Does Your Vehicle's Crankshaft Position Sensor Need To Be Replaced?

Of all the parts that can go wrong with a vehicle, the sensors are often the ones that can leave a car owner confused. That's because parts of your vehicle may be operating as intended, but it is the sensor that is providing incorrect information. One sensor that you need to be aware of is the crankshaft position sensor, which has the job of relaying the positions of the crankshaft to the ending control modules, which control fuel injection and sparks for the combustion process. Here are some signs that something is wrong with this sensor. 

Service Engine Light  

It's very possible that a fault crankshaft position sensor triggers the service engine light on your dashboard. You can take your vehicle to a local mechanic or auto parts store, who can connect a computer to your vehicle and give you the error code that is being produced. A crankshaft position sensor has several error codes that indicate there is a problem with it, but error code P0335 is a common code you'll see with this part. It indicates that there is a specific problem with the circuit malfunctioning that needs to be corrected.

Rough Idle 

Do you feel your car shaking when driving or that it wants to stall when you come to a complete stop? This is a problem that can originate with the crankshaft position sensor. It is going to be sending incorrect data to the engine control module, which causes the engine to misfire due to getting fuel and spark at the wrong time. It creates a rough idle that would otherwise not happen if the engine control module receives the correct data from the crankshaft position sensor. 

Hard Start

A hard start is when the engine needs to crank a lot more than usual before it turns on. This is another problem due to the crankshaft position sensor giving the wrong information that causes the timing of the spark and fuel injection to happen at the incorrect time. It is also possible that your vehicle doesn't start at all, because the engine doesn't get fuel or spark at the proper time. 

Power Loss When Accelerating

It's possible that your vehicle is struggling if it feels like it is losing power when you accelerate. This is a problem because the engine is not getting the fuel it needs when you start to accelerate, so it seems like the engine is losing power when it is really not getting the proper amount of fuel due to a faulty crank position sensor.

Call an auto service shop if you think your car needs repairs.