It is part of the emmissions system, and is used to reduce combustion temperature and pressure to control Oxides of Nitrogen. This could have been a tragic accident. I bought this car for my 16yr old now 17 never had a problem with it until now. The sealing o-ring on the sensor body may be having a hard time getting past the surface rust. This will happen when it has stretched or jumped a tooth or two.
Replaced the part and the vehicle started up immediately. If I had known they were built in mexico I would not have even thought about buying it. The hole that the sensor goes into may have surface rust, particularly if the metal is dry around it. The crankshaft positions sensor is located behind the crankwheel on the passenger side of the engine. Is this is the sensor in the engine block near the oil filter? No fix is listed on the Chrysler website or anