My car: 2004 Limited, 68,500 miles
First off I would like to thank members DanielNTX and xfire2005 as well as all others who contributed to this thread:
Crankshaft Position Sensor
…for following through with their problems for all members to see by posting installation instructions, linking to other relevant forum topics, and posting helpful DIYs with photographs.
This community is a great resource and you would be hard pressed to find another auto forum on the web whose members are more willing to spend time assisting and helping others.
That being said, this thread is about the failure of my Crankshaft Position Sensor. I set up a rudimentary timeline to show you the progression of the problem.
Two weeks ago: I was driving on a local road from my office to lunch at a restaurant about five miles away. I get up to 65 mph on the local thoroughfare and my engine shuts out. At first I don’t realize what happened. All the electricity is still on, the AC is blowing warm air, and all of the dash warning lights are illuminated. However, the throttle is unresponsive and I pull over to the side of the road and flip the hazards.
I sit there on the side of the road for a minute, turn off the car completely, and then attempt to restart the car. It ignites the engine and off I go no problem?? A strange occurrence, but at the time I hoped that it was a one time event. My wishful optimism outweighed my better judgement.
Six days ago: No problems up until this point. I drive to my godmother’s house after work – no problem with the car. After dinner I start up the car and begin to drive home. Sitting at a traffic light about five miles from her house, the car completely dies.
The electricity stays on as before, dash lights, warm AC, headlights, hazards, but no response from the engine. I try to restart the car hoping it will start right back up as it did last time. No go.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When the Crankshaft Position Sensor fails, the electric ignition will turnover, and by that I mean you will hear the electric ignition trying to start the engine (a “chik chik chik” sound), but the engine won’t run.
If the electric ignition turns over and the engine runs briefly but sputters out, this is not the Crankshaft Position Sensor failing!
I fiddled under the hood with the battery terminals as angry traffic passed me by. I was completely clueless and worried that the Fire was going to need a serious (and expensive) overhaul.
After fiddling for 10-15 minutes with the engine off and when I was about to give in and call AAA, I gave it one last shot. I tried to restart the car and voila! the engine rumbled to life. I was able to drive home (about six miles) with no problems.
That night in my driveway I tested the ignition several times. The engine turned over everytime.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you find yourself in a similar situation as described above, safely pull over (its even fine to leave your flashers on, they should still work!) and wait for the engine to cool off.
When the Crankshaft Position Sensor fails, it is due to temperature. As the engine heats up the Sensor will RANDOMLY fail and shut down causing the engine to stall. Let the engine cool down and restart the engine.
Six Days Ago, Later That Night: As soon as I got home I immediately got on the forum and typed in “engine won’t turnover”. I stumbled across the above thread and was immediately sold that my Crankshaft Position Sensor failed. My problem sounded exactly the same.
Five Days Ago: I searched the Internet the next day for a good price on the Crankshaft Position Sensor. See list below.
Chrysler Parts Direct - Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Parts and accessories $171.60
several Mercedes parts wholesalers $110.00 average
I called several Chrysler
stealerships hoping to get the part immediately for a price reasonably above the wholesale price.
I was quoted between $220 and $250 JUST FOR THE PART!!
No thank you I said.
IMPORTANT NOTE: After Googling SLK320 Crankshaft Position Sensor I found the legitimte BOSCH replacement part…
Your Parts Search Returned 1 Part(s)
$42.96! I paid $20.00 for express shipping and had the part in two days.
Even the Autohaus Arizona (the company I ordered from) was fooled by the trickery of the Chrysler Crossfire’s origins. I order the Crankshaft Position Sensor for a 2004 SLK320 and received the OEM Bosch part for just $42.96. However if you search for a 2004 Chrysler Crossfire Crankshaft Position Sensor you will come up with a Vemo brand replica part for $62. (However I just looked and there is no longer any part available for the Crossfire).
Two Days Ago: I installed the Crankshaft Position Sensor this past weekend. It should have taken me twenty minutes with the right tools. However, it took me four hours of driving around picking up the proper socket.
Tools you will need:
Shop lamp or flashlight (this will seriously decrease time spent trying to find the bolt on the sensor)
¼ 12 pt. or ‘star’ socket.
An 8 inch or longer rachet or socket screwdriver (I bought an extension for my ratchet set to reach down to the bolt)
New Crankshaft Position Sensor
Straight Needle-nose pliers (to pull out and insert the old/new sensor)
1) Lift off the engine cover (just pull up in the corners and at the sides)
2) I placed my shop lamp on the ledge that is positioned at the base of the windshield. It is where the vents for the AC unit are.
3) See the pictures
here:
from where the Sensor is located in the read of the engine.
4) First you must remove the electrical plug. On the upside of the sensor there is a clip. I spent 20 minutes trying to unclip this from the wrong end… There is a lip on the clip that is closest to the plug on the Sensor. Run your finger to the opposite end away from that lip and press down HARD with your pointer finger. Simultaneously pull up on the lip of the clip with your thumb. If you press down hard enough the lip should pop up enough for you to pull it free.
5) Once you free the clip the electrical plug should be loose. Pull it out and push it and the wire to the side.
6) Now use the ¼ 12 pt. socket and the extended ratchet or screwdriver to undo the bolt. The bolt is on the lower side of the sensor. Without a light its almost impossible to see as the angle is bad. Use the ratchet to initially loosen the bolt. Use the screwdriver to remove the bolt. Be careful not to bump the screwdriver on anything as you pull it out with the bolt still loosely in the socket. The screw could easily fall into the abyss of the engine bay.
7) Use the straight needle-nose pliers to clamp on the side of the old Sensor and pull out. Change direction of the pressure (up-down, left-right) until the Sensor slides out.
8) Hold the NEW Sensor with the pliers and reinsert it into the hole where the old part was.
9) Place the screw back in the way it came out, making sure not to bump into anything with the wrench on the way down as the screw will pop out and fall. I ended up placing the screw in the hole in the sensor as I inserted the sensor so that it was positioned correctly over the bolt hole.
10) Plug in the electrical plug. PUSH DOWN HARD. If you don’t push down hard enough it may feel like the plug is in all the way but it is not. Feel the clip you unclipped earlier clip to be sure its in all the way.
11) Test the engine before you close up the engine cover! If the engine clicks and dies (which it did for me – ouch) you didn’t press the electrical plug back into the sensor firmly enough. Do this and the car will work like a charm.
So far no problems! Its only been a few days but I will follow up on this thread if anything changes!
If it hadn’t been for the CrossfireForum I would have spent untold money and time trying to get the car serviced at a dealership. And even then it is unlikely I would have gotten down to this solution.
I hope this DIY can help someone who is an amateur mechanic like myself do this repair themselves!
Best of luck and enjoy.