The camshaft position sensor is an element of the vehicle's electronic system, the gas distribution mechanism, and is used by the engine management system to control injection and ignition.
The operation of the camshaft sensor is directly related to the engine crankshaft speed sensor and is used to operate many systems, so its malfunction can be expressed by:
- Unstable engine operation at idle, spontaneous increase or decrease in engine speed;
- When the engine goes into emergency mode, the speed, power, and speed of the vehicle drop;
- The Check Engine or VDC OFF indicator lights up on the dashboard;
- Starting the engine is difficult;
- Increased fuel consumption.
The main causes of malfunction of the camshaft position sensor:
- Short circuit or break in the sensor wire;
- The gap between the sensor and the camshaft mark does not meet the technical requirements;
- Natural aging of the sensor, sensor life is about 100 miles or 5 years of operation.
To ensure that the problem does not take you by surprise on the road, replacement must be carried out even with stable engine operation. If the engine stalls for no apparent reason or problems appear with the ignition system, installing a new camshaft sensor is a top priority.
If diagnostics by a car repair shop specialist reveals a problem in the sensor, the sensor cannot be repaired and must be replaced.
Basic steps for replacing the camshaft sensor
- Remove the negative terminal of the battery;
- Remove the sensor, the sensor is located in the area of the cylinder head;
- Clean the sensor installation site;
- Install and connect a new sensor;
- Reset error codes;
- Carry out diagnostics of engine operation.
Periodic diagnostics of car electronics allows you to timely identify deviations in operation and significantly reduce the cost of car repairs and increase its reliability.
