cam sensor failure?

[Move Over]

the other day while cruising down the interstate my car started bucking then backfiring loudly and died i pulled over and managed to get it restarted powerlogger showed a code 41 cam sensor failure. is there anything i need to do or check before replacing it do i need to get the whole thing or just the cap?

 

[Just a Six??]

The top wheel held by a screw & a tab probably broke loose. Remove cap & see if the wheel is tight? RJC sells a repair kit.

 

[Nick Micale]

........ is there anything i need to do or check before replacing it do i need to get the whole thing or just the cap?

Yes, you need to check to see if the ring under the cap has moved or rotated out of position. It may be very loose or tight but still rotated out of position if the tab has sheared.

 

[Move Over]

ok ill go check it thanks

 

[Move Over]

the cap seems to be intact nothing appears to be broken the metal ring with the "window" in it does seem to have a little slop in it as i can wiggle it back and forth a little. any advice?

 

[krazy86t]

the GN TTYPE website has a FAQ on cam sensors. upshot seems to be: if your car starts, and runs there is nothing wrong with cam sensor...

Cam Sensor Information

 

[Move Over]

ok so after reading that the cam sensor apparently is fine so what caused the error code to be thrown is it possible the electrics in the cap are going bad? I do have a roller cam in it but im unsure of the specs and it was part throttle as i was just cruising down the interstate at about 65.

 

[KevinB]

The top wheel held by a screw & a tab probably broke loose. Remove cap & see if the wheel is tight? RJC sells a repair kit.

^this.

Take the screw out that holds the ring to the cam sensor shaft and remove the ring. I bet the tab that holds it in place is broke. Happened to me....twice. Plus I've rescued a buddy on the saide of road with the same issue.

 

[Just a Six??]

the cap seems to be intact nothing appears to be broken the metal ring with the "window" in it does seem to have a little slop in it as i can wiggle it back and forth a little. any advice?

Ring has Slop = BAD!!

 

[Move Over]

what needs to be done to fix it or what do i need to look at to confirm?

 

[Move Over]

ok just saw kevin b's post will go unscrew the metal ring

 

[Just a Six??]

what needs to be done to fix it or what do i need to look at to confirm?

See 1st post

 

[Move Over]

when i removed the wheel there was still a tab there but im not sure if part of it broke off as there was a little bit of metal under the washer and holding it in place it did stay but there was slop. I put the screw back in partialy (without the metal wheel) and can get the rod under it to wiggle just slightly it is less than 1mm of slop i can also pull it and it will slide the rod up aprox 1/4 of an inch, hopefully ive been clear on what i found let me know if i need to clear anything up. sorry this is the first time ive taken one of these apart are there any pictures i can look at to verify mine?

 

[KevinB]

Ok, soundslike the tab is ok take the belt off the front drive and see if the crank pully is loose. If its loose, it can walk out and the crank trigger will not be able to read the reluctor wheel on the pulley.

Also back on the cam sensor, if there is a lot of play, you may have an issue of the cam sensor and cam gear are wearing out. Is there any noticable metal in your oil? I discovered metal in my filter when my cam sensor gear became worn out.

If those all pass, see if you can borrow a know-good ignition module/coil pack.

 

[Move Over]

It'll be a while before I can pull the fan belt does the crank sensotalk to the cam sensor? It seems like the slop is coming from the wheel not from the sensor or cam gear does that mean I need one of the rjc repair kits it does seem like the simplest\easiest fix. it also seems like it helps even if it isnt the main problem