3/02

5:04 PM

Page 21

So even on the mass airflow and

oxygen sensors, finding the proper
wires to connect to isnt all that difficult. In the next issue of GEARS, youll
learn how to connect your scope or
meter to check an actuator, such as a
solenoid or motor.

Figure 10B

See description from Figure 10A.

Get more Flywheel Grinder for your money

with a DCM CASH MACHINE

Exclusive Features
that PAY...
21 Capacity
Exclusive piloted 3 point
mounting system: Fastest and
most accurate available
Automatic lead screw
slack adjuster
Automatic feed option eliminates
need to babysit operation ...
like getting a free technician
Ergonomic, rugged design for
simple operation

Transmission Cooler Flushing







Backed by
Factory
Trained
Support Teams
Nationwide.
Call Barb today for
price and availability





1-800-533-5339

Tel: 507-452-4043 Fax: 507-452-7970

Attention
Transmission
Rebuilders

Keep all of your operations in house and finish jobs faster.

Keep the profits in your own pocket rather than sending
them out with your flywheels.
Keep your technicians happy by eliminating wait time.
With DCM Tech you get the Best machine for the money,
complete standard tooling package, & the best technical
support in the industry . . . in short the
biggest BANG for the Buck!
Made in USA

Americas Leading Designer and Manufacturer

of Quality Automotive Machine Shop Equipment
DCM Tech, Inc. 4455 Theurer Blvd. P.O. Box 1304 Winona, MN 55987
Visit our Website at www.dcm-tech.com

GEARS May 2002






Increase shop efficiency

Reduce come-backs
8 models available
Automatic backflush
Tells you when cooler is
clean
6 to 8 quarts of fluid
10-15 min. heat up time
16 gauge welded steel
cabinet
Dual-Filtration system
Uses 700 R4 filter & #28
micron catch screen
Uses hot oil at 160
degrees +
5 minutes and $12.00 to
change the fluid in
the machine
Uses 110 volt electricity

Endorsed by

DACCO
Approved Tool

HOT FLUSH, DCI ENTERPRISES, INC.

800-852-5713
www.hotflusher.com

21