The Anatomy of A Waveform

THE ANATOMY OF A WAVEFORM
Presented by Bill Fulton

Disclaimer of Warranties:
This manual contains test procedures and test information obtained by an ASE Certified Master Technician with
known good test equipment on real vehicles, your tests may vary due to your equipment or technician procedures.
No warranty can be made from the ideas presented due to personal testing procedures, nor does the author or
anyone connected with him assume responsibilities or liabilities. The use of this manual is conditional on the
acceptance of this disclaimer. If the terms of this disclaimer are not acceptable, please return this manual.
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Content authored for Automotive Video Inc. by Heritage Technical LLC, Cochranville, PA. Copyrighted © in 2010 by
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 BANK 1 ON THE 1999 300M 3.5L SOHC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
ON BOARD DIAGNOSTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 BANK 2 ON THE 1999 300M 3.5L SOHC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
ANATOMY OF A SECONDARY WAVE FORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 2003 CHEVY TRAILBLAZER ROUGH IDLE (P0017) TECH TIP . . . . .23
SCAN DATA ALONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 1999 CHEVY TAHOE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
ENGINE FUNDAMENTALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 DOHC ENGINE CAM TIMING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
4 TYPES OF COMPRESSION TESTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 SECONDARY (FOULED PLUG) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
COMPRESSION CHARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 SECONDARY (FOULED PLUG) COP SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Fluke PV350Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 INTEGRATED DIRECT IGNITION SECONDARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
CRANKING COMPRESSION (GOOD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 A LOOK AT SPARK TIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
CYLINDER LEAK TESTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 SECONDARY KV PROBE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
FOUR STROKES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 LEAN DENSITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
CRANK TIMING TERMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 PICO CKP TESTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
1999 CHRYSLER 3.5L 300M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 PICO SECONDARY IGNITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
THE FOUR STROKES USING A DSO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 PICO PRIMARY IGNITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
1-800-71-TRAIN (1-800-718-7246) OR www.auto-video.com 1

OVERVIEW
For this training session we will be discussing the anatomy of waveforms. Specifically we will be
looking dynamically at a secondary waveform under various engine loads. We will also look at
compression waveforms under dynamic conditions as well.
During this presentation you need to keep in mind a simple rule and that is “For a diagnostic test
to be reliable, it must be repeatable on all makes and models”.
Also during this presentation we will continually refer to the “First look diagnostic test”. This test
will begin with secondary patterns and if we believe we have a compression problem via the
secondary ignition waveform, we will look at the compression waveform to pinpoint the
mechanical integrity issues including the possibility of retarded valve timing.
ON BOARD DIAGNOSTICS
Modern day on board computers are reliable for flagging emission related DTCs, however they
have severe limitations for flagging engine performance problems. Keep in mind that the federal
government mandated that the Check Engine Light (MIL) does not have to illuminate unless the
emissions on the vehicle exceeded 1.5X the federal test procedure standards. Also, catalytic
converters can also hide a multitude of problems that may be in the vehicle as well.
What we are going to look at in this presentation are the driveability problems that may or may
not have a DTC related to them and diagnosing those problems using secondary ignition
waveforms and compression waveforms.
ANATOMY OF A SECONDARY WAVEFORM
Pictured left is a secondary waveform with each

event indicated by a letter within the diagram. Lets
take a closer look at the critical points and see if
we can determine what is happening.
Keep in mind that we are viewing this dynamically.
A: POINT OF PRIMARY TURN ON.

This is the point at which the ignition coil begins the
primary charge process. If you have a miss or
triggering problem caused by a bad crankshaft
position sensor (CKP), you will lose this point in the
pattern.
This event must be there and it must be consistent

and stable.
2 1-800-71-TRAIN (1-800-718-7246) OR www.auto-video.com

ANATOMY OF A SECONDARY WAVEFORM (CONTINUED)
B: POINT OF PRIMARY TURN OFF.

At point B the coil has been effectively
charged and the primary current flow has
been turned off. The primary magnetic field
collapses, becomes mutually inducted,
multiplied 100X and the secondary fires.
C: FIRING KV LINE.
The firing kV line represents the amount of
voltage needed to overcome all of the air
gaps in the secondary circuit. This is
critical because on DI distributor equipped
engines, there are only two authorized air
gaps, the rotary air gap and the spark plug
air gap.
On a DIS system there are still two

authorized air gaps because two spark
plugs are being fired simultaneously.
On COP systems there is only one

authorized air gap which is the spark plug
air gap.
Note that if we look closer at the firing kV

line that the kV demand is 12 kV.
D: SPARK KV POINT.
This represents the point that we have
established conductivity across the spark
plug air gap. This reading in the pattern
needs to be stable and at a good value. In
this waveform the spark kV point is at 2 kV. If this value was at an elevated reading, it would
indicate that there is a high fixed secondary resistance problem. Some things to cause this would
be too high of a resistance in the plug wires or in the spark plug resistor itself.
If the spark kV point were to be unstable, this is the first indication that the verbal resistances
inside of the combustion chamber are too high. This means that the cylinder is lacking fuel and
running in a lean condition.
E: SPARK LINE.
The spark line is the most critical portion of this secondary waveform. Any misfire regardless of
the cause is going to have a major effect at this point.
Note that in the screen capture the scope is set at 1 ms per division and the vehicle is in park
with no load on the engine. You can see that the spark duration period is running at about 1.3
ms. Later in the hands on demonstration portion of this presentation you will see that a GM type
2 DIS coil pack will have an ideal spark duration of a minimum 1 ms at idle, in park and under
no load. On every other vehicle, except vehicles equipped with COP, you will want to see a
minimum of 1.3 ms which is what is displayed in the capture above.

ANATOMY OF A SECONDARY WAVEFORM (CONTINUED)
Notice the next thing we see in the pattern is a peak at the end of the spark duration as
indicated by the “?”. This indicates that there is a flame front inside of the combustion chamber.
These flame fronts cause the pressure inside the combustion chamber abruptly increase causing
the voltage demand to increase across the spark plug air gap.
If you see the tail end of this spark line go flat with no peak, this indicates that there is no flame
front causing a misfire.
F: COIL OSCILLATIONS.
Back in the old days, typically three to five coil oscillations would have indicated that there was a
good reserve of energy left in the ignition coil.
Ignition coils today have be designed to have a higher rate of energy transfer and what you will
see today is 1 - 1.5 coil oscillations.
Now that we know the diagnostic value of secondary waveforms, we can look at these patterns
during idle conditions and during power brake conditions. We will be recreating some of the
misfires that commonly occur causing the MIL to illuminate and diagnose why they happen.

SCAN DATA ALONE
All of us know the value of scan tool data but using scan data alone can have severe limitations.
An example of this could be that you may have a misfire code the scan tool may identify the
cylinder with the misfire, but it won’t give you the cause of the misfire.
Solving all engine performance problems with scan data alone is pure nannyism. Nannyism is a
term that applies to the car manufacturers. The car manufacturers are the ones that give you the
symptom charts and pinpoint tests. These charts supplied by the manufacturers have severe
limitations themselves when diagnosing a vehicle.
On OBD II systems, the compression comparison between cylinders is now down to a +\- 15 psi
maximum. Later in the hands on portion of this program we will be interfacing a Pressure
Transducer with a Lab Scope to get a great view of a compression waveform with the engine
running.
Remember, the misfire monitor ONLY runs with the engine running. This is why you need to
dynamically look at the compression waveforms in addition to secondary waveforms with the
engine running when the misfire monitor runs.
ENGINE FUNDAMENTALS
For good combustion efficiency we MUST have 4 good factors.
1. Proper air fuel ratio.

2. Good ignition.
3. Good compression.
4. Proper spark timing.
Later in the presentation you will be able to see all four of these conditions when we combine a
compression waveform and a secondary waveform.
4 TYPES OF COMPRESSION TESTS
There are 4 types of compression tests.
1. WOT cranking.
2. Idle compression.
3. Cruise compression.
4. WOT snap and decel compression.
Depending on the symptom or engine performance problem it may be necessary to perform any
one or all of these compression tests. We will cover each one in detail and explain the diagnostic
value of each one.
If you have experience with compression testing you know that the conventional analog
compression gauge was only designed to perform the WOT cranking compression test limiting
the diagnostic value of the gauge.
If we want to dynamically view what is occurring in the combustion chamber we can use an in
cylinder pressure transducer. A pressure transducer will not only allow us to perform the WOT
cranking compression test but all of the other three as well.

COMPRESSION CHARTS
When referencing the OE manufacturers specifications for compression, keep in mind that the
specifications in the charts are given at sea level. For every 1,000 feet above sea level you need
to subtract 5% from the specification given.
If we take a look at the chart above we can see that all four of the compression tests are
represented and we are going to take a closer look at each of them.
Looking at the WOT cranking compression test first there are some things you need to
remember. The typical good multi-valve engine running on 87 octane fuel at sea level will have a
cranking compression of 160 psi. On standard two valve engines would be around 140 psi due to
lower volumetric efficiency. Turbocharged and supercharged engines typically have about 125 psi
due to a lower compression ratio.
Again, looking at the WOT cranking compression in the chart you can see that it is right around
160 psi indicating a good engine. Keep in mind that there are times when an engine could have
a retarded valve timing problem yet still have good cranking compression.
Looking next at the idle compression and assuming that the engine is running at 800 rpm, the
idle compression should be approximately 50% of what the cranking compression is. This is
because the throttle plates are closed causing the ability of the engine to breath to be reduced.
If we were to increase the RPM to 1,500 you would see a decrease in compression because as
the engine speeds up there is less time for the cylinder fuel rate to recover.
When we dynamically view at the compression waveform we will be viewing all four strokes of
the compression. To do this we will be using the Fluke PV350 Pressure Transducer.

COMPRESSION CHARTS (CONTINUED)
FLUKE PV350 Overview
Today there are many pressure transducers

available. The Fluke PV350 (PV = Pressure
Vacuum - 350-psi) is one of the earliest ones
used. Inside the gray body there is a 9V
battery that powers up the transducer.
At the end of the assembly is the actual

transducer (the silver housing), and it is
connected to a Milton coupling which allows
you to connect to a compression gauge
compression/hose that threads into the
cylinder. There are two banana outputs.
The Fluke PV350 can be used with just about

any scope that is out there. On the front there is a slide switch that has three switches: Off,
Pressure and Vacuum. You can have pressure measured in PSI or in kPa.
You can get the best use out of the PV350 by using kPa.
* Compatible with all Fluke and most popular DMMs

* Digital pressure and vacuum measurements in a
single module
* Transducer sealed in 316 stainless steel
compatible with variety of liquids and gases
* Measures vacuum to 76 cm Hg
* Displays results in English (psig of Hg) or metric (kPa or cm Hg) units
* Measures pressure to 3447 kPa (500 psig)
* One year warranty
NOTE When using the Fluke PV350 with a DSO, a voltage setting of 1 millivolt per division
equals 1 PSI. Therefore a 20 millivolt per division would equal 20 PSI on the vertical scale.
Henceforth, a 50 millivolt per division would equal 50 PSI per division.
The Fluke PV350 will not show you Delta Pressure. That will be demonstrated during the
presentation. When using the Snap On Modis or Vantage Pro unit from the channel 1 menu turn
on the low pass filter option. This will dramatically clean up the waveform.

COMPRESSION CHARTS (CONTINUED)
FLUKE PV350 Overview
When using the pressure transducer with the

standard compression gauge fitting it will be
necessary to remove the Schraeder valve so
that we can consistently view all four strokes
dynamically.
If however you are just performing a cranking

compression test there is no need to remove
the schraeder valve.
CRANKING COMPRESSION (GOOD)
Pictured above and on the next page is a cranking compression waveform using the Fluke
PV350 interfaced with a compression hose and lab scope. In this example the instructor has
purposely left the schraeder valve in the hose.

CRANKING COMPRESSION (GOOD) (CONTINUED)
This is to clear up any confusion that may be out there about which compression stroke do you
count on for your specification.
In the screen capture above there are a total of 5 compression strokes displayed. As you can see
the more compression strokes there are, the higher the compression reading on the screen.
As you know compression specifications are pretty tight on modern day engines and at this point
we need to establish one critical rule. The only compression stroke you should use for your
diagnostic strategy is the 2nd compression stroke. This is because on the first stroke you may or
may not have gotten a full intake stroke leading to a false compression reading.
If you look at the waveform above you can see that at the peak of the 2nd stroke the
compression pressure builds to 170 psi indicating that this engine has a good cranking
compression.
Typically multi-valve engines such as this Honda 2.2L will develop higher compression values
than a two valve engine. Note the good 170 PSI on the second compression stroke. This
waveform was captured with the Schraeder valve in.

CYLINDER LEAK TESTER
It stands to reason that if you do a cranking compression test and the compression value is low
that you are going to want to diagnose what is causing the loss of compression.
In the old days when a cylinder leak down test was performed you wanted to have the engine at
normal operating temperature, the piston of the cylinder that you were testing needed to be at
top dead center (TDC) and the old style tester plugged into the port on the cylinder. When you
applied air pressure from your compressor, the value at which your compressor (125 psi for
example), was the pressure that you were applying to the cylinder.
In the early 1990’s the car manufacturers started using piston rings with a lower rate of friction.
Now, on a modern engine when detecting cylinder leakage, when you put 125 psi on top of a
piston, the piston goes lower than the wear area.
The cylinder leak down testers have been recalibrated to measure leak down at a much lower
applied pressure to about 20 to 40 PSI. The limitations of this tester is that it is static only and
does not test the dynamic opening and closing of the exhaust and intake valves.
The gauge on the left of the assembly will show you the actual amount of applied pressure and
the gauge on the right is going to show you the actual percentage of cylinder leakage.
TEST CONDITIONS- ENGINE WARM AND PISTON AT TDC OF COMPRESSION STROKE
LIMITATIONS This is a static test only and does not dynamically test the opening and closing of
the exhaust and intake valves.

FOUR STROKES
Pictured above is a waveform illustrating the four compression strokes. This waveform captured
at idle indicates good mechanical integrity of this cylinder. The arrows point to the beginning of
each individual stroke. You can also see that the peak compression measures about 65 psi.
Later in the presentation we will be dissecting a waveform showing you exactly how many crank
degrees it took for the intake valve to open, the exhaust valve to open and the compression
values.
NOTES

CRANK TIMING TERMS
Before we move on we need to cover some of the terminology that we will be using for crank
timing issues. Below is a list acronyms and their meaning.
For the engine to complete all four compression strokes the crankshaft must turn a total of two
revolutions or 720°.
One of the important things we need to understand is that if we have a SOHC engine and we
suspect that there is retarded valve timing problem, all we have to do is find the 180° BDC mark
which is the EVO point in the stroke and diagnose from there.
If you have a DOCH engine, all we have to do is find the TDC 360° mark which is where the IVO
point in the stroke is and diagnose from there.
NOTES

1999 CHRYSLER 3.5L 300M
For this case study we will be looking at a 1999 Chrysler 300M with a 3.5L SOHC and misfire
DTCs of P0304 and P0306. Below is a list of the manufacturers timing specifications for this
particular engine.
EXHAUST VALVE- OPENS @ 56 DEGREES BBDC

CLOSES @ 16 DEGREES ATDC
INTAKE VALVE- OPENS @ 3 DEGREES ATDC
CLOSES @ 61 DEGREES ABDC
The cam sprocket has 52 teeth. 720 degrees divided by 52 teeth equals 13.8 degrees per tooth.
The cam sensor is on Bank 2. There is no cam sensor on Bank 1.
The 3.5L engine uses a cam sensor mounted on bank 2. There is no cam sensor on bank 1. In
the event of a timing belt failure where the timing belt has skipped a tooth or two on bank 1 but
still remains in alignment on bank 2 the PCM will still sync the ignition and the injectors. The
resulting valve timing problem will cause a major fuel trim shift between the fuel trim values
between the banks. With retarded valve timing on bank 1 and normal valve timing on bank 2 the
result will be a lean bank 1 and a normal bank 2.
As stated earlier in the presentation, if we suspect a retarded valve timing issue, and since this is
a SOHC engine where the camshaft controls both the intake and exhaust valves, all we need to
do is find the 180° and view exactly when the exhaust valve opened on the lab scope.
Although the misfire codes are related to bank 2 of the engine, we will be looking at both banks
and as we go through this case study we will look at all 4 cranking compressions and illustrating
when the EVO on bank 1 occurred as well as when EVO on bank 2 occurred.
NOTES

1999 CHRYSLER 3.5L 300M (CONTINUED)
Pictured above is a cranking compression waveform for bank 1 of the case subject vehicle. As
you can see it has a peak compression of 142 psi. For a vehicle of this age and the amount of
miles, we can consider this cylinder to have good compression.
Pictured above is an idle compression waveform for bank 1 of the case subject vehicle. As you
can see it has a peak of 64 psi. Earlier in the presentation we discussed that you want to see an
idle compression that is about 50% of the cranking compression. Although the idle compression
for this engine is coming in at about 60% it is still acceptable.

Pictured above is a cruise compression waveform for bank 1 of the case subject vehicle. As you
can see it has a peak compression of 44 psi. Notice that the cruise compression is slightly lower
than the idle compression. This is because the engine speed has increased and there is less time
for the cylinder to build compression. At 44 psi cruise compression it indicates a good cylinder.
A quick summary for the last three tests all show that the compression results are good. The
reason for these tests is because you could have a retarded valve timing problem and have
perfectly good cranking compression. But if you did have a retarded valve timing problem, it is
likely that the idle compression and the cruise compression would be significantly lower than
what was just demonstrated.
NOTES

Pictured above is the cranking compression wave pattern for bank 2, cylinder 6. You can see that
the cranking compression is at 141 psi, indicating good compression, and is almost identical to
the cranking compression on bank 1.
Pictured above is an idle compression waveform for bank 2, cylinder 6 of the case subject
vehicle. As you can see it has a peak of 60 psi which is lower than the idle compression on bank
1 but still at an acceptable level.

Pictured above is an cruise compression waveform for bank 2, cylinder 6 of the case subject
vehicle. As you can see it has a peak of 44 psi which is identical to the idle compression on bank
1.
All of the tests on bank 1 and bank 2 indicate that this engine is in good compression balance
and that the problem with this vehicle is NOT a retarded valve timing issue.
If the idle compression and the cruise compression for bank 2 were significantly lower than that
of bank 1, this would indicate a retarded valve timing issue and that is when we would start to
dissect each of the waveforms to diagnose what was causing this timing issue.
NOTES

THE FOUR STROKES USING A DSO
As we have stated earlier in this presentation, everything regarding compression needs to be

measured starting at TDC. When the piston is at TDC and travels down to 180°, this is what we
refer to as BDC.
Below is a table that identifies what stroke happens at what degree of crankshaft rotation.
Earlier in this presentation we discussed that on SOHC engines all we have to do is find the 180°
mark on our lab scope waveform to determine if the EVO point occur exactly when it was
supposed to. We already know that according to the manufacturers valve timing specifications
that we looked at earlier, EVO should occur at 56°BBDC of the 180° mark.
As we look at the following waveforms we will dissect them into smaller pieces and show you
how to convert the time base on the lab scope to actual degrees of crankshaft rotation.
We know that 2 crankshaft revolutions = 720°total crankshaft rotation. This 720° of total
crankshaft revolution happened in 140 milliseconds according to our lab scope. To find the
180°mark on the waveform we can apply the calculations in the table below.
NOTES

BANK 1 ON THE 1999 300M 3.5L SOHC
Pictured above is a screen capture of a waveform that shows two complete crankshaft
revolutions from bank 1 of the 1999 Chrysler 300M with a 3.5L SOHC that we looked at earlier.
The crankshaft traveled two complete revolutions or 720 degrees in 140 ms. There are seven
major divisions between the two TDC marks. 720 divided by 7 divisions tells us that the crank
turned 102 degrees per each major division. Since there are 5 minor divisions inside each major
division we simply divide 102 degrees by 5 minor division and this tells us that the crank turned
20 degrees per each minor division.
NOTES

BANK 1 ON THE 1999 300M 3.5L SOHC (CONTINUED)
The 180 degree mark is identified at the 35ms mark. This represents 180 degree of crank
rotation.
There are 9 minor divisions between the TDC mark and the 180 degree mark. Each minor
division would represent 20 degrees of crank rotation. The EVO event spec. on this 3.5L engine is
56 degrees before the BDC mark or 180 ATDC.
The EVO event occurred 2.5 minor divisions before the 180 degree mark. This gives us an EVO
event of 50 degrees before BDC or the 180 degree mark. This confirms that the valve timing is
correct on bank 1.
NOTES

BANK 2 ON THE 1999 300M 3.5L SOHC
Pictured above is a screen capture of a waveform that shows two complete crankshaft
revolutions from bank 2 of the 1999 Chrysler 300M with a 3.5L SOHC that we looked at earlier.
On bank 2 the distance between the two TDC marks indicated by the cursors measured 164
milliseconds. There are 8 major divisions between the two TDC 720 degree marks. 720 divided
by 8 divisions tells us that the crank traveled 90 degrees per each major division. Since there are
5 minor divisions inside each major division we simply divide the 90 degrees by 5 minor
divisions which tells us that the crank turned 18 degrees each minor division.
NOTES

BANK 2 ON THE 1999 300M 3.5L SOHC (CONTINUED)
To identify the 180 degree mark we simply multiply the 160 milliseconds that it took the crank
to travel the 720 milliseconds by .25 160 x .25 identifies the 180 degree mark at 40
milliseconds.
Between the TDC mark and the 180 degree mark there are 9 minor divisions. 180 divided by 9
tells us that the crank turned 20 degrees per minor division.
Now look closely. Between the EVO point and the 180 degree cursor there are 2.5 minor
divisions. 20 degrees per minor division X 2.5 tells us that the exhaust valve opened 50 degrees
before BDC.
NOTES

2003 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER ROUGH IDLE (P0017) TECH TIP
Our next case study involves a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer equipped with a variable camshaft
timing engine with a rough idle and a DTC P0017. As you will see in this demonstration, you
should never rely on scan tool data alone.
Pictured above is a screen capture of the scan tool data list of the controllers that have reported
on the bus circuit and their DTC status. As you would expect because we have a DTC P0017,
there is a “Yes” condition for the PCM/VCM controller status.
On this particular engine as the RPM increases the closing of the exhaust valve is retarded so
when the cylinder is on the intake stroke, exhaust gasses will breathe back into the exhaust
valve thus eliminating the EGR valve.
In this example with multiple DTCs we have to determine which code gets the priority and if there
is any correlation between the two codes. If the exhaust cam timing is severely retarded then the
manifold vacuum sensed by the MAP sensor will most certainly be out of range. In this example
we need to focus on a cam retard problem.

2003 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER ROUGH IDLE (P0017) TECH TIP (CONTINUED)
The MIL is illuminated due to the P0017 DTC, the symptoms are a rough idle and a lack of
power.
If we take a look at the scan tool data in the Engine Data 2 section, you will see that you get the
variable camshaft timing data pictured above.
You can see in the screen capture that the scan tool data shows that there is nothing wrong with
the variable camshaft timing.
Note that the PCM has commanded the exhaust camshaft solenoid OFF and the desired is also
OFF. The PCM uses a CMP sensor compared to the CKP sensor to determine if the exhaust
camshaft is out of phase.
The Variable Cam Timing data in this example indicate no problem during idle no load
conditions. For the cam timing parameters to update the vehicle must be driven.

Pictured above is a screen capture of an idle compression waveform. Notice that at idle the
compression tower peaks at 160 psi. If we have the throttle plates closed at idle we have to ask
ourselves how is this cylinder breathing enough air to get the compression this high?
The answer is that the exhaust camshaft timing is retarded. When the piston is on the intake
stroke it is breathing in hot inert exhaust gasses causing the 160 psi of compression.
The time between the two compression indicate 164 milliseconds with 720 degrees of crank
revolution.
STEP ONE-USING THE CURSORS MEASURE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TWO TDC MARKS.
STEP TWO- MULTIPLY THIS VALUE BY .25 TO LOCATE THE 180 DEGREE MARK.
STEP THREE- COUNT THE NUMBER OF MINOR DIVISIONS BETWEEN TDC AND THE 180 DEGREE
MARK. DIVIDE THIS NUMBLER INTO 180. THIS WILL REPRESENT THE NUMBER OF CRANK
DEGREES PER MINOR DIVISION.
STEP FOUR- THE NUMBER OF DEGREES BETWEEN THE 180 DEGREE MARK AND THE EVO POINT
REPRESENTS THE EXHAUST VALVE TIMING.
STEP FIVE- TO LOCATE THE 360 DEGREE MARK MULTIPLY THE 164MS AS IN THIS EXAMPLE
TIMES .50.

The 180 degree mark has now been identified at the 41 ms mark. The number of minor
divisions between the TDC mark and the 180 degree mark measure exactly 20. 180 divided by
20 means each minor division represents 9 degrees of crank rotation.
It appears that the EVO point occurred 1 minor division before the 180 degree mark. This means
that the exhaust cam is retarded nearly 40 degrees. The exhaust valve opened too late and it
closed too late as well. Closing too late caused the compression to rise to 160 psi.
NOTES

1999 CHEVROLET TAHOE
This next case study involves a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe with a 5.7L VIN R engine. The engine has
been replaced and all of the injectors and secondary components are new as well. The engine
has a distinct misfire with a flashing MIL and a DTC P0301. We are going to demonstrate what
First Look Secondary Diagnostics tells us about this engine.
Displayed above is a raster pattern of the spark lines for this engine. The firing order for this
vehicle is 1, 8, 4, 3, 6, 5, 7, 2.
Let’s focus on the spark lines in this pattern. There are two distinct spark lines that do not look
normal. Starting with the #1 cylinder, (since we do have a P0301 DTC), look closely at the spark
line characteristics of the #1 cylinder. The spark duration is longer than normal, and the tail end
of the spark line does not point upward indicating a flame front.
Looking at the spark line pattern for the #8 cylinder we can see that the spark duration period is
substantially shorter than all of the other cylinders indicating that we have a problem with this
cylinder as well.
Obviously with the MIL illuminated and a DTC P0301 we want to diagnose what is causing the
misfire on cylinder #1 but looking at the spark line pattern for cylinder #8 we want to investigate
the problem on that cylinder as well.
Upon further investigation it was found that the connection to the distributor from the #8 cylinder
wire was not seated correctly. The fix was to seat the wire correctly and the problem went away.

1999 CHEVROLET TAHOE (CONTINUED)
The problem to the #1 cylinder was much more difficult to diagnose. The technician that was
working on the vehicle thought that a valve was adjusted too tight causing the misfire. After
adjusting the valves to the correct specification the technician found that the misfire was still
there and adjusting the valves did not fix the problem.
After the instructor got the call he made a decision to run a cylinder cranking compression test
and an idle compression test on the vehicle.
Pictured above is the cranking compression waveform for cylinder #1 of the engine. The peak
compression at the top of the compression towers is 140 psi.

1999 CHEVROLET TAHOE (CONTINUED)
Pictured above is the idle compression waveform for cylinder #1 of the engine. The compression
is running at 57 psi at idle.
Remember that we want to see about 50% of the cranking compression at idle and in this case
we do. Therefore the decision was made that there is nothing mechanically wrong with this
cylinder.
Since there is nothing wrong mechanically with the cylinder itself, we need to turn our attention
back to the cylinder #1 spark line that we looked at earlier. If you remember the spark duration
was much longer than the other cylinders and there was no tail pointing upward at the end of
the spark duration indicating no flame front.
In summary for this cylinder we have spark, we have good cranking compression, good idle
compression so what do you think is missing? The element missing was fuel.
The technician inspected the harness connector to the injector for cylinder #1 and found one of
the pins was bent causing no fuel to reach the cylinder.

DOHC ENGINE CAM TIMING
As you know by now, if you thought you had a problem with retarded camshaft timing on SOHC
engines, all you had to do was find the 180° mark on the lab scope screen and run your
calculations to prove it. On DOHC engines it is possible to have retarded camshaft timing on one
camshaft only and not the other.
To find BDC where EVO should occur use the steps that we have covered.
Step 1: Find two compression strokes on the waveform and freeze the pattern.
Step 2: Bring your cursors in. Left cursor centered on the first compression tower, right cursor
centered on the second compression tower.
You can see in the screen capture above that 720° of total crank rotation took 166ms to
complete. To find the 180 degree mark we simply multiply 166 ms times .25 this tells us that
the 180° mark would be at 41.5ms.
720 degrees divided by 8.2 major divisions = 88 degrees per major division (rounded off).
88 degrees per major division divided by 5 minor divisions = 18 degrees crank rotation (rounded
off) per minor division.

DOHC ENGINE CAM TIMING (CONTINUED)
In the screen capture above you can see that we dragged a cursor to the 41ms mark identifying
180° (BDC). Notice that between the first TDC on the left compression tower and the 180° BDC
mark there are 10 minor divisions. 180 divided by 10 tells us that the crankshaft turned 18° per
minor division.
Also notice that there are 2.5 minor divisions between the 180° and where EVO occurred. Our
camshaft timing is roughly 50° BBDC where the exhaust valve actually opened. This only applies
to the exhaust valve camshaft on a DOHC engine so we need to locate the 360° mark.
NOTES

DOHC ENGINE CAM TIMING (CONTINUED)
To locate the 360° mark we need to refer back to the initial waveform. The initial waveform told
us that it took 166ms for the crankshaft to rotate two complete revolutions or 720°. If we take
166ms and multiply it .50 we would get 83ms and this is where we would put a cursor on the
pattern to locate the 360° mark which is what we have done in the screen capture above.
Naturally when EVO occurs we are going to have an abrupt pressure change but that is not the
case when IVO occurs. Before any significant pressure change occurs the intake valve must be a
minimum of 0.0050 off of the valve seat. You can see in the pattern above that IVO occurred
after the 360° mark which is what you would typically see in most cases.
All of these patterns that we have just looked at indicate that we have good cranking
compression, good idle compression, good cruise compression and both EVO and IVO are
occurring at an acceptable point therefore there is not a retarded camshaft timing issue with this
engine.

SECONDARY (FOULED PLUG)
Let’s go back and review what we have been calling “The First Look Secondary” or “The Ten
Minute Secondary Quick Check”. The waveform above is from the #4 cylinder on a GM Vortec
engine.
Notice that the firing kV demand is very low (about 8kV). Also notice how high the spark kV point
is (about 6,000 volts). Normally where the spark line joins the firing line should be about 2kV.
This is the first indication of a carbon fouled spark plug. The reason why the kV is so high is
because it took 6,000 volts of electrical pressure to force the electrons across the spark plug air
gap and penetrate the carbon impregnated electrode.
Once the spark kV point has been established, you can see how the spark line drastically slopes
downward in the pattern. This indicates that verbal resistances inside of the combustion
chamber are very low and there are a lot of conductive fuel molecules still inside the cylinder
from a rich condition.

SECONDARY (FOULED PLUG) (CONTINUED)
Since we know we have two specific problems with cylinder #4, it stands to reason that we need
to look at the rest of the cylinders on the engine.
Pictured above is a waveform showing the firing patterns for all 6 cylinders of the engine. Right
away you can see that the firing line for cylinder #1 is off of the screen indicating an open
somewhere in the #1 secondary circuit. The possibilities could be an open plug wire, open spark
plug resistor or an open in the distributor tower.
If we look at the spark kV point we can see that it is extremely elevated. This indicates that the
spark plug for this cylinder is fouled as well. Also, the spark line is running longer than it should
and is sloping downward indicating a rich condition.
Cylinder #6 appears to have the same conditions as cylinder #1 but not quite as bad.
Looking at the spark pattern on the # 5 cylinder you can see that it has a perfect spark kV line
but the spark line is sloping upward indicating a lean condition.
Cylinder #3 has an elevated spark kV point indicating it is fouled as well with a rich condition.
Cylinder #2 has a nice spark kV point but with a spark line sloping upwards indicating a lean
condition.

