Ford Ranger 3.0 Vulcan P0340 Camshaft Sensor - Already Replaced. Now what?

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Jan 29, 2012
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This problem has been bugging me on my 2008 Ford Ranger 3.0 and I have no idea how to fix it! I'm getting an intermittent P0340 camshaft position sensor error, of which is common on these vehicles when the camshaft synchronizer goes bad.

I've already replaced ALL of these parts with brand new OE Motorcraft and the light still pops on sometimes:
- Camshaft synchronizer + position sensor
- Crankshaft position sensor
- Ignition coil pack
- Spark plug wires
- Spark plugs
- Tested the charging system with a battery analyzer tool to check for voltage spikes/ripples in the alternator

Despite throwing all these new parts, the light will still come on randomly, then after a few cycles disappears....only to come back on some other random time. I cannot find any pattern behind this and the engine does not seem to have any misfires. Any idea on how to further diagnose this? I'm using a BAFX OBD2 scanner + the Torque Pro app.
 
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I would get in there and inspect the wiring harness with a fine tooth comb. A really bright flashlight and a mechanics mirror can be a real help with this. Intermittent issues are the worst to diagnose.
Yup, I did that and can't find anything. Cleaned all the connectors, they all look fine to me. My gut feel is there's some semi-loose wiring/connector but I have no idea how to troubleshoot that beyond a visual inspection.
 
Did you check for A/C Ripple at varying RPM's/Electrical loads.

For intermittent connection issues....Using a Scope & wiggling the Connector is best for me, Terminal/Pin drag tests are also valid.

A/C-Sine Wave (Voltage Generating) sensors are highly susceptible to outside interference....Mainly the Alternator (A/C Ripple) & Leaky Secondary Ignition components.

Unplug the PCM connectors & plug them back in....Careful not to break the Latch Locks & Latches themselves.....Lightly wiggle the connectors outward while sliding the latch back
 
On the later Jeep 4.0s that suffer the same problem, it's not uncommon for the drive gear on the cam to wear to the point that it will cause the sensor / stator / cam synchro / whatever-you-want-to-call-it to read wrong ... Have a friend with an 05 who ended up having to put in a new camshaft, oil pump drive and camp stator to get rid of the code.
 
To properly sync these you need to use a scope to bring the camshaft position sensor and crank sensor into a certain range. That procedure is out there. Now something you can do that is quite easy and might fix the issue. Use a scanner and clear the KAM (Keep Alive Memory). This should be done anytime many sensors are replaced. The KAM will keep and still use the adapted parameters that the computer was using during the use of the failed or failing component.

I had this happen, replaced the sensor and drive, used a scope to sync it, and cleared codes. The ****ed code still came back. Spent hours checking circuits, and was about to replace the PCM. That's when I found out about KAM. Cleared KAM, and no more codes.
 
You might want to go over to Taurus Car Club of America (TCCA) which is a good site for the Vulcan engine and its quirks. Lots of good information there.
 
You might want to go over to Taurus Car Club of America (TCCA) which is a good site for the Vulcan engine and its quirks. Lots of good information there.
Ripple on the signal will be nasty at the computer and i agree that every connector should be carefully unplugged. Ripple might be caused by bad ground somewhere .
 
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