Quick camshaft sensor question

[CWhalenSHO]

Started the SHO this morning to get on my way to work. It didn't want to idle. The RPM's flucuated between 1K and 1300K.

Once I pulled out of the driveway, it started bucking/hesitating immedietly. Luckily, I only have a bout a 10 minute drive to work. As this is haappening, I noticed that the tach needle was jumping up and down. At that point, I though Cam Sensor.

About half way to work, I was pulling up to a stop light, had the car in neutral (MTX) and it died. Then it fired right back up. Continued the bucking/jerking until the Temp got up to the "M" on the gauge and then it ran fine for the rest of the trip to the office

My thought is cam senor at this point due to the tach needle jumping around. My question is, do they just die like this or do they slowly go out. This is the first time it did this. I would think that the sensor would slowly die out not just go out overnight...

 

[frosho]

Did the CEL come on? Have you checked for codes?

Could be the cam sensor, but it almost sounds like an electrical issue like a bad battery/alternator or connections. Funky things happen when the voltage gets too high or low.

I'd start by pulling the codes.

 

[CWhalenSHO]

CEL did come on as soon as I started it up. It would come on whenever the bucking/jerking would start then turn off when it stopped....It was more on than off because the car was doing this about 90% of the time while on my way to work.

Haven't pulled codes yet, haven't had a chacne to. I was on my way to work when this happened. I'm about to go out lunch and take it for a quick spin to see if this happens again.

 

[frosho]

Well then the code(s) should tell you what's up.

 

[CWhalenSHO]

Drove it home for lunch and no bucking/jerking at all. The CEL did come on twice. Both times it was for about 5 minutes or so....

Gotta check them codes! Don't have time on my lunch break. I'll do it tonight after I get home from work.

 

[CWhalenSHO]

Quick Cam Sensor Question ***Update***

Drove to work from the house at lunch and the SHO ran fine. CEL did come on 2 times during the 15 drive. Again, both times for about 5 minutes each.

Drove home, purred like a kitten the entire time.

Comes home to pull codes using the trusty old paperclip method and......nothing.

I mean nothing. The CEL didn't start blinking during the KOEO. The CEL just stayed on like it normally does..I'm 100% positive that the paperclip ends were placed where they needed to be. I referenced the SHO Phoenix Project website before I started and then double checked when I noticed that the CEL never started blinking.

SHO Guru's.....now what?

 

[JRA2000TL]

Well I'm not one to throw parts at anything but for $30 and a pretty easy/quick guess, you can try a new cam sensor.

FWIW, I called about a 94 MTX 2 weekends ago. The guy said it would start up, run smooth for a few minutes, then start to run rough/bucking as if it was misfiring. It also had a jumpy tach. He was going to sell the car for $1k. A couple of other forum guys, as well as myself, talked to him and we told him it could be that or a number of things. Guess we gave out too much info and lost out on scoring a deal. He tried a $30 cam sensor and it fixed the problem. He decided against selling the car now.

Same symptoms as yours.

 

[CWhalenSHO]

Well I'm not one to throw parts at anything but for $30 and a pretty easy/quick guess, you can try a new cam sensor.

FWIW, I called about a 94 MTX 2 weekends ago. The guy said it would start up, run smooth for a few minutes, then start to run rough/bucking as if it was misfiring. It also had a jumpy tach. He was going to sell the car for $1k. A couple of other forum guys, as well as myself, talked to him and we told him it could be that or a number of things. Guess we gave out too much info and lost out on scoring a deal. He tried a $30 cam sensor and it fixed the problem. He decided against selling the car now.

Same symptoms as yours.

I don't like throwing parts at problems as well. I just can't think of what else I can replace at this point besides the Cam Sensor and O2's. During the front and top 60K I replaced everything else besides the cam sensor and the O2's during that time.

It was just odd that it just started doing this AM and after that, no problems at all.

 

[rubydist]

just because you have the paperclip in there, that doesn't mean it made a connection - I use a actual piece of wire w/ spade terminals and still sometimes it doesn't want to make connections - try again.

I have had a cam sensor go bad with the symptoms you describe - fine one day, the next day the tach is jumping around and the car is running poorly.

If the cam sensor is causing what you describe, you should have a code for that sensor.

 

[frosho]

Check that all your sensors are plugged in and the connectors are fully seated.