SECONDARY (FOULED PLUG) (CONTINUED)
We have four fouled spark plugs and two cylinders running with a lean condition. Why are all of
these conditions occurring?
This vehicle is running in closed loop. When the O2 sensor voltage is high the PCM will lean out
the injectors. The only two cylinders that are not getting raw fuel that creates a rich condition are
#5 and #2 indicating a lean condition.
This is a perfect example of how “The First Look Secondary” or “The Ten Minute Secondary Quick
Check” gave you an indication of three problems on this vehicle quickly.
NOTES

SECONDARY (FOULED PLUG) COIL ON PLUG SYSTEMS (COP)
Lets take a look at a secondary fouled plug

condition on a modern vehicle using the coil on
plug system (COP).
Pictured right is a COP adapter connected to

the ignition coil on a Chrysler vehicle. These
adapters make it easy to do first look
secondary testing one coil at a time.
If you do not have one of these adapters you

could access the primary side of the ignition
coil on Ford and Chrysler vehicles and get a
waveform on your lab scope that would be
identical to the secondary waveform.
Pictured above is a screen capture from a lab scope showing channel 1 being the secondary and
channel two being the primary. Notice that the spark line characteristics and the waveforms
mirror each other identically.
Again, if you do not have one of these adapters you could access the primary side of the ignition
coil on Ford and Chrysler vehicles and get a waveform on your lab scope that would be identical
to the secondary waveform.

SECONDARY (FOULED PLUG) COIL ON PLUG SYSTEMS (COP) (CONTINUED)
There are other ignition coils on some vehicles that have almost no access to the secondary or
primary side of the coils. On some of the Asian vehicles the actual coil driver is integrated within
the coil itself preventing any access to the primary or secondary side of the coils.
Typically what you find with coils like this is that they are so heavily insulated you will not be able
to pick up magnetically, any secondary firing events with a COP wand. Next we will cover what
some of your options are to perform “The First Look Secondary” or “The Ten Minute Secondary
Quick Check” on these types of vehicles.
INTEGRATED DIRECT IGNITION SECONDARY
One option to perform “The Ten Minute

Secondary Quick Check” on these types of
vehicles is to use a test lead set connected
between the coil and the spark plug then
clamping a COP wand or secondary kV probe
to the ignition wire to get the secondary
ignition waveform.
Pictured right are three domestic versions of

COP units. The Chrysler and Ford units will
have easy access to a primary voltage trace by
back probing the connector. This is due to the
fact that the coil drivers are located inside the
PCM.
The GM versions of the Coil-Near-Plug units

have the primary driver (or module) built into
the unit. This means that access to a primary
voltage trace is not possible.
This is not a problem should you decide to

scope check the GM unit by selecting the
secondary function of the scope and using the
secondary kV probe on the short secondary
lead. A primary function can easily be
determined by using an amp probe.

INTEGRATED DIRECT IGNITION SECONDARY
Pictured above is a screen capture of two secondary ignition waveforms from a Toyota vehicle
where the module is integrated into the ignition coil with no access to the primary side.
The channel 1 waveform on the scope. This channel represents what Toyota calls their igniter
control signal from the PCM to the coil “IGT” (Igniter Trigger). The waveform on channel 2 of the
scope is at 2.0 volts per division and is toggling between 5.0V and 0.0V.
Notice that the rising edge of the amperage waveform lines up perfectly with the rising edge of
the IGT signal which means that primary will turn on as soon as the voltage shifts from 0.0V to
5.0V. If you look at the waveform on channel 2 you will notice that when the 5.0V shifts back to
0.0V the amperage waveform goes back to 0.0 amps.
As we stated earlier, the voltage on channel 2 is 2.0 volts per division. At the point of primary
turn off where the IGT signal shifted from 5.0V to 0.0V you can see a few very small coil
oscillations almost indicative of a spark line.

INTEGRATED DIRECT IGNITION SECONDARY (CONTINUED)
Pictured above we have taken the waveform from channel 2 and magnified the point where we
think we see a spark line. The scope is now reading at 0.2 volts per division and is in fact reading
the spark line duration through the IGT signal.

A LOOK AT SPARK TIME
When was the last time you used your timing light as more than a decoration or a paperweight?
Also, when was the last time you had a problem vehicle in your service bay where the problem
was a retarded camshaft timing problem? When is the last time you have seen an engine that
actually had timing marks on the vibration dampener?
Good news! If you actually use a pressure transducer and you think you have a retarded
camshaft timing problem or just a timing problem in general, one of the things you may want to
try is to use your #1 trigger on channel 2 of your lab scope while you are using your pressure
transducer on channel 1.
Pictured above is a screen capture of a compression waveform with channel 1 connected to the
pressure transducer and channel 2 connected to the #1 trigger clamped to the #1 spark plug
wire.
Notice that channel 2 is showing the firing event before TDC. Each minor division is 19° of
crankshaft rotation. What you are seeing is good spark timing at idle where the spark event
happened 19° BTDC.
This demonstrates how bringing in the #1 trigger with a pressure transducer can verify that if the
camshaft timing is off the spark timing should be off as well.

SECONDARY KV PROBE
For this hands on demonstration we will be using a secondary kV probe connected to a Pico unit.
One lead we will be coonectiong to the #4 cylinder secondary and the other to ground.
Pictured above is a screen capture of the secondary waveform for the firing event on cylinder #4.
The pattern indicates that the firing event is at about 1.2ms - 1.3ms.
If you have a misfire under load what is recommended is that you power brake the engine with
the vehicle in reverse. Pictured above is a screen capture of the firing event when this was
performed on our subject vehicle.
Note the spark line bending upward at about the midway point during the spark duration. This is
a good example of what was discussed earlier of what you would see in a firing pattern from a
vehicle with a lean running condition.

LEAN DENSITY
For this hands on demonstration we will again be using the Pico scope on our subject vehicle.
The vehicle is a GM vehicle with a 3800 series engine and has a misfire with a DTC of P0304.
As we discussed earlier, scan tools will tell you that you have a misfire and will tell you on which
cylinder the misfire is occurring but they will not tell you what is causing the misfire.
When we start the vehicle and let it run at idle you can see that the spark line is running pretty
uniform at 1.2ms - 1.3ms and not really indicating a problem.
Again what we have done is to power brake the vehicle with the transmission in reverse. Note
the spark line bending upward at about the midway point during the spark duration. This is a
good example of what was discussed earlier of what you would see in a firing pattern from a
vehicle with a lean running condition.

PICO CKP TESTING
For this hands on demonstration we will again be using the Pico scope on our subject vehicle
and we are going to look at the electrical integrity of the CKP sensor signal. What we have done
is taken the positive lead of the scope and tapped into the black trace and the negative lead of
the scope is tapped into the gray wire/yellow tracer.
35 PULSES
Pictured above is a waveform of the CKP sensor signal with the engine of the vehicle running at
idle. The pattern is toggling between 4.0V and -4.0V. Remember that Ford uses a design with a
missing tooth indicated in the pattern by the arrows. If we were to count the pulses between the
missing teeth you would see that there are 35.
NOTES

PICO SECONDARY IGNITION
The screen capture above is of a firing waveform on the Pico lab scope. This pattern is from a
Ford vehicle that uses a multi-spark system. You should notice that the first two firing events last
for about .5 ms. The third and fourth firing events last for about 1.0ms.
If you look at the screen capture above you can see that the vehicle RPM has been elevated and
as soon as the RPM exceeds 1,000, it will move to a single firing event instead of four. When the
secondary moves to a single firing event, this is where you want to look at the pattern to
determine if you have good compression, combustion and air/fuel ratio characteristics.

PICO PRIMARY IGNITION
Earlier in the presentation we discussed the diagnostic value of a primary ignition waveform. Just
to enforce this, pictured above is a waveform of the primary ignition of a Ford vehicle that uses a
multi-spark system. Any type of misfire that effects the secondary side of the ignition circuit can
easily be detected on the primary side of the ignition coil.
Remember, the diagnostic value of the primary ignition waveform is identical to the diagnostic
value of a secondary ignition waveform. In the event that you don’t have a COP wand or COP
adapter, all you have to do is backprobe the negative terminal of the ignition coil and you will be
seeing a primary ignition waveform on your lab scope.
If you look at the screen capture above you will see the first two firing events are happening at
0.5ms and the third and fourth firing events are happening at about 1.2ms - 1.3ms.

NOTES

The Anatomy of A Waveform

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The Anatomy of A Waveform

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THE ANATOMY OF A WAVEFORM

Presented by Bill Fulton

Automotive Video, Inc.

1-800-71-TRAIN (1-800-718-7246) OR www.auto-video.com 1

ANATOMY OF A SECONDARY WAVEFORM

Pictured left is a secondary waveform with each

Keep in mind that we are viewing this dynamically.

A: POINT OF PRIMARY TURN ON.

This event must be there and it must be consistent

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ANATOMY OF A SECONDARY WAVEFORM (CONTINUED)

B: POINT OF PRIMARY TURN OFF.

On a DIS system there are still two

On COP systems there is only one

Note that if we look closer at the firing kV

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ANATOMY OF A SECONDARY WAVEFORM (CONTINUED)

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SCAN DATA ALONE

For good combustion efficiency we MUST have 4 good factors.

1. Proper air fuel ratio.

4 TYPES OF COMPRESSION TESTS

There are 4 types of compression tests.

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COMPRESSION CHARTS (CONTINUED)

FLUKE PV350 Overview

Today there are many pressure transducers

At the end of the assembly is the actual

The Fluke PV350 can be used with just about

* Compatible with all Fluke and most popular DMMs

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COMPRESSION CHARTS (CONTINUED)

FLUKE PV350 Overview

When using the pressure transducer with the

If however you are just performing a cranking

CRANKING COMPRESSION (GOOD)

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CRANKING COMPRESSION (GOOD) (CONTINUED)

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CYLINDER LEAK TESTER

TEST CONDITIONS- ENGINE WARM AND PISTON AT TDC OF COMPRESSION STROKE

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CRANK TIMING TERMS

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1999 CHRYSLER 3.5L 300M

EXHAUST VALVE- OPENS @ 56 DEGREES BBDC

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1999 CHRYSLER 3.5L 300M (CONTINUED)

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1999 CHRYSLER 3.5L 300M (CONTINUED)

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1999 CHRYSLER 3.5L 300M (CONTINUED)

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1999 CHRYSLER 3.5L 300M (CONTINUED)

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THE FOUR STROKES USING A DSO

As we have stated earlier in this presentation, everything regarding compression needs to be

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BANK 1 ON THE 1999 300M 3.5L SOHC

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BANK 1 ON THE 1999 300M 3.5L SOHC (CONTINUED)