Method for determining a failure of an EGR apparatus

Abstract

A method for determining a failure of an exhaust gas recalculation (EGR) apparatus in which a failure of the EGR apparatus is determined by determining whether a difference between an intake manifold pressure developed when an EGR valve is open and that developed when the EGR valve is closed falls within a specified range, the EGR valve being temporarily opened and closed while failure determination is being implemented. The failure determination is aborted so as to prevent erroneous determination, if a variation of the engine speed exceeds a specified value during the failure determination, or if a variation of the opening degree of an idling speed control (ISC) valve, disposed in a bypass passage installed in an intake passage of an engine in a manner bypassing a throttle valve, exceeds a specified value during the failure determination, or if a fuel control mode changes during the failure determination. Alternatively, to prevent erroneous determination, an intake manifold pressure difference is corrected in accordance with a variation of the engine speed or a variation of the ISC valve opening degree during the failure determination, or the ISC valve opening degree is fixed during the failure determination.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.