crank shaft sensor

[laidlaw]

hi,
my engine managment light comes on and off intermittently going up hill , down hill , turning sharp left and right and brakeing hard, but goes off just as quick .... but it also turns engine off somtimes but it starts straight away..

local mechanic tells me reading code it is crank shaft front sensor but it does not react as it should according to manual it should go to limp mode until its be recoded

can anyone help as its £220+vat for part and we are not sure thats it???

 

[rayf3262]

hi,
my engine managment light comes on and off intermittently going up hill , down hill , turning sharp left and right and brakeing hard, but goes off just as quick .... but it also turns engine off somtimes but it starts straight away..

local mechanic tells me reading code it is crank shaft front sensor but it does not react as it should according to manual it should go to limp mode until its be recoded

can anyone help as its £220+vat for part and we are not sure thats it???

I am assuming you have a TDi Terrano/Maverick?
From your description it sounds as though you could have a loose/bad connection from the CKP to the ECU.
The wiring and associated connectors should be checked first as the sensor itself is far less likely to be influenced by sudden movements of the vehicle.
The diagram is shown in the R20 manual on page EC-386, with the test procedure on the following page.

 

[zippy656]

Dont pay that much either! !!!!

 

[jims-terrano]

Both myself and Clivvy had the same problem a couple of years ago. We both read the codes and had the CKP as the issue. There's two types, one has two wires and the other the most costly has three wires. We could only buy them from a dealer and they were about £140 if I remember. The problem will get worse and worse, the sensor on our two motors is located on the front of the engine down below the water pump. It has a connector on the top of the engine at the driverside along with a couple of other connectors for glow plugs on the same bracket. Hardest thing about replacing was running the cables so they dont get caught in the fan belt.
Apparently it is a magnet and with the heat of the engine the magnet degrades over time.

 

[clivvy]

yup, as Jim says.

I agree with Ray, seems odd it does this when movement is involved ALTHOUGH when mine was bad, it would always do it when reaching a junction that was bumpy and at an angle-stalled!

Check the wires if you can, because it could be £220 not well spent. Another poitn to make though, is dont spend too much time or money trying to diagnose something that it isnt. These cars are getting old now, and as such, the CKP magnet isnt doing the job it should any more. Will also be worth cleaning the CKP, you never know.....

As part of diagnostics, can you take note-is it better when cold, then worse when warmed up? if so, just get a new sensor after checking the wires back to ecu.:thumbs

 

[laidlaw]

it is a 98R, 2.7 td maverick, it is happening most of the time now

 

[clivvy]

ok, be same as mine, but there are still TWO CKPs to choose from, one two and one three wire, easy enough for you to tell if you trace the wire form in between the belts, over the thermostat to the plug. Three wire = expensive, two wire = cheaper. Three wire i think is dealer ONLY, and ensure if you do order one, they get it with the correct plug.

get some more quotes, cos i paid £190 for mine direct from Nissan Halifax. Dont bother going to Ford.

 

[micky]

Hi Guys,
Check this sensor out on e bay , 120973018772, reasonably priced,but which model it fits, I don't know.
Micky

 

[solarman216]

Hi Guys,
Check this sensor out on e bay , 120973018772, reasonably priced,but which model it fits, I don't know.
Micky

looks the same as my TDi fitted to the timing case 3 wires but one is only a screen so guess a two wire would do the same job as it is only a coil around a fixed magnet, it is the wire coil that breaks down, I think the rear mounted one is identical, so at £106 not too bad, I was lucky and got one from cncfabs, Rick

 

[clivvy]

Hi Guys,
Check this sensor out on e bay , 120973018772, reasonably priced,but which model it fits, I don't know.
Micky

i dont think it fits the late 96/early 97 Mavericks, again, easy to check as one plug is rounded, that one on ebay is squared...

 

[solarman216]

it is a 98R, 2.7 td maverick, it is happening most of the time now

if you have an ohm meter check the resistance think it should be around 15000 ohms, but the important bit is heat it up and move the cable around if it stays constant then most likely a harness problem elsewhere, Rick

 

[barrylock]

Im having similar trouble with my sensor. I went to my local mechanic who is getting me prices on the part. So far hes at 87+vat but reckons he can get it cheaper once all the suppliers open in the new year.
So worth shopping round and maybe a chat with your local mechanic.

 

[clivvy]

well, if its a 96-98, itll almost certainly be the rounded connector, which weighs in at around £190.I think it then changed sort of late 97 onwards, so its a bit of a lottery. easy check though is to just look at the connector.

 

[solarman216]

this thing is a simple coil of wire around a ceramic magnet, all that matters is the coil resistance, and the physical shape (will it fit) only two wires are required the third is only a screen, Rick

 

[laidlaw]

have checked the wiring and one of the wires had rubbed through so think it was shorting out, as having repaired the wire the problem seems to have stopped, so thanks for all your help. much appreciated.

 

[zippy656]

A good and cheap out come