Im new to this forum. hello.
So let me begin my dilemma. So the camshaft sensor on my '96 maxima was leaking oil, bought a new one and installed it. Then the engine light came on. took it to autozone and said it was the camshaft sensor which i told the guy i had literally just changed it. told me to disconnect the battery fora few mins, then it should be good. wrong. So the next day, I decide to take a look while the car was on, I move the clip and harness around slightly to see if it was seated right. Turns out it wasnt. when I moved it a little, the car stalled. It wasnt seated correctly the day before but it started anyway. So I connect it correctly and it starts normal again. The light is still on. I order another sensor thinking maybe this one is bad, well the new one is doing the same thing. it turns the car on like it should, nothing out of the ordinary but the engine light is still on. Has anyone here had that same issue before? If so, what was the fix?

 

Wrong section.

 

Aftermarket sensors suck.
Usually you can just replace the o-ring and keep the original sensor.

That's what I would do.

 

Sounds like you just need to clear the old code. There is a good possibility that the stored code is turning your check engine light on even though there isn't anything wrong right now.

 

I still say the old sensor just needed an o ring.

 

Ok so heres the update. I went ahead and bought another sensor and I still have the same problem. Both autozone and oreillys say they cant clear the codes when we all know they can. Is there a way to reset the codes on the car itself? I used to have a 2001 Deville and you could clear them out without going to anyone.

 

UPDATE 2.0

So I cleared out the codes on the car once I found a video on Youtube on how to do that. I cleared the code and as soon as I shifted to reverse, it came back. I wanted to test out the positive current on the harness on the sensor, and this what I found. When the car is on, I ground the clip to the ground, and when I get the point of the 12v tester in the wire, the car shuts off. Is it supposed to do that?

 

UPDATE 3

Before I left back to Houston, I reset the ECM and it stayed off. Once I made it home, I unloaded some stuff and then headed to academy. Well not even one block driving, the light is back on. I pull into the gas station and reset it, and its gone again. once I leave academy, the light turns back on. Should I go ahead and buy a factory camshaft sensor?

 

So once I replaced the camshaft sensor, the engine light stayed on. I went ahead and left it as is, and after a few weeks, it went off on its own.