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Crankshaft Position Sensor???

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Old 11-18-2011, 03:52 PM
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Crankshaft Position Sensor???

Hey folks, I was having some misfiring issues, last week took the car in and got a free diagnostic done. It said my cylinder 4 was bad. So I replaced the spark plugs and the ignition coil on cylinder 4. I disconnected my batter, the the Service Engine Soon light went off. The second time I started the car up after a quick little drive the light came back on. Car has been running great with no misfires. So now I take it in and I get a code for cylinder 4 and now a P1320 which sounds like it most likely is the Crankshaft Position Sensor. Should I start by replacing that? I have replaced ignition coils a few times before and this is the first time I have had this happen. Any help on what I should test and how would be great. Thanks guys.
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Old 11-18-2011, 04:59 PM
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start with downloading the FSM for your year car

then you should test the parts before replacing them
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Old 11-18-2011, 05:34 PM
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was there anything wrong with the spark plugs or coil when you initially replaced them? or did you just replace it without checking?
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Old 11-18-2011, 05:52 PM
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1320 is primary ignition signal fault . i have the same code(but no individual cylinder misfire code) on my 99 and i am led to believe that it is a coil. what makes you think its the cps?
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Old 11-18-2011, 06:09 PM
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http://boredmder.com/ecucodes/index....1997&DTC=p1320

it could go either way you have to test circuits and sensor ckps (ref) can be tested by checking the ohms its under the cranks pully
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Old 11-19-2011, 08:36 AM
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I think it is the CPS because last week it only threw the code for the #4 cylinder and I was getting really bad misfires. I replaced that #4 coil and changed spark plugs all around. Now I don't have the misfires but I do have the 1320 code and the guys at Autozone said it was most likely the CPS.
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Old 11-19-2011, 06:25 PM
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Im very curious to see if it is the cps now. i just bought coils from an org member today to hopefully fix my 1320 code. keep us posted
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Old 11-19-2011, 08:59 PM
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5th gens (00-01) with the 3.0 are notorious for getting the P1320 primary ignition fault code. There are a few threads on the 1320 in the 5th gen section, and they are mostly due to both crank sensors getting old and not being to pick up the signals strongly. I've had my 1320 code for about 6 months now. My car runs and starts fine. I just hate to part with a few hundred dollars to have to replace two sensors to get the light to go away.
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Old 11-19-2011, 10:31 PM
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everyone get a volt ohm meter they are like 5 bucks at harbor freight and you can test sensors till your blue in the face

download the FSM it will show you how to test and trouble shoot every code and then some and its free

the test for the crank sensor (ref) is checking the ohms (resistance) the test for the other one (pos) is checking for voltage while the car is on the "ON " position very simple stuff and can save you more money in the long run considering the crank sensor is about 100 bucks why replace it if you dont need to
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Old 11-21-2011, 07:48 AM
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Originally Posted by smai555
everyone get a volt ohm meter they are like 5 bucks at harbor freight and you can test sensors till your blue in the face

download the FSM it will show you how to test and trouble shoot every code and then some and its free

the test for the crank sensor (ref) is checking the ohms (resistance) the test for the other one (pos) is checking for voltage while the car is on the "ON " position very simple stuff and can save you more money in the long run considering the crank sensor is about 100 bucks why replace it if you dont need to
+1.

OP, what leads u to think the CPKS is bad?? u have to test it first. and i dont believe that is your problem.

Since u getting a code for cyl 4 i would check the CPS and the cyl.

Where u get the replacement coil from? Have u checked the injector?
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Old 11-22-2011, 01:01 PM
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I have not checked the injector. I got the coil from Ebay which I have done many times. I was thinking of contactin the seller to see about getting a new one sent since the 1320 code didn't show up until I installed this new coil. Does that sound like a good place to start?
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Old 11-22-2011, 06:59 PM
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I got a p1320 last week and it has been starting hard, cleaned my Crank sensor (you would not believe the junk caked on there) and tested my coils with an ohm meter. Sure enough cylinder #1 was reading to high. I took my ohm meter to the parts store and had to go to 3 stores to get one that ready below 0.75 ohms but finally Autozone duralast worked great for $75. CEL is off and it is starting great! hope this helps
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Old 11-23-2011, 09:16 AM
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I contacted the guy I bought the ignition coil from. Hopefully he can send me a new one. Honestly this is the first time I have had any issues after replacing a coil. I have had the care 10 years and the only issue I have ever had with it has been coils. Usually a pretty quick fix. Since I didn't have the 1320 code before I am hoping a new coil (again) is the answer. Car is starting great and running normal, as I have said before, my misfire issues have gone away.
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Old 11-30-2011, 08:59 AM
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Ok so I got the new coil, I disconnected the battery, installed it but it appears that it wasn't disconnected long enough to reset the computer. Car is starting with zero issues, runs perfectly from what I can tell. There are no misfires, no hiccups, has good pep and response. I decided to disconnect the battery again in an attempt to reset the computer. I disconnected both sides left it over night and when I started it this morning, the check engine light remained on. Wasn't like it turned of for a split second even. I am going to take it in to see what codes are throwing. Because I have no symptoms I don't know what to do if I get the 1320 code again. I am pretty certain that the new coil is working properly as the misfires have completely gone away. Any ideas guys? I want to sell this car in January but don't want to sell it with the check engine light on.
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Old 11-30-2011, 12:49 PM
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Ok so should I have said camshaft position sensor and not crankshaft? Would that make more sense if it was the camshaft position sensor?
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Old 11-30-2011, 01:04 PM
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Originally Posted by KingZeke
Ok so should I have said camshaft position sensor and not crankshaft? Would that make more sense if it was the camshaft position sensor?

Yes it would. The Cam sensor (CPS) tells the ECU which cyl is misfiring. The test fort the CPS is a resistance test. Test the sensor
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Old 11-30-2011, 01:13 PM
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Originally Posted by KingZeke
Ok so I got the new coil, I disconnected the battery, installed it but it appears that it wasn't disconnected long enough to reset the computer. Car is starting with zero issues, runs perfectly from what I can tell. There are no misfires, no hiccups, has good pep and response. I decided to disconnect the battery again in an attempt to reset the computer. I disconnected both sides left it over night and when I started it this morning, the check engine light remained on. Wasn't like it turned of for a split second even. I am going to take it in to see what codes are throwing. Because I have no symptoms I don't know what to do if I get the 1320 code again. I am pretty certain that the new coil is working properly as the misfires have completely gone away. Any ideas guys? I want to sell this car in January but don't want to sell it with the check engine light on.

FYI, Any vehicle with a OBD II System will need to have the CEL turned off and reset with a Scanner or Reader, disconnecting the battery will not turn off the CEL.

Reset your ECM the right way and your CEL will stay off.

Last edited by boneebone; 11-30-2011 at 01:16 PM.
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Old 11-30-2011, 01:17 PM
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Originally Posted by boneebone
FYI, Any vehicle with a OBD II System will need to have the CEL turned off and reset with a Scanner or Reader, disconnecting the battery will not turn off the CEL.

Reset your ECM the right way and your CEL will stay off.

agreed.

Use the screw method to read codes and reset ECU.
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Old 12-01-2011, 12:56 PM
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Ok I will try getting at the ECU and resetting it. Hopefully that will resolve the issue as the car seems to be running great. No noticeable issues. I will keep you posted.
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Old 12-07-2011, 11:56 AM
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I haven't been able to get to the ECU and just a day or two ago, I am getting misfires again while I sit in gear stopped at a light or intersection. I am really starting to wonder if I just got two bad coils in a row from ebay. I have purchased coils before on ebay and this is the first time for any of this. I am going to take it to a mechanic, as I need to drill down exactly what is wrong. I don't have the know how or the tools to test the 4 different possibilities.
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Old 12-12-2011, 03:52 PM
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Ok so I took it in to a mechanic friend, he did all the testing and it came back that the ignition coil was too weak, so the car runs just fine but it throws a code to the ECU. He told me there are service bulletins that say not to use any ignition coils that are not OE parts. I have used ebay coils and Autozone coils before. Granted this time I was in the mood for cheaper. So have any of you had issues with aftermarket ignition coils?
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