The manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor, on your 2.0L Honda CR-V (1997-2001), can be tested easily with your multimeter. Although a scan tool is a very handy tool to have, you don't need it to test the MAP sensor on your Honda CR-V.
In this tutorial, I'll explain the MAP sensor test so that you can find out if it's defective or not.
Contents of this tutorial:
You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Cómo Probar El Sensor MAP (1997-2001 2.0L Honda CR-V) (at: autotecnico-online.com).
Symptoms Of A Bad MAP Sensor
The fuel system on your 2.0L Honda CR-V needs to know engine speed, manifold pressure, and intake air temperature to calculate the amount of air entering the engine so that the right amount of fuel can be injected.
It's the MAP sensor's job to report manifold pressure (vacuum) to your 2.0L Honda CR-V's fuel injection computer. Due to the vital role the MAP sensor plays in your 2.0L Honda CR-V's engine management, when it fails you'll see the following trouble code lighting up the check engine light on the instrument cluster:
- Check engine light (CEL) is shining nice and bright on the instrument cluster.
- DTC P0107 MAP Sensor Circuit Low Voltage.
- DTC P0108 MAP Sensor Circuit High Voltage.
- Rough idle.
- ‘Rotten egg' smell coming from the exhaust.
- Won't pass the state mandated emissions test.
- Bad gas mileage.
- Lack of power, rough idle, or hesitation.
- Engine cranks a long time before starting.
The MAP sensor is a 3 wire type sensor. This means that it has a power wire, a Ground wire and a signal wire. The table below has a brief description of each:
| MAP Sensor Circuits 2.0L Honda CR-V | ||
|---|---|---|
| Terminal | Wire | Description |
| 1 | YEL/RED | 5 Volts |
| 2 | GRN/WHT | Ground |
| 3 | RED/GRN | MAP Signal |
Where To Buy The MAP Sensor And Save
If you find, after testing the 2.0L Honda CR-V manifold absolute pressure (MAP), that it's fried, take a look at the links below. I think they'll save you some bucks:
NOTE: If you're not sure if the above MAP sensor fit your particular 2.0L Honda CR-V don't worry, once you get to the site, they'll make sure the sensor is the right one, if not, they'll find you the right one.
TEST 1: Testing The MAP Sensor Voltage Signal
As you probably already know, the MAP sensor reacts to the amount of vacuum that's being fed to it via its vacuum port.
To get into specifics: when the engine idles and manifold vacuum pressure is low, the MAP sensor produces a high voltage signal.
When you 'rev up' the engine the manifold vacuum becomes high and the MAP sensor produces a low voltage signal.
When a MAP sensor fails, it'll usually stay stuck at one specific voltage value no matter the amount of vacuum that's being fed to it.
So in this first test, we're gonna' verify that the MAP sensor's voltage signal does change when we manually apply vacuum to it with a vacuum pump.
If you don't have a multimeter and need to buy one, check out my recommendations here: Buying A Digital Multimeter For Automotive Diagnostic Testing.
IMPORTANT: The MAP sensor needs to stay connected to its electrical connector for this test to work. You'll need to use a back-probe or a wire-piercing probe to measure the MAP signal voltage. To see what a wire-piercing probe looks like, go here: Wire Piercing Probe.
Let's get started:
- 1
Remove the MAP sensor from the intake manifold.
- 2
Connect your vacuum pump to the MAP sensor's vacuum inlet port. Reconnect the MAP sensor to its connector if you disconnected it.
- 3
Set your multimeter's selector to Volts DC mode and with the red test lead, probe the RED/GRN wire of the MAP sensor's connector. This wire is identified by the number 3 in the photo above.
Remember, the MAP sensor must remain connected to its 3 wire connector. - 4
Ground the black multimeter test lead directly on the battery negative (-) terminal.
- 5
When everything is ready, turn the key ON but don't start the engine. This will power up the MAP sensor and you should see a reading of 4.7 Volts DC on your multimeter.
Now, apply vacuum to the MAP sensor with the vacuum pump (or your mouth). The voltage signal value should decrease.
Release the vacuum. Once released, your multimeter should show the original voltage value.
Repeat this test step several times making sure that each time the voltage decreases/increases as you apply/release vacuum.
Let's take a look at what your test results mean:
CASE 1: The MAP voltage signal decreased and increased as you applied and released vacuum. This test result confirms that the MAP sensor is OK and not defective.
CASE 2: The MAP voltage signal DID NOT increase (and/or decrease) as you applied and released vacuum. This test result usually means the manifold absolute pressure is defective and the reason behind the MAP sensor trouble code lighting up the check engine light on your 2.0L Honda CR-V.
But before we condemn the MAP sensor, we need to make sure that it's getting power and Ground. For these two tests go to: TEST 2: Verifying MAP Sensor Has 5 Volts And Ground.
CASE 3: The multimeter DID NOT register any voltage. This test result usually means the manifold absolute pressure is defective and the reason behind the MAP sensor trouble code lighting up the check engine light on your 2.0L Honda CR-V.
But before we condemn the MAP sensor, we need to make sure that it's getting power and Ground. For these two tests go to: TEST 2: Verifying MAP Sensor Has 5 Volts And Ground.
