I got burned (by myself) with cheap sensors

[14Accent]

So... the Cadillac project. When I first got it, it had lots of little issues. As these cars tend to have. Nothing I wasn't prepared for, however.

One of the issues was the crankshaft position sensors. They're a common failure on Northstar engines, mine being no different. Being as this is supposed to be a budget beater, I ordered the CHEAPEST sensors Rockauto had to offer, knowing full well it was probably a bad idea.

Well... it was. The car ran good for... about an hour. After that, I was right back to having an extended crank, poor running, check engine light with EVERY crankshaft code known to man being thrown.

I finally got around to ordering OEM Delco sensors, and installed them tonight after work. Performed the crankshaft variation learn and I was off to the races. It fires up immediately, runs perfect. Granted, the OEM sensors were THREE TIMES the price of the cheapo's, but lesson learned. Some things just need to be done with quality parts.

As a treat for her excellent running, I slapped on a new set of contour wiper blades. The old beams were well past their prime, anyways. I will say the car did amazing in the show the other day, the Firestone Winterforce's have a lot of bite!

 

[Y_K]

Thank you for sharing. You are not alone..

 

[Trav]

Walk around in the neighbors back yard who has 4 dogs and there is a pretty good chance your going to get a pile sh.. on your shoe.

 

[E150GT]

I have recently learned this. No matter how cheap they are I won't buy another aftermarket sensor except maybe 02 sensor unless I get burned there too. I replaced an engine coolant temp sensor three times before learning my lesson.

 

[Wolf359]

For things like crankshaft position sensors, it seems that for many makes OEM is the only way to go.

 

[CT8]

I'll agree on the oem parts and even I make mistakes.

 

[The_Jeff]

Got an aftermarket ebay o2 for my $275 geo and it went in and out of closed loop, fully warm, driving down the road. Junk. Should have known a 4-wire shipped for $15 had some compromises.

 

[Onetor]

Yep, we get what we pay for. I must remember to tell myself this. Took a shortcut and well .......

 

[The_Nuke]

I just replaced functioning MAP, ECT, CMP, and CCK sensors on my 120K mile car because I was bored and needed something automotive-esque to entertain me. I sourced the sensors from local AAP (BWD brand?) for relatively cheap, and so far I can't even tell anything is different.

That's not a bad thing for me, as I was merely doing some preventative maintenance by replacing them, but since these sensors could conceivably be called "cheap", did I not get what I paid for?

Or did I get more than I paid for...or has my bill not yet come do...when will it be time to pay the piper...do I really have to dance with the one that brung me...does anything go over the devil's back that doesn't eventually come back under his belly?

 

[Lubener]

Not much different than someone who has a drivability issue, guesses w/o troubleshooting, buys a bag of sensors, doesn't solve the problem and is back at square one. Atleast the parts store owner made his boat payment for the month.

 

[The_Nuke]

Oh I dont know, my doppelgänger in that scenario sounds like his lack of success in fixing his car has left him frustrated, aggravated, and just generally in a foul mood. Not to mention he sounds like the kind of person whose friends and neighbors actively conspire to keep him from hearing about their get-togethers, lest he show up half-drunk, hit on the foreign exchange student and regurgitate BBQ chicken into the host's hot tub.

As opposed to me, whose lack of unsuccess has left with a feeling of satisfaction, contentment, and a genuinely optimistic view of daily life. I get invited to neighbors' shin-digs fairly often, though I rarely attend. It's not that I don't like them, it's more a case of i'd Rather spend my spare time replacing working hardware on my beater so it doesn't leave me stranded down the road.

How do I know it would have left me stranded in the first place? I don't, but it's less likely to break down on me with new parts in place of its worn out parts. Given that it hasn't left me stranded yet, I must be right...or it could just be a coincidence. Either way, I'm not stranded, which makes me happy, wallet thickness aside.

Also, I ditched the traditional wallet years ago in favor of the Aluma Wallet for all my transactional accessory needs. There are many things that set the two designs apart, not the least of which is the Aluma Wallet's rigid construction, thereby preventing it from physically expanding or shrinking as the amount of paper money inside gets earned or is spent.

 

[miden851]

oh, I've learned that a long ago, the quality generally comes with the price

 

[Kira]

Yeah to all of this ...especially the condensed wisdom.
I loved The_Nuke's "...does anything go over the devil's back that doesn't eventually come back under his belly?"
It's not the most spontaneous of expressions but sure is illustrative.

I'm comfortable with the value received by planning ahead and ordering good parts online.

When my crankshaft position sensor failed what amazed me was the weakness of the old one's magnet compared to that of the new.

 

[CT8]

Actually despite how incredible today's cars usually run I have a soft spot in my heart for points and carburetors. Simple, mindless and i have never been stranded by a carberetor or points. Speaking of sensors.

 

[dogememe]

Originally Posted by The_Nuke
I just replaced functioning MAP, ECT, CMP, and CCK sensors on my 120K mile car because I was bored and needed something automotive-esque to entertain me. I sourced the sensors from local AAP (BWD brand?) for relatively cheap, and so far I can't even tell anything is different.

That's not a bad thing for me, as I was merely doing some preventative maintenance by replacing them, but since these sensors could conceivably be called "cheap", did I not get what I paid for?

Or did I get more than I paid for...or has my bill not yet come do...when will it be time to pay the piper...do I really have to dance with the one that brung me...does anything go over the devil's back that doesn't eventually come back under his belly?


That's an interesting approach. I wouldn't consider 120K high enough mileage to throw away good OEM sensors away and put BWD/SMP sensors on for no reason.

 

[The_Nuke]

I still have the OE sensors, they are in a bag in the trunk along with any tools required to change them out.

I don't have absolute confidence the new ones won't malfunction, but I like my chances of not being put into a compromised position while on a long trip, like say a drive to Atlanta and back.

And if they betray my trust and turn in for The Big Dirt Nap, I will swap the OE back in and toss the lifeless body of the malfunctioned one in the bar ditch with the rest of the trash (and other lifeless bodies in the case of Alabama...seriously, what's going on in that state?!?).

As for having no reason to do the work, I disagree. I had the best reason of all - I was bored and wanted to futz with my car some more but had no easy maintenance tasks left to perform at the time.

 

[The Critic]

We have used hundreds of Duralast cam/crank sensors w/o any issues on Nissans. But our failure rate with the WorldPac sensors has been well over 50%. Go figure.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted by CT8
Actually despite how incredible today's cars usually run I have a soft spot in my heart for points and carburetors. Simple, mindless and i have never been stranded by a carberetor or points. Speaking of sensors.


I also remember the simplicity of ignition breaker points and carburetors.
Not much to break and easy to figure out and fix.
We've also had some weirdees, like electronic ignition with a carb and PFI with breaker points.
I'll go on to say that no modern car has ever stranded me, sensors or not.

 

[ZZman]

No brand name of the part you bought?

 

[nthach]

I installed a ValuCraft ECT sensor once and it did work but the connector snapped off like a shrimp's head. Compared to the OEM Denso unit the build was nowhere close. The OEM part had its thermistor potted in a solid ceramic compound. The cheapie one used a simple bead thermistor potted in white thermal grease.