What is wrong with my civic? Is it a wiring issue or is the sensor itself going bad? My civic pulls a code every time the car is running in traffic. It has died like 4 times now in the last 4 months. It goes into limp mode and gives me erratic CPS code. After it cools off, the car starts up fine like nothing ever happened. Anyone familiar with this sort of behavior?
2001 civic crankshaft position sensor. Wiring or sensor issue?
- Thread starter Kurtatron
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Sounds like a typical inductive crankshaft sensor dying.
It's essentially a fine wire coil and due to thermal stresses they die. When hot enough there's a wirebreak which closes when the sensor cools.
It's essentially a fine wire coil and due to thermal stresses they die. When hot enough there's a wirebreak which closes when the sensor cools.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2025
Sounds like the sensor is just going bad. As long as you don’t see any problems with the wires I’d replace the sensor(s). If it has more than one check all of them to make sure.
Kokopelli34179
$50 site donor 2022
It sounds like the sensor; they usually fail at some point.
Typical symptoms of a failing CPS, change it before it leaves you stranded.
It is so weird to me that this failure is so intermittent. It fails like once a month. When I submitted that post earlier today, I was literally on the side of the road, waiting for the car to cool down. The sensor had left me stranded. After cooling down, the car started again. While I was waiting for the engine to cool down, I cleaned a corroded ground wire, hoping that may help. Is there anyway to diagnose the sensor as going bad without having to just throw parts at the civic?
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2025
Take a multimeter and check resistance. Or if you have an assistant check the output voltage while cranking.
A scope is the best method, you can see it reacting as it gets warm, with a VOM it will read okay cold and open when its hot on a bad one.
You may have a code stored now even with no CEL. Your on the road failure and cool down restart is close to 100% that the crank sensor has gone bad.
The sensor from rock auto is under $50 for this car the wve is $37, hardly loading the parts cannon on an almost certain diagnosis, it would cost more than that to have someone put the scope on it.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2025
That will probably work. Look for it to open while in the heat too.
Right, the crank pulley and timing cover need to be removed to replace it.
The wires can get caught in the alternator belt and damaged but that is rather obvious, and permanent. After changing sensor be sure the wires are secure and well away from the belt.
The wires can get caught in the alternator belt and damaged but that is rather obvious, and permanent. After changing sensor be sure the wires are secure and well away from the belt.
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