Methods and apparatuses for calibration and control of various engine subsystems using a target value approach. Under the target value approach, the control of each engine subsystem is separated or decoupled to include a set of target values, or a reference value set. A subsystem has a corresponding target determiner, which provides a target value set, or reference value set, in response to a basis variable set and optionally an overall subsystem target. The basis variable set includes parameters selected to robustly characterize the variables that affect the operation of the particular subsystem. The target determiner is optionally calibrated to provide a reference value set within specifications of the subsystem. A physical subsystem controller operates in response to the reference value set.

An outboard motor includes a plurality of electric actuators including an electric steering actuator and an electric tilt actuator, a power-source voltage detector that detects a power-source voltage in the outboard motor, an ECU, and a memory. If a power-source voltage detected by the power-source voltage detector becomes lower than a predetermined threshold value and if the plurality of electric actuators are simultaneously driven, the ECU determines that a voltage variation event has occurred. Event information including the number of occurrences of the voltage variation event is recorded in the memory.

A method to adjust an oil control valve actuation response time using cylinder valve diagnostic results includes commanding an engine cylinder to deactivate/reactive when conditions are met and then detecting if a deactivation/reactivation response time failure has occurred by analyzing the cylinder diagnostics results. If a predetermined number of failures are detected at the cylinder within a predetermined number of engine cycles then the engine controller operates to adjust the oil control valve response time to improve the response time accuracy.

A computer for a vehicle, the vehicle including a heat engine, a depollution system configured to depollute the exhaust gases originating from the engine, a first probe placed between the outlet of the heat engine and the inlet of the depollution system and configured to measure a first parameter relating to the oxygen level in the exhaust gases exiting the heat engine, a second probe placed at the outlet of the depollution system and configured to measure a second parameter relating to the oxygen level in the exhaust gases exiting the depollution system. The computer being configured to receive the values measured by the first probe and by the second probe over a predefined measurement time interval and to diagnose clogging of the first probe.

Methods and systems are provided for detecting spark plug fouling and cleaning up fouled spark plug during pre-delivery phase of a vehicle. In one example, a method may include updating a spark plug fouling index saved in the non-volatile memory of the vehicle based on engine operating parameters, and indicating spark plug fouling based on the updated index. The method may further include cleaning the fouled spark plug by driving the vehicle along a planned route.

A method for controlling an internal combustion engine operated with direct fuel injection may include, during a transition phase after the end of an overrun cut-off with resumption of fuel injection and normal operation of the internal combustion engine, shifting an injection start time (SOI) by an adaptation value (SOI) in relation to an injection start time (SOI) which lies later than an injection start time (SOI_Norm) determined during normal operation of the internal combustion engine.

A method for eliminating hydrocarbon vapors generated in a fuel tank of a vehicle powertrain including at least one heat engine, by a canister adapted to absorb the vapors. The method includes detecting movements of the hydrocarbon vapors from the tank to the canister, increasing a counter value when the vapors move from the tank to the canister, and calculating a number of gas volumes passing through the canister when the heat engine is started so as to reduce the value of the counter by purging the gasoline vapors in a direction of the engine.

This relates to a method for diagnosing a sensor for a motor vehicle, and to the vehicle, the method including: a) a step of detecting errors in the measurements taken by the sensor; b) a first phase of commanding the cleaning of the sensor; and c) a step of cancelling the detection of measurement errors by the sensor if the difference between the first variation in the richness level determined on the basis of the parameter relating to the pumping current and the second variation determined on the basis of the variation in the voltage across the terminals of the sensor is: i) less than a predefined maximum tolerance threshold; and ii) greater than a predefined minimum tolerance threshold.

A method for detecting the anti-knocking capacity of a fuel in an internal combustion engine, which comprises the step of analyzing the single combustion cycles of the cylinders to be repeated until a counter reaches a respective threshold value; the step of calculating the mean spark advance operated by the internal combustion engine in the single combustion cycles of the cylinders that have allowed said counter to reach the respective threshold value; and the step of determining the anti-knocking capacity of the fuel as a function of the first counter that has reached the respective threshold value and as a function of the mean spark advance operated by the internal combustion engine in the single combustion cycles of the cylinders that have allowed said counter to reach the respective threshold value.

An internal combustion engine control system including an internal combustion engine including at least one cylinder configured to perform combustion of an air/fuel mixture therein during a drive cycle. An electronic engine control module is configured to selectively execute at least one soot-based diagnostic operation that diagnoses the internal combustion engine based on exhausted soot. An electronic diagnostic evaluation module is in electrical communication with the engine control module and is configured to disable the at least one soot-based diagnostic operation based on at least one transient drive event of the internal combustion engine during the drive cycle.