The Vortec 5.3L V8 LMG is a powerful engine produced by General Motors for full-sized SUVs. It’s a powerful engine made for good performance and efficiency. It comes with many unique features and parts such as the camshaft and the crankshaft with their sensors.
The crankshaft position sensor in a Vortec 5.3L V8 LMG engine can go bad at any time. So the question is, what problems would you face when the 5.3 crankshaft position sensor goes bad?
The 5.3 crankshaft position sensor problems are failure to start, difficulty in restarting the engine, intermittent stalling, slow response when accelerating, misfire, P0335 error code, etc.Â
5.3 Crankshaft Position Sensor Problems
5.3 crankshaft position sensor problems are:
1. Car Will Not Start
One of the major problems of a 5.3L V8 LMG engine, when the crankshaft position sensor goes bad, is failure to start. The car will not be able to start.
However, this is a later-stage problem. It occurs when the sensor has completely gone bad. This is to say that, anytime, your car suddenly failed to start, before concluding that your fuel pump has gone bad, verify to be sure it’s not the crankshaft position sensor that has gone bad.
Cars come with different sensors that perform different yet important functions that cannot be overemphasized.
The crankshaft position sensor is one of the many sensors in the car with the function of measuring the rotation speed (RPM) as well as the precise position of the engine crankshaft. Therefore, when this sensor goes bad, the car will not be able to start.
2. Intermittent Stalling
One of the earliest problems you will face when your 5.3 crankshaft position sensor starts to fail is intermittent stalling.
At this stage, the sensor is still giving out signals but it’s giving out wrong signals hence why you are experiencing intermittent stalling.
3. Difficulty in Restarting the Engine
Another problem you will face when your 5.3 crankshaft position sensor goes bad is difficulty restarting your engine especially when the engine is hot.
After the engine has stalled, you may find it difficult to restart the car when the engine has reached its optimal temperature. But if you allow the engine to cool down, you may be able to start the car.
This is prominent among the Chevy 5.3 engines. So if you are experiencing intermittent stalling and difficulty in restarting your car when it’s hot but starts when the engine is allowed to cool, then you are likely to have a crankshaft position sensor problem which should go away when the sensor is replaced.
However, from the explanation above, you could see that the problems or signs a bad or a failing crankshaft position sensor gives are likened to the same signs a bad fuel pump gives.
So the best way to understand the cause of the problem is to scan the car. Using an OBD-II scanner to scan the car is the best way to know the actual problem the vehicle has.
If the intermittent stalling and failure to start are caused by a bad fuel pump, you will know, if it is however caused by a bad or failing crankshaft position sensor, the scanner will read the error codes and inform you.
Nonetheless, it is not wise to conclude that your problem is either a fuel pump or a bad crankshaft position sensor until you scan and get the correct issue through the scan.
Peradventure you recently disconnected your battery and the code cleared. You can perform a quick fuel pump pressure test to distinguish the crank no-start situation caused by the lack of fuel rather than a lack of spark.
4. Check Engine Warning Light
Your check engine warning light will come on once your crankshaft position sensor goes bad. The warning light is to alert you that something is wrong with your engine that needs your attention.
Once you replace the sensor, the warning light should go off on its own after a drive cycle is completed. Or you can better still clear the code. You need to relearn the car after replacing a crankshaft sensor.
5. Misfire
Your car will misfire or shake terribly when your crankshaft position sensor starts to fail. Because the sensor is failing and keeps giving incorrect readings or signals to the car’s computer, the car tends to shake terribly. This should be fixed once the sensor is replaced.
6. Slow Response When Accelerating
Since the crankshaft position sensor is responsible for determining the precise position of the engine crankshaft, when it begins to fail, you will face the problem of slow acceleration because the sensor will not be able to send correction signals to the car’s computer.
If the sensor fails to determine the position of the sensor, it will result in a slow response anytime you accelerate.
7. P0335 Error Code
When your check engine light illuminates on your dashboard, it signals that there’s something wrong with your engine that needs your urgent attention. When you scan the car’s computer, you will get a P0335 which means a crankshaft position sensor problem.
In this case, you can look for a temporary fix for a crankshaft position sensor especially when it starts having issues in the middle of nowhere.
Causes of 5.3 Crankshaft Position Sensor Problems
The cause of 5.3 crankshaft position sensor problems are:
- Old age: The sensor is likely to go bad when it’s old and has been in use for a very long time.
- Breaks in Wiring: Breaks in wiring will also cause the sensor to go bad
- Mechanical Damage: Mechanical damage to the encoder wheel can cause the crankshaft position sensor to go bad.
Final Thoughts
The 5.3 crankshaft position sensor doesn’t go bad often, it doesn’t last forever either, it will start to fail and eventually goes bad. When it starts to fail, you will start experiencing intermittent stalling and failure to start at a hot temperature. When it goes completely bad, the car will not start. When this happens, the best solution would be to replace the damaged sensor with a new one.
However, do not mistake the signs of a bad fuel pump for that of a bad crankshaft position sensor. You’re however advised to scan the car first before concluding that your fuel pump has gone bad. You can also do a fuel pump pressure test to ascertain what the real problem is.