Fuel Trim

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire, 2003 Pontiac Grand Am, 2003 Oldsmobile Alero, and 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) controls the air/fuel metering system to provide the best possible combination of driveability, fuel economy, and emission control. The PCM monitors the HO2S signal voltage while in Closed Loop and regulates the fuel delivery by adjusting the pulse width of the injectors based on this signal. The ideal fuel trim values are around zero percent for both short and long term fuel trim. A positive fuel trim value indicates the PCM is adding fuel to compensate for a lean condition by increasing the pulse width. A negative fuel trim value indicates that the PCM is reducing the amount of fuel to compensate for a rich condition by decreasing the pulse width. A change made to the fuel delivery changes the long and short term fuel trim values. The short term fuel trim values change rapidly in response to the HO2S signal voltage. These changes fine tune the engine fueling. The long term fuel trim makes coarse adjustments to fueling to re-center and restore control to short term fuel trim. A scan tool can be used to monitor the short and long term fuel trim values. The long term fuel trim diagnostic is based on an average of several of the long term speed load learn cells. The PCM selects the cells based on the engine speed and engine load. If the PCM detects an excessively lean or rich condition, the PCM will set a fuel trim Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC).