P0251
Diagnostic Chart:
Diagnostic Chart (cont'd):
Wiring Diagram:
Circuit Description
The optical sensor provides a pump cam signal to the PCM by counting the pulses on the sensor which is disk located inside of the injection pump. The pump cam is one of the most important inputs by the PCM for fuel control and timing. This test monitors the number of crankshaft position pulses that have occurred since the last cam pulse. The physical one to one correspondence between the pump cam and the crankshaft implies that if more crank pulses are detected than cam pulses, the cam pulses have been missed. This is a type A DTC.
Conditions for Setting the DTC
^ Eight consecutive cam pulses are missing.
OR
^ An average of eight cam pulses are missing.
Action Taken When the DTC Sets
Backup fuel.
Conditions for Clearing the MIL/DTC
^ The PCM will turn the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) off after three consecutive trips without a fault condition.
^ A History DTC will clear after forty consecutive warm-up cycles during which the diagnostic does not fail (the coolant temperature has risen 5°C (40°F) from the start up coolant temperature and the engine coolant temperature exceeds 71°C (160°F) during that same ignition cycle).
^ Use of a Scan Tool will clear the DTC codes.
Diagnostic Aids
When the PCM is in backup fuel, fast idle and poor performance problems will exist. A P0251 and P0370 may possibly set if the vehicle has run out of fuel. An intermittent condition may be caused by the following:
^ Poor connections.
^ A rubbed through wire insulation.
^ A broken wire inside of the insulation.
Test Description
The number(s) below refer to the Step number(s) on the Diagnostic Table.
2. This Step will determine if this is a hard or intermittent DTC.
4. This Step will determine if there is a 5 volt reference.
6. This Step will check to see if the sensor is sending a signal back to the PCM.