A crankshaft sensor doesn’t really go bad at all times. It’s one of the car parts that have issues once in a while. But if it happens to go bad and you just replaced it, what should you do next?
After replacing the crankshaft sensor, use an OBD scanner to reset the ECU so that it can relearn its position and clear the error codes. You can also disconnect your battery for 15 to 20 minutes for the ECU to relearn its position and clear the error codes.
What to Do After Replacing Crankshaft Sensor
After replacing your crankshaft sensor, you should:
1. Verify The Installation
You should verify that the installation is carried out perfectly. Installation needs to be handled with utmost care. You definitely don’t want to give the place of A to B.
If you do it mistakenly, it will stop your vehicle from starting, or at the least case; cause the check engine light to turn on.
The only way you can know if the crankshaft sensor is properly installed is when you know the right way a crankshaft sensor should be installed. If you know that, you can then compare the variables and see what is missing out.
Here’s a little guideline to help you compare with what you have got.
- Be Sure The Camshaft Is Damaged Before Having It Replaced: A lot of times, the crankshaft sensor may not be the problem. Stay calm and run the car using a code scanner. If you get a P0335 error code then you can proceed to have the crankshaft sensor replaced.
- Locate Where The Crankshaft Sensor Is: This can be found in the manual guide. But, in case you still can’t figure it out, the crankshaft sensor is located in the crankcase over the toothed wheel on the crankshaft.
Once you must have located it, we move to the next step in replacing your crankshaft sensor.
- Keep your car turned off
- When your car is turned off, allow it to cool. Once you have attained some level of cooling, disconnect the negative terminal of your car’s battery.
- Find the crankshaft sensor which is usually in the crankcase over the toothed wheel on the crankshaft.
- Loosen the bolt that keeps the crankshaft sensor together. You can easily do this with your fingers or use a tool to do so if you can’t get it done with your hands.
- Pull out the old sensor away from the engine. Ensure to disconnect the crankshaft’s electric connector.
- Add a moderate amount of oil to both the crankshaft sensor and the O-ring.
- Replace the old with the new sensor and do the reverse of the procedure to keep the sensor fitted.
If you don’t understand the procedure explained above, you can watch a YouTub video made by Christopher Barr – Random Chris where he explained the exact way you can replace the crankshaft sensor.
If after checking the processes and you still find out that there was no error with your installation. You can as well check the wires.
There can be corroded wires which can also stop the car from starting. After you’re done, you can move to the next thing, which is to reset the position of the crankshaft sensor
2. Relearn/Reset the Crankshaft Sensor
After verifying that the installation of the crankshaft sensor is done accurately, your next step would be to reset the crankshaft sensor so as not to keep the engine light on.
To reset your crankshaft sensor, you can either use a scanner or do it without a scanner. If you’ll use a scanner.
Relearning the Crankshaft Sensor with a Scanner
- The first thing to do is to connect the code scanner to the car
- There, you will get a DTC P1336 CKP variation not learned signal
- You can start your car now with your transmission in park
- Turn the engine off for a few seconds
- Select CASE Learn on your scanner to get the sensor ready for the learning process
- Start the engine again, this time, you should press the brake and keep the pedal held down firmly
- Check the engine diagnostic trouble code if it’s CASE learned or not learned.
- If it is learned, the reset is complete. If it is not, you should run a further diagnosis.
- Clear the trouble code and restart again.
If you didn’t understand the procedure explained above, you can watch Homie Hektor explain how to relearn the crankshaft position sensor with a scanner on his YouTube channel.
Resetting the Crankshaft Sensor Without a Scanner
If you don’t have a scanner, it is all good. You can also do a quick resetting of your camshaft sensor by accelerating and decelerating your car with specific instructions. You can call it the acceleration and deceleration cycles.
You can also do this by disconnecting your battery for some minutes. This will enable your car’s ECU to reset and clear all the codes.
When Should You Replace Your Crankshaft Sensor
You should replace your crankshaft position sensor when:
1. The Check Engine Light is On
The first or most recognized way to know if a camshaft sensor is damaged is through the check engine light. But, you also want to be sure the problem is really from the camshaft sensor.
There are many reasons why your car’s engine oil can turn on. It could be a transmission problem or other car problems.
This can be the first thing you quickly check to know if your camshaft sensor is bad, but you should check for other symptoms to confirm your claims.
2. Excessive Engine Vibration
One of the ways to recognize a faulty camshaft position sensor is when your engine vibrates in an unusual manner. You can quickly detect this when there’s a bumpy ride.
A faulty camshaft sensor will not perform its duty to provide a decent driving experience. You definitely want to check your camshaft sensor whenever you are having an unusually bumpy ride or an excessive engine vibration.
3. A Lower Engine Performance
You are quick to know a lower engine performance when the acceleration and deceleration aren’t as they are supposed to be.
4. Bad Fuel Efficiency
Aside from having a speed problem, a bad camshaft sensor will also cause a reduction in fuel efficiency.
5. Difficulty in Starting Your Car
Another problem a camshaft sensor can cause to your vehicle is to prevent it from starting or keeping it started. This will not happen in most cases, except if you have ignored the problem for a longer time.
Will Disconnecting Battery Reset Crankshaft Sensor?
Yes, disconnecting the battery for 15 minutes can reset your crankshaft sensor.
This is another simple process you can use if you don’t have a scanner to do a quick reset or you can’t bear the burden of the decelerating and accelerating cycle of resetting your crankshaft sensor.
When you disconnect the negative terminal of your battery and keep it that way for at least an hour before connecting back, it will cause all the electrical components of the car to lose their power. Even the ECU will also lose its short-term memory.
The memory possibly carries the error code, after it lost the short-term memory, it will automatically relearn the position of the crankshaft sensor immediately after you start the engine.
Conclusion
After replacing your crankshaft sensor, you might encounter a few problems but don’t panic. After any replacement, ensure you check the installation process to be sure you got it right, and also have the crankshaft position sensor reset to avoid other frustrating results.