Blog

Intermittent failure of the crankshaft sensor

Release time:

2022-10-19

If the crankshaft position sensor is faulty, the crankshaft's rotation angle cannot be confirmed. The engine computer does not receive signals from the crankshaft position sensor. To protect the engine, it will not ignite or inject fuel. The symptoms displayed by the car are no high voltage, no fuel injection, and of course, it won't start. The most obvious phenomenon is that the engine fault light on the dashboard is illuminated.

　　Crankshaft Sensor

　　The function of the crankshaft position sensor is to determine the position of the crankshaft, which is the crankshaft's angle of rotation. It usually works in conjunction with the camshaft position sensor to determine the basic ignition timing. The engine needs the signal from the crankshaft position sensor to know when and which cylinder to ignite, as it can detect when the piston reaches the top dead center.

　　Symptoms of a faulty crankshaft sensor

　　In simple terms, if the crankshaft position sensor is faulty, it cannot confirm the angle of rotation of the crankshaft. The engine computer does not receive signals from the crankshaft position sensor, and to protect the engine, it will not ignite or inject fuel. The symptoms exhibited by the car are no high voltage, no fuel injection, and obviously, it won't start. The most obvious phenomenon is that the engine fault light on the dashboard lights up.

　　The owner reported: It can start normally when cold or hot, but after running at high speed for a while, it cannot accelerate and instead causes a decrease in RPM when accelerating.

　　Installation location of the crankshaft sensor

　　For engines with distributors, the crankshaft position sensor is usually installed inside the distributor; for those without a distributor, it is generally installed on the transmission clutch housing, located at the back left side of the engine block. The crankshaft position sensor is a very important part of engine components. During regular vehicle maintenance and repairs, do not neglect to check the crankshaft position sensor to prevent unexpected situations that could adversely affect driving.