General Catalyst Monitor Operation

General Catalyst Monitor Operation

Monitor execution is once per drive cycle. The typical monitor duration is 700 seconds. In order for the catalyst monitor to run, the HO2S monitor must be complete and the secondary AIR and EVAP system functional with no stored DTCs. If the catalyst monitor does not complete during a particular driving cycle, the already accumulated switch/signal data is retained in the KAM and is used during the next driving cycle to allow the catalyst monitor a better opportunity to complete.

Rear HO2S can be located in various configurations to monitor different kinds of exhaust systems. In-line engines and many V-engines are monitored by their individual bank. A rear HO2S is used along with the front, fuel control HO2S for each bank. Two sensors are used on an in-line engine and 4 sensors are used on a V-engine. Some V-engines have exhaust banks that combine into a single underbody catalyst. These systems are referred to as Y-pipe systems. They use only 1 rear HO2S along with the 2 front, fuel-control HO2S. The Y-pipe system uses 3 sensors in all. For Y-piped systems, the 2 front HO2S signals are combined by the PCM software to infer what the HO2S signal would have been in front of the monitored catalyst. The inferred front HO2S signal and the actual single, rear HO2S signal is then used to calculate the index ratio.

Exhaust systems that use an underbody catalyst without a downstream/rear HO2S are not monitored by the catalyst efficiency monitor.

Most vehicles that are part of the low emission vehicle (LEV) catalyst monitor phase-in, monitor less than 100% of the catalyst volume. Often this is the first catalyst brick of the catalyst system. Partial volume monitoring.

is done on LEV and ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV) vehicles in order to meet the 1.75 emission standard. The rationale for this strategy is that the catalyst nearest the engine deteriorate first, allowing the catalyst monitor to be more sensitive and illuminate the MIL correctly at lower emission standards.

Many applications that use partial-volume monitoring place the rear HO2S after the first light-off catalyst can or after the second catalyst can in a 3-can per bank system. (A few applications placed the HO2S in the middle of the catalyst can, between the first and second bricks).

Some partial zero emission vehicles (PZEV) use 3 sets of HO2S per engine bank. The front sensors or stream 1 (HO2S11/HO2S21) are the primary fuel control sensors. The next sensors downstream or stream 2 in the exhaust are used to monitor the light-off catalyst (HO2S12/HO2S22). The last sensors downstream or stream 3 in the exhaust (HO2S13/HO2S23) are used for very long term fuel trim in order to optimize catalyst efficiency (fore aft oxygen sensor control).