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MAXIMIZING TOOLS

Analyzing the Cylinder

Pressure Waveform from a
Running Engine, Part 2
In Part 1 of this Maximizing Tools series, we discussed an alternative approach to diagnosing an engine
using the pressure waveforms from an in-cylinder pressure transducer. Part 2 continues our discussion in
more detail, analyzing the Valve Timing and Ignition Timing tabs on the waveforms. Part 3, which will
be featured in our October/November issue, will discuss the Inlet (or Intake) and Exhaust tabs. To view
Part 1, see the April/May 2014 edition or visit http://bit.ly/StA6pi.

As can be seen in Figures 1 and 1a, with late cam

timing, the red and green traces — showing
exhaust and intake gas volume, respectively —
overlap for the first approximately 20-30° of
crankshaft rotation away from TDC.

Figure 1: Valve timing is set incorrectly so the valves open

and close late. Marker A is set in the position of the piston
coinciding with the end of closing of the intake valve and
marker B with the start of the exhaust valve opening.

Figure 2: Valve timing is set incorrectly — the valves open

and close early. The A marker is set to the position of the
piston or crank angle that coincides with the end of closing
of the intake valve and marker B is set to coincide with the
start of the exhaust valve opening.
Figure 1a: In this figure, which a zoomed part of Figure 1, it
can be seen that the red and green traces displaying the Vasyl Postolovskyi and Olle Gladso
amount of gas in the cylinder are superimposed on each
Contributing Writers and Instructors at Riverland
other for the first part of the crankshaft rotation.
Technical and Community College in Albert Lea, MN

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MAXIMIZING TOOLS

The waveform distortion shown in Figure 3, where

the valves are overlapping, is typical for advanced
valve timing. The red and green traces do not
overlap each other as they did with late valve timing
and they have characteristic angles.
On engines equipped with a chain-driven camshaft,
Figure 3: Typical waveform distortion seen when the valve the shift of the opening and closing valves becomes
timing is advanced. larger than on engines equipped with a timing belt.
We have shown that valve timing can be quickly
If the camshaft is installed one tooth early, the valve
and accurately analyzed and verified using the
timing is advanced. This is the same as early opening
method described.
and closing of the valves. In Figures 2 and 3, that is
shown as an offset of the closing of the intake valve The “Valve Timing” Tab
to the right, and opening of the intake valve to the This tab provides a diagram that gives the same
left. Again, the characteristic points are moving away information about the volume of gas in the cylinder
from each other approximately 30°.

Figure 6: Polar diagram from an engine with late valve timing.

The valves are opening and closing late. The A marker shows
Figure 4: Typical diagram from the “Valve Timing” tab. This is an where the intake valve is closed, and the B marker shows where
engine in good working order. the exhaust valve starts to open.

Figure 5: This is a zoomed in picture from the capture in Figure 7: Typical distortion of the valve timing diagram in the
Figure 4. zoomed center. The distortion is due to late valve timing.

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MAXIMIZING TOOLS

as the “Quantity” tab does, but shown in relation to more detail on the center of the diagram from a
the angle of the crankshaft. The amount of gas in the typical engine in good working order.
cylinder is expressed as the distance from the center If the timing belt or chain is installed one tooth late
of the diagram. The trace’s distance from the center on engines equipped with a single camshaft, the
is a visual representation of the amount of gas in the valve timing for both intake and exhaust will be late.
cylinder. On the polar diagram, this shows as a rotation of the
Figure 4, which is a polar diagram, shows the valve phase diagram clockwise about 15° (if there’s a
amount of gas in the cylinder depending on the timing belt; more if there’s a chain). The intake valve
angle of the crankshaft and the stroke of the tested closing and the exhaust valve opening are no longer
cylinder. The A marker shows where the intake valve symmetrical relative to the center line or TDC. This
is closed, and the B marker shows when the exhaust asymmetry is shown in Figure 6 on page 18. The late
valve begins to open. Note that the marker locations valve timing also manifests as a distortion in the
are symmetrical relative to the vertical line. center of the diagram, as shown in the zoomed-in
Figure 5 on page 18 is a zoomed in capture showing diagram in Figure 7 on page 18.

Figure 8: The valve timing phases are asymmetrical showing an Figure 10: This is an ignition timing diagram from an engine in
incorrect valve timing. In this example, the cam timing is good working order. The data is taken from two throttle
advanced one tooth. The A marker shows the angle when the openings. One sharp and one smooth opening.
intake valve is closed, and the B marker shows when the
exhaust valve started to open.

Figure 9: This is a zoomed-in part of Figure 8 and shows the Figure 11: Here, the low load or overrun trace is activated. This
distortion of the timing diagram in the center, due to the early engine is in good operating condition.
or advanced valve timing.

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The first phase of the distortion

in Figure 7 occurs because the
piston, after passing TDC in the
cylinder, starts to create low
pressure in the cylinder and
gases will flow from the exhaust
manifold through the still-open
exhaust valve. The second part of
the distortion occurs because the
piston is already on its way down
in the cylinder when the intake
valve opens.
If the timing belt or chain is
installed a tooth early, the valve
timing will be advanced and the
polar diagram will again be
asymmetrical. Under this
condition, the diagram will be
rotated counterclockwise. The
valve phases shown in Figure 8
will again be asymmetrical
relatively to the horizontal or
TDC line. Figure 9, which is a
zoomed in part of Figure 8,
shows distortion in the center.
Note that the distortion looks
different from what it does with
late valve timing.
The distortion of the red trace
on the diagram in Figure 9 is due
to gases from the cylinder
flowing into the intake manifold
because the intake valve opens
too early.
As is shown, the “Valve timing”
and the “Quantity” tabs can both
be used to determine and
diagnose valve timing issues.
Which one to use is simply a
matter of personal preference.
With some practice, these
diagrams can be used with
variable valve timing as well. If
the diagram from an engine in
good working order is known,
variations due to timing belt,
chain or cam phasers are readily
apparent in the waveforms.

The “Ignition Timing” Tab

If a synch signal from a plug wire
or similar was recorded along
with the data from the pressure
transducer, the Px script will also

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MAXIMIZING TOOLS

construct an ignition timing diagram, as shown in

Figure 10 on page 20.
In Figure 10, colors are used to signify the load on
the engine with green being the lowest engine load
and red the highest. Green is 20% load and red is
90% load. The higher the load, the warmer the color.
Normal operation of the ignition timing is shown in
the diagram. As the engine rpm increases, so does
the ignition timing. This is what used to be called
centrifugal advance. On the diagram, this advance is
shown as an increase in the graph height as we move
toward higher rpm (to the right). Normal operation
also implies that the ignition timing will vary with
load on the engine.
With increasing cylinder pressure, also known as
Figure 12: This is a timing diagram showing abnormal timing decreasing manifold vacuum, the ignition timing
control. should delay, so the spark occurs later. The opposite
is also true; with decreasing cylinder pressure, also
known as increased manifold vacuum, the ignition
should occur earlier, or advanced. Because the
ignition is delayed with increased load, the red trace,
which signifies high load, is located lower in the
diagram than the green. The shaded areas signify
where the ignition timing will normally occur. Events
outside the shaded areas indicate malfunction.
When the engine in a modern vehicle is
overrunning, as happens when you abruptly release
the accelerator pedal or when the vehicle is
decelerating, for example going downhill, the fuel
supply is interrupted. Because there is no fuel supply
in this mode, the ignition timing does not affect to
the engine performance, so the corresponding traces
on the diagram in this tab are not displayed by
default.
They can be turned on manually as is shown in
Figure 11 on page 20, and will display as blue traces.
Blue signifies very little load. Note that the ignition
timing is very late unless the engine is at very high
rpm. This can be verified and proven with a timing
light, if needed. Because the operating conditions are
outside normal range (overrunning), the blue trace is
slightly below what is considered normal range.
If there is a control or adjustment problem, the
timing traces will appear outside the shaded areas, as
is shown in Figure 12. In this example, the ignition
timing is very late and does not adjust with either
rpm or load. The engine will have very low power.
This problem was caused by a faulty engine control
unit. TS
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