Crankshaft Position Sensor

There are so many different parts to a vehicle that it is often like a giant puzzle, and if something goes wrong and no longer fits into the puzzle, finding out what the problem is can be a large pain in the rear end; especially if you do not know what to look for. One such part on your vehicle is the crankshaft position sensor. This sensor is a crucial part of your vehicle's process and is used by the computer to help determine the relative Revolutions per Minute (RPM) of the engine and the firing order of the engine. This makes the small crankshaft position sensor a very important piece of equipment as these functions of the engine need to be kept up in the best shape possible so that the pistons will fire when they are supposed to and the computer can keep everything running as it should. In fact, when any part of the ignition system is a little out of whack the entire car can suffer as a result. There are a few trouble shooting tips to make sure that any problems you are experiencing are not related to the crankshaft position sensor, and these trouble shooting guides are often how trained mechanics recognize problems in a vehicle.

Since each car is a different type of puzzle, the symptoms of a problem with the crankshaft position sensor can vary from vehicle to vehicle. If you are attempting to work on your own vehicle, then you will need to have a trouble shooting guide specific to the make and model you are looking at. The repair manuals for your vehicle should cover this problem and other symptoms, so you will want to make sure that you have one of these before you decide to tackle the problem. Now, the good news about most sensors is that they are relatively easy to dismantle and install once you locate them. The bad news is that sometimes in order to get to them you will have to remove part of the engine. This is another area where the specific repair manual for your vehicle will come in handy as it can help guide you to exactly where the crankshaft position sensor is and will help you to know how you can remove it and repair it in a guided step by step format. This is something that can be invaluable when you are in the engine working on it.

If you are not mechanically inclined then you can take the car to someone who will be able to replace the crankshaft position sensor. The bad news is that this kind of work can cost because of the fact that they will have to get into the engine and get to the sensor. So while actually putting in a new sensor is not that difficult of a task, it can take a good deal of money if it goes to a mechanic simply because of the time involved in the process. This is where having access to a good, trusted mechanic can come in handy as they will generally not charge you anything except for the amount of work that was done to the vehicle. Some larger, chain mechanics will charge you a set amount for a job (like changing out the crankshaft position sensor). This means that even though it may only take them two hours to do the job on your vehicle, they will charge you the rate for four because that is the standard time it takes to do the job on most cars. If you have a mechanic that you trust this can be avoided and you will only pay for the amount of work that it actually takes to change out the crankshaft position sensor.