An interesting tale (no, really)

[hawkeye18]

So I've been getting the buzzing/whumping/needly noise between 1500 and 2000 rpm that indicates either crank cancer or a faulty timing belt tensioner (ATX). I take the top timing cover off and run the engine... definitely a bad tensioner.

So I get down into the guts of the front end to get at the bottom of the timing belt, when what do I spy, but a hole where one of the screws should be on my crank sensor .

Two questions: Where the f#%* did that screw go, and how is my engine still running? Well, turns out the screw was chillin' underneath the crank sprocket... and I have no answer to the second question. The other screw was tight enough that the sensor didn't move enough to either hit the crank sprocket (which looked fine, btw) or get out of tolerance. Since the head of the screw was too stripped to use again (and it obviously didn't work the first time) my wife found a suitable replacement... in an electical panel box (resourcefulness ftw!) and screwed that in. With a lockwasher.

So, moral of the story (and there is one): You only need one screw to have your CKP work as long as that one's tightened really tight. Oh, and it's a lot easier to simply unbolt the stupid tensioner and watch it shoot off than it is to c-clamp it. I wouldn't do that with one that works, though

 

[1995SHO9]

Glad you figured out what it was man.

 

[Off Road SHO]

And yet another way to shave some weight off of SHO's. Good find.

Tom

 

[SuperchargedSHOguy]

Those screws are normally pretty tight so this does not suprise me that one held it in place, how the other one came out is baffling...I would have voted bad timing belt tensioner until I opened it up.