The Engine Control Module (ECM), also called the Engine Control Unit (ECU), ensures that your vehicle operates at optimal performance. The ECM monitors most of the sensors in the engine bay in order to manage your vehicle’s air-fuel mixture and regulate the emission control systems.

The ECM regulates four main parts of your vehicle’s operating systems: air-fuel ratio, idle speed, variable valve timing, and ignition timing. In terms of the air-fuel ratio, the ECM uses sensors to regulate the oxygen to fuel ratio detected in your car’s exhaust to detect an engine rich/lean reading. Some of these sensors include the mass airflow sensor(s), the oxygen sensor(s), air-fuel sensor(s). For the idle speed, the ECM relies on sensors loed by the crankshaft and camshaft(s) that track your vehicle’s RPM and engine load by monitoring the speed of rotation of the engine. The variable valve timing system controls when the valves are opened in the engine to either increase power or fuel economy.

Lastly, the ECM controls the ignition timing, this is the position at which the spark plug is fired within the combustion cycle. Precise control of this timing allows for more power and/or better fuel economy.