Lately ive been having a cranking issue where the car will crank continuosly until it starts. I just got the code for (CKS) P1335 so i tried clearing it. I tried cranking the engine again and got the same results plus i blew the starter. Im guessing the constant cranking overworked the starter or it was already going bad.

 

Update: I figured out that excessive cranking can kill the starter.
I replace my starter and tried starting the car, still had a bit of a cranking issue but no codes so i took it for a test drive. Later i tried to start the car and noticed my battery was being drained and the CKPS code came back.

So i retook the starter off, charged the battery and reinstalled the starter. Cranked it, drove it on the highway which then at 70mph all the sensors started to trip making the car jerk and bog a bit. I shut the car down and tried to start again and i got nothing. Checked the starter and it was hot so i figured it was running excessively which was 1 of the reasons my battery was draining.

 

Well if you are cranking the starter longer than usually then yeah it will overheat and burn out prematurely.

I had a bad CKPS and tried cleaning it. No dice. Had to replace it.

Im not sure cleaning it does much but u can certainly try. Jus make sure to NOT abrade it. Scraping it will cause coating to be removed and lose magnetic properties.

 

i just went through the same symptoms in my car (97 max) and i just cleaned the crank sensor....turns out it was the fuel pressure regulator causing extended cranking before firing up

 

Update: So i got another starter and checked out the CKPS, its dirty and caked up with oil and dirt. I sparyed it down with CRC electrical parts cleaner and cleaned up the area by the oil pan. Tested the sensor with a meter and got (00.5) which is good. Reinstalled evergthing and check all the wire harnesses. Cleared codes and it was a success

 

cool beans!

But the pic u posted is the CKPS (pass side), usually its the tranny side CKPS thats fouled and causing hard starts.

 

is the crank position sensor the same as the cam position sensor? I see one on the passenger side but not sure where to locate the one on the drivers side.

 

Its located on the left rear side of the oil pan.

 

The sensor in J2's picture is CPS(REF) which looks at the timing ring on the crank pulley.
CPS(POS) is on the transmission bell housing, under the car, and looks at the timing marks on the flywheel.

 

Glad you got it fixed. That's weird your car was jerking at 70 mph

 

Just to throw a question in here, which one of those CPS sensors will prevent the car from starting? Can the (POS) be bad and the (REF) good and car will still function or it will need both.

 

I'm not 100% sure, but I think it needs both Crank Position sensors to work for a start. That's how ignition timing is set and controlled. Without the ECU knowing exactly where the crank is, it cannot fire a spark plug.

FYI - The camshaft position sensor controls timing of the fuel injectors, the car will start and run even if that sensor goes bad.

 

On my '97, I had to replace the CKT (POS) sensor at the transmission to cure the long cranking issue. The old sensor ohmed out OK; my shop put a scope on it and found it was not performing correctly. The new (Nissan) sensor fixed it; replaced in March 2010 and no problem since.

 

Well I can say that I had a defective CPS before and the car would not start. So I guess all three of these sensors are critical. My CKPS sensors are still original with 315K so I am wondering if I should get a spare so that I am not stranded.