Theory Of Operation

WARNING: This page is about a different variant/trim than selected.

The Charge Air Cooler (CAC) is an air-to-air heat exchange device used on this turbocharged diesel engine to improve efficiency by increasing intake air-charge density through cooling the intake air. A decrease in air intake temperature provides a denser intake charge to the engine and allows more air and fuel to be introduced per engine cycle, increasing the output of the engine.

There are many different variations for intake air temperature sensors and configurations. The 3.0L VM Turbo uses a cooler input air temperature sensor and an output air temperature sensor both are in the intake air flow. There are failure codes for rationality, circuit issues and component failures. The sensors are directly connected to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). The sensor data is used by the PCM to determine (CAC) efficiency, fuel delivery calculations and temperature rationality measurements.