Adaptation of the throttle unit

Normally the engine control module (ECM) adapts the throttle unit during manufacture of the car. There are a number of other occasions when the throttle unit must be adapted. A new adaptation is obviously required if the throttle unit or the engine control module (ECM) is replaced, but also if the software in the engine control module (ECM) is replaced. This is because the adaptation values are stored in the EEPROM memory in the control module, at a predetermined location in the memory for each software. These storage locations may vary between different software, in which case a new adaptation will be required. The final reason for adaptation is that the values for the throttle unit may have changed during its service life. Therefore there is a routine which begins adaptation of the throttle unit if the car is left with the engine off and the throttle on for 30 seconds (and other basic conditions for adaptation of the throttle unit are met). A new adaptation is then carried out. If the "new" values are different from the "old" values, the new values are used. Adaptation usually takes place automatically when the engine control module (ECM) detects that the adaptation has not been run or that the values from a previous adaptation are outside certain tolerances. However a number of basic conditions must be met to ensure that the adaptation is carried out correctly: