So on the way home from work today in wonderful NYC traffic, my 97 SE 5 speed dies in the middle of the Van Wyke. 3rd Gear at about 25 mph and car suddenly drops to below 1000 RPMs stutters a little bit and dies in the middle of the highway. So i spend 10 mins sitting in the middle of the highway with my hazards on and my car won't turn over and CEL and battery light come on. My co workers passing by see me and pull over to try and help me push to the side of the highway. Sure enough as they get to my car the car finally turns over and starts. So I pull over to the side and my CEL is still on. Car is running smooth and idle at 550rpms.

They follow me to an Autozone to pull the codes and I get P0325 Knock Sensor malfunction and P0340 Camshaft position sensor malfunction. So I drive home from there with the CEL still on. Car seemed to run smoothly the rest of the way home but the CEL light remained on. Its now parked on the street in front of my building.

Been reading on here that these codes can be caused by numerous conditions so I'll explain some recent conditions and if any of you could chime in and give me any suggestions or possible solutions i would appreciate it. I just want to make sure its not just a matter of replacing these sensors.

I just bought this car used about 2 months ago. Its been running fine but sometimes It takes a few seconds to turn over when i start it. The car cranks but keeps cranking for a few seconds before it actually starts. On other days it starts right up on the first crank with no signs of problems. Last week it had a rough start and RPMs fluctuated between 500 and 1200rpms until it revved up to about 2500rpms for about 3 seconds then leveled out at the normal idle. Brushed it off since it never happened again. Another thing I noticed is that my headlights go a little dimmer when I close my windows or am using various electrical components in the car. Maybe low voltage in battery?

Now my question is are there any possible grounds that could be bad? Are these codes piggybacked off anything else that could suggest something else besides these sensors are bad? Were there any recalls or TSBs for this or similar issues? I just want to do a little trouble shooting before I go in and just replace sensors. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Oh and the car has 102k miles on it. Thanks!

-Andy

 

u know same thing happens to me while im trying to start the car, and i just bought it about a month and a week ago. but thank god it hasn't died on me yet, and i bought it from ny as well. but yea good luck

 

Replace the camshaft position sensor and probably the knock sensor as well, although the KS isn't causing your problem, you will get better performance if it's working correctly. The cps is most likely what caused your stall.

 

Buy a new or clean your current cam sensor.

 

Check method from FSM
Camshaft position sensor (PHASE)
1. Disconnect camshaft position sensor (PHASE) harness connector.
2. Loosen the fixing bolt of the sensor.
3. Remove the sensor.
4. Visually check the sensor for chipping.

5. Check resistance between two pins of sensor
Resistance:
Approximately 1,440 - 1,760W at 20°C (68°F)
(HITACHI make)
Approximately 2,090 - 2,550W at 20°C (68°F)
(MITSUBISHI make)

 

give it what it needs man.!!

 

You have a “W” and you need a “Ω”.

 

Thanks guys! I'll probably pick up a new cam sensor tomorrow and swap it out. .... lets hope the codes clear.

 

So went to autozone today and picked up and installed the new camshaft sensor. However the CEL still remained on. Is the light suppose to go off automatically after a "fix" or does it need to be reset? I drove around the area for a little to see if it would go out but it didn't so went back to autozone to run the codes again. Got the same two codes as yesterday. Had the guy clear out the troubles so the CEL light went out. So far so good. The drive back home felt normal and the car has been starting well. I'm still planning on replacing the knock sensor but that will come later. I'm averaging about 280-300 miles per tank with 50/50 city/highway driving. Just hoping I don't have any more stall outs in high traffic areas.

 

the light does not go out automatically after a fix it has to be reseted

 

"Reseted" thats a new one...

I've got the same issue... P0340.
Where is said "CPS" on my 03 Max???

Oh, I've also got code P0507 Idle Control System?? wtf is that??

tia,
mitch

 

i would say the reason that it is on is becuz of your knock sensor... i have the code being thrown and its the only on thats there so its just your knock sensor... but i would go back to autozone and have them read it again one more time just to be sure