Normal CAN Operation
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2011 Mercury Milan, 2011 Lincoln MKZ, and 2011 Ford Fusion. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The data (+) and data (-) circuits are each regulated to approximately 2.5 volts during neutral or rested network traffic. As messages are sent on the data (+) circuit, voltage is increased by approximately 1.0 volt. Inversely, the data (-) circuit is reduced by approximately 1.0 volt when a message is sent.
Successful communication of a message can usually be identified by the slight spike at the end of a message transmission. Any signals that are significantly different than the normal CAN waveform may cause network DTCs (U-codes) to set or may cause a complete network outage.