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Car won't start after cam/crank sensor replacement

71K views 17 replies 15 participants last post by  Ronbo 
#1 · (Edited)
1993 Intrepid 3.3 Car won't start after cam/crank sensor replacement

I have the same problem Junior TT had. The car would stall while driving, cruise light, jumping tachometer, ya'll know the rest. It was not as severe as some of the cases I have read but I thought I would tackle the problem before it worsened. I changed the camshaft sensor first (Keep in mind that the car was running excellent before all of this) and I could not start the car. My dumb ass peeled the paper spacer off before install. After reading postings I put it back on but still no dice. Next I changed the crankshaft sensor and it still would not start. Now it is sitting in the yard with the battery terminals disconnected. I don't know what to do next. What did I do wrong? I didn't pull the wires that much.

Please help me!
 
#3 ·
With my recent experience in mind, I'd say your camshaft position sensor isn't seated right. You have to play around with the height of it. Without a spacer, it took me probably an hour to find a spot that worked. Once I found a spot that worked it still didn't run that hot. I think I might have F'd the sensor up because it didn't have a spacer and I put it all the way in. The bottom of the sensor got scraped off the first time I turned the key. If all else fails, you might have to bite the bullet and get another sensor and keep the spacer on.

Somehow, in the process of switching both of these sensors, my idle came out much lower than when I started. Looks like my EGR valve went bad. As always, I didn't get a check engine light for the first few weeks of it running like ass, but now I'm getting code 32 twice. Sometime in the next few weeks I'll have to replace it.

Anywho, I really think it's the camshaft position sensor. It's adjustable and the crankshaft isn't.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Thanks for the replies guys. I tried adjusting the height to where it might be with the paper spacer in place and various other levels. Still no dice. What's odd is that even when the sensor is all the way in the mount is never flush with the screw, leaving little room for adjusting. The mouth of the mount barely clears the screw. Why couldn't they make it like the original? I got it from AutoZone and they say it's the right one.

I'm going to get another one tomorrow.

Almost forgot, I'm getting code 12 and 54 as well.

I don't think it's the wiring. When I touch the bottom of the sensor against a ground it triggers some noise around the map sensor. Some form of communication right?
 
#5 ·
The 12 code is no problem, just means the battery has been disconnected, The 54 is ( No Camshaft Signal Detected during Cranking) so either you broke a wire when you unpluged it, or it is a bad senser, I know you said it was new, But it wouldn't be the first bad one I have heard of out of the box. I don't know how much it cost, but for something like that I would get one at the dealer. Hope this helps

97 Sport 148,000 miles and counting
 
#6 ·
I, too, experienced the noise you referred to a couple times. My replacement part from Pep Boys was exactly like the original, plus it obviously had the paper spacer. You might wanna give them a call for a price comparison to the dealer part.

Here's one other possibility on the code 54...
The first thing I replaced was my camshaft position sensor. I didn't replaced the crankshaft sensor until a week or so later. In that week, if I was driving around and the car died I'd have a code for the crankshaft sensor. However, once I tried starting it back up without success, the code switched to the camshaft position sensor.

My point is that if you can't get it started and you're getting a code 54 from unsuccesful cranking, it's just as likely that your crankshaft position sensor is bad as it is your camshaft position sensor...which was, in fact, the case for me. For some reason unsuccesful cranking automatically gave me a code 54 and the car dying gave the crankshaft sensor code.
 
#14 ·
My camshaft sensor (from Autozone) was exactly like the original. Hummm, I wonder why there are differences?

Hardwarz
The autozone sensors suck. I got a replacement crank and cam sensor from summit racing. Also, you might want to check your timing because if you're off by a tooth or two, it will prevent your car from starting just like a faulty crank/cam sensor. It happened to me.
 
#8 ·
There might not be, but why take the chance,The part is most likly made in some for off country anyway no matter were you buy it, Hell it might be the same company subbing to DC.Just the same, the new part might be bad anyway


1997 Sport 148,000 miles and counting
 
#9 ·
Car won't start

Ok here's my problem my husband has changed the cam and crank sensor ,checked all fuses and timing belt is fine as well . So then he tried unplugging the cam sensor and geuss what the car started BUT you cant go over 3000 RPMS with out it running very rough. So anyone please give me a clue to what to do next no one seems to know how to solve this . Please HELP
 
#10 ·
This may not help, but I had the EXACT same issues. Car was running TERRIBLY. Right after I put gas in it too! It would stop every once in awhile, then we filled the gas tank up AGAIN! We at one point got a O2 sensor failure code and high fuel temp code. Anyways, Today, I was driving down the road and stopped at a stop light, turned left and guess what? Car died on me. We spent forever trying to fix it. Tried starter fluid, checked fuel pump an so on. Anyways so about 3 hours ago I decided to go back to the car that was sitting on the side of the road and replace the Ignition/coil fuse that is under the hood, jumped the battery (it had died after trying to start it multiple times) and it started right up! Though I do have an engine misfire up, I was atleast able to fix why it wasn't starting and can fix the misfire tomorrow. I'll let you know what we do to fix it.
 
#11 ·
For those who have peeled the paper spacer off of your cam sensor, have you considered taking something like an adhesive paper label, using a paper punch to punch out a circle of the adhesive paper label, and sticking the circle of adhesive paper label on the cam sensor as a replacement spacer.

IIRC, the service manual refers to a sheet of replacement spacers to be used when servicing the cam sensor.
 
#13 ·
so i was having problems with my car shutting off and a check engine light on so i read the codes and it told me that the cam position sensor was bad so i replaced it then i went to start the car and the rpm was bouncing around and would eventually shut it self off so i changed the crank position sensor to a new one and now the car will not start at all. I'm not sure what is the next step should be
 
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