hey guys,new Dakota owner here(1999 Sport,3.9) Need a cam sensor..are these just dealer items?Cant find them online anywhere..also would this make the truck run bad when its cold? almost seems like a coolant temp sensor the way it runs,but im getting a CE code for the cam sensor..thanks if you can help!
Camshaft position sensor
tidd1340
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hey guys,new Dakota owner here(1999 Sport,3.9) Need a cam sensor..are these just dealer items?Cant find them online anywhere..also would this make the truck run bad when its cold? almost seems like a coolant temp sensor the way it runs,but im getting a CE code for the cam sensor..thanks if you can help!
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Just checked napaonline.com to be sure I wasn't imagining things. Yes, they list them (called distributor pickup assy) lists for around $47 or so. In case anybody has never used it, try NAPA's site. You can enter your make, model, year, engine and find all sorts of stuff.
Ok i replaced the sensor today.Installed,started truck,still had CE light on. Drove about a mile,it flashed quite a few times,but stayed on. I came home and pulled the + cable for 15 min.Restarted truck,no CE light.Cant drive it far as i dont have plates on it. I did notice it didnt fix the stumbling,rough running till it hits full temp problem..runs bad over 2500 rpms till its FULLY wamed up..about 2 miles.Sounds to me like a coolant temp sensor..wouldnt this throw a code? Why did the CE flash? And whats that little yellow triangle on the dash for..a shift light?
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The check engine light is flashing to warn you of possible cat meltdown. Don't drive it to far this way. Yes, the little triangle is the "upshift light"
Bryan
Bryan
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LPG is correct, if the light is flashing, that does mean severe missfire which could lead to cat meltdown. As for the ECT, as long as it is reading IN RANGE, it may not set a code. What I mean is, if it shows 25 degrees, it's in range even though engine temp may be 160. In most cases a specific ECT code will only happen if it show -40 (which is an open circut essentailly) or somewhere over 285 degrees (may be wrong about the high limit). Really what you need to do before putting anymore parts on is get a scanner that can read sensor data and record it. This is the only way to determine what input is not where it should be for a given engine temp, load, etc. If all the imputs look to be about normal, then check commanded ouputs. If they all look OK, then you have to be sure what the PCM is commanding is actually happening. It's a bit more involved than what I've written here, but you get the idea. That's part of the reason it's so expensive to take to one of us auto tech's for diagnosis. Still will end up being less than replacing parts until it's fixed. In summary, a driveability concern like you describe can be caused by any number of things, or sometimes a combination of things. Hope I haven't totally confused you now! Let me know what you find, I'd be curious as to the cause. It may help me do a quicker (read less money) diag on a customer's vehicle with a similar problem sometime. Thanks.
Hey LBG, sure sounds like a weird car with a towel rack on the back and a pointy nose! You lucky dog! Daytona or Superbird?
Hey LBG, sure sounds like a weird car with a towel rack on the back and a pointy nose! You lucky dog! Daytona or Superbird?
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Yes, you would feel a misfire that would cause a flashing light. An extremely rich or lean condition could also cause the PCM to flash the light and you may not feel a misfire. It flashes the light for any condition that MAY cause a catalyst failure. You wouldn't necessarily notice a driveability problem, although most catalyst "warnings" will cause something you will notice. It probably was that whatever fault was the cause of the flashing light was no longer there, then it went on steady. This stuff is hard to explain in writing, but I'm doing my best!
Well,its off now..it will be on the road in a day or so, I can put some miles on it I will see if it throws the light again,then i will have it scanned. Thanks for the heads up on the blinking,i didnt know that.As long as its off or solid Im ok though right?
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Yep, if it's on steady, somethings wrong but it won't cause further damage. Just remember, an OBDII can also turn on a light if a "monitor test" fails. That's cat efficiency, evap system integrity, stuff like that which actually has nothing to do with the operation of the engine directly. In other words, a 1996 or newer has about 1000 different things that can throw a light. OK, maybe not a thousand, but you get the idea.
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Aspen.....Daytona.....
Sorry to hi-jack thread
Sorry to hi-jack thread
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Only problem with Autozone just reading the code is that's all you get is a code. You still have to determine the cause of the code. Remember, if you get something like an o2 code, chances are it's not the o2 sensor, for example. You still need to monitor the inputs and outputs and compare them to reference parameters. I've seen way too many times at work, someones gone to Autozone and had the codes read, then sell them the parts those "experts" said it needs. They come to us for installation, and being a professional want to know WHY these parts were sold to them. So, you get the code(s), do a diag and discover that none of the $350 of parts from Autozone are needed. The problem is something totally different. So, yes they will read the codes for you, just don't commit to any parts until you are sure they will fix the problem. Just because you get a TPS code doesn't automatically mean the TPS is bad. Could be a wire, connector, PCM, or a sticking/worn throttle shaft, or possibly some other seemingly unrelated problem that makes the PCM "think" there's a TPS problem. Of course it could be the sensor itself also. As I've said before, this is the reason it's so expensive to take your truck to a shop, and I mean a good shop where they know what they're doing, are honest and care about their work. Autozone doesn't qualify on for any of those.
I didn't ask him to have Autozone evaluate the problem. Knowing what codes it is throwing is better than making wild guesses. It at least gives you a place to start. For all you know it maybe throwing multiple codes.
As you have already found out Dodge doesn't refer to a "cam sensor" but a "SWITCH, Distributor Pick-Up." It helps when everyone is on the same page and using a common language.
Mechanics the guess at problems don't fair nearly as well as those that use proper diagnostic procedures. Of course as far as I'm concerned neither do very well.
As you have already found out Dodge doesn't refer to a "cam sensor" but a "SWITCH, Distributor Pick-Up." It helps when everyone is on the same page and using a common language.
Mechanics the guess at problems don't fair nearly as well as those that use proper diagnostic procedures. Of course as far as I'm concerned neither do very well.
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tidd1340...have you tried getting your distributor phased correctly with the crank? You cannot time these engines with a timing light or by rotating the distributor, you must have a scanner to sync the cam & crank sensor. The distributor is actually the fuel delivery syncronizatoin sensor for the PCM. This may be your problem, not sure. If somebody turned the distributor thinking it was out of time, then that has to be addressed first. If it's out 5 degrees, it will set a cam sensor code. It did on my '94 Sport 3.9.............replaced the t-chain, set the dist, and all is well in Dakota land.
If I'm wrong on this, I am sure someone will let me know.
Bryan :drive:
If I'm wrong on this, I am sure someone will let me know.
Bryan :drive:
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