Crank position sensor screw rusted/stripped!

[JSJ27959]

Just spent all day getting to the sensor only to find out that its so rusted it is stripping out.
Who has ran into this?


For my rant!
I am done with VW i have never owned anything with so many problems.
I have dumped thousands in this car in the last year only to think maybe thats my last problem.

Sadly I love the car when it runs.
Handles great, good fuel mileage and power.

But I would love 10 mins with the mfer who thought that was a great place for a cranks sensor.

This alone is enough that Ill be selling this car.
The bad thing is wife drives a Q7 so im not completely out of the woods And it throws codes once a month.
VW really needs to work on their reliability bad.

 

[Mozambiquer]

Just spent all day getting to the sensor only to find out that its so rusted it is stripping out.
Who has ran into this?


For my rant!
I am done with VW i have never owned anything with so many problems.
I have dumped thousands in this car in the last year only to think maybe thats my last problem.

Sadly I love the car when it runs.
Handles great, good fuel mileage and power.

But I would love 10 mins with the mfer who thought that was a great place for a cranks sensor.

This alone is enough that Ill be selling this car.
The bad thing is wife drives a Q7 so im not completely out of the woods And it throws codes once a month.
VW really needs to work on their reliability bad.

Are you sure the sensor is failed? On the cjaa, they don't fail often, but what does happen is wires get chafed.
These aren't near as bad as the 3.0 ecodiesel in the ram trucks...

 

[JSJ27959]

Thats just it.
I dont know. After nearly cutting off on the highway and barely making it home and then it never started again, I have no codes at all!
Seems crazy I usually gets codes all the time over nothing.

I read several threads on this form, saying long starts and no starts at all. Could be crank position sensors that never even set off a code. I was having intermittent long starts for the last few months before it finally just gave up altogether..

I found two wires severed in half and a sensor with top half broken off.
None of which went to the cps.
I havent tried to find where they come from yet.

 

[JSJ27959]

Sensor has to be replaced now though I took my long handle duckbills and tried to break off after fighting with the screw to make seeing it easier.

 

[oilhammer]

You may need an engine harness. Easier with the front of the car off.

 

[JSJ27959]

Ugh.
I guess your alluding to the possibility of chaffed or broken wires somewhere?
Seems like it would throw a code from loss of communication

 

[oilhammer]

Not necessarily.... the CKP signal is such that the ECU doesn't always "know" how the car is responding. If it flagged a DTC every time the signal went away, then if you stalled the engine taking off by accident, it would set a fault.

But, scan data is always there... if the engine won't start, but cranks normally, then all you need do is monitor the scan data for an RPM signal. Easy peasy. There are no lines of code in the car's many computers that say "hey, I see the key being turned to the crank position, but I don't see cranking RPM signal from the CKP sensor.... hmmm..." No, you have to look for it yourself.

But I can tell you that the CKP sensor itself on the CJAA is not a common issue, but on older higher mileage cars the engine harness could be. CJAA CKP sensors I've replaced remain at 0. CJAA engine harnesses? More than I can count on one hand. For various reasons.

 

[JSJ27959]

I found those two broken wires I believe they were going to the oil pressure sensor.
I also found the conduit broken/missing to the Crank sensor.

When removing those harnesses in the past where did you typically see the break/chaffing or was it always random?
Also where do you purchase your harnesses from?

 

[oilhammer]

New engine harnesses come from the dealer, you'll need the VIN. I don't have time to get too deep in the weeds as to specifically where the harnesses fail.... anymore, if I suspect a harness, I replace it, and it fixes the problem.

Good time to do the thermostat, coolant pipe, and oil filter housing gasket while you're in there.

 

[JSJ27959]

Ok.
Thanks, oil filter housing gasket already on order as it was leaking some. Which coolant pipe?

 

[oilhammer]

The plastic pipe that goes from the side of the thermostat assembly, and wraps around to one of the heater hoses. They can crack where the double-lip o-ring goes at the housing.

 

[JSJ27959]

Thanks again.
You are always of great help.
Wish your shop was near me.