Camshaft Position Sensor

[dirtbagjack]

About a year ago my jeep liberty died, today it is alive and well. I towed it to my parents house and worked for a few seasons and bought parts to fix it. My dad is an engineer and helped me. We did an engine rebuild and it ran for a bit then it wouldn’t start. After that we replaced the fuels pump/filter because it wasn’t getting fuel, then we checked the plugs and coils and it still wouldn’t start. She was throwing all sorts of codes that seemed to be random and these codes “problems” did not need fixing. Last week we decided to check electronics/sensors and found that the camshaft position sensor wire was all messed up. We replaced the sensor and the wire and she fired right up. No issues thus far! I’m gonna drive it across the country to keep working as a river guide after breaking the engine in a little more. Wanted to post this info in case people were having the same trouble, because ut was quite frustrating to be playing with this thing for weeks trying to find the problem. Hope this little bit helps with any issues y'all have!

 

[joshcsmith13]

Love it! Thanks DBJ.
I'm wondering if there's something similar, but much less severe, going on with my son's '02. It burns a bit of oil, but generally runs pretty well. However, once you get above 3000 RPM, you can hear some clattering in the engine. I'm in no position to do an engine rebuild, but I'm wondering what kind of checking I could do in an effort to prevent major damage.

 

[david.lukac]

@dirtbagjack What brand of CPS sensor did you use? I replaced (and unfortunately prematurely threw away) the original camshaft position sensor, and now I’m getting P0344 (Camshaft Position Sensor “A” Circuit Intermittent (Bank 1)) randomly, putting the engine into limp mode, until I clear the code. I tried NTK, WVE and Delphi sensors, with no effect. I tried cleaning the ground connection on engine block passenger side, disconnecting the battery overnight, no joy. Lots of people saying to use Mopar sensor, but I’m hesitant to accept that as a solution . Also costs like $180 Canadian

 

[blackhawk]

Jeep recommends to change both cmk and ckp and not only one.

 

[david.lukac]

Jeep recommends to change both cmk and ckp and not only one.

I replaced both with NTK, no difference

 

[DadOSix]

@dirtbagjack What brand of CPS sensor did you use? I replaced (and unfortunately prematurely threw away) the original camshaft position sensor, and now I’m getting P0344 (Camshaft Position Sensor “A” Circuit Intermittent (Bank 1)) randomly, putting the engine into limp mode, until I clear the code. I tried NTK, WVE and Delphi sensors, with no effect. I tried cleaning the ground connection on engine block passenger side, disconnecting the battery overnight, no joy. Lots of people saying to use Mopar sensor, but I’m hesitant to accept that as a solution . Also costs like $180 Canadian

David - does your scan tool do live data?

If so, see if you can find both the cam and crank sensor voltages and signals. Should be 4 PIDs in total.

Right now, you are just changing parts following a code. Cleaning the grounds was a great step. Go over the wiring carefully. These beasts are old and full of electrical gremlins. Those ground cables to the head are woven aluminum straps. They can corrode and still look good - until you flex the strap or give a tug and it disintegrates in your hand.

Might be smart to run a jumper from the block to the negative terminal of the battery. Does the condition change?

And I saw upthread that you already know that the mopar part is preferred. Pricey yes, but these jeeps seem to not tolerate other makers. Exception from my garage is that mine do fine on Standard Motor Parts electrical sensors if I can not find a mopar.

Take a hard look at the plug on the sensors. Pins can appear tight but might be crusty and dirty as well.

It is a great sign that the jeep still starts and runs until the computer sees the intermittent code. I am betting on a wire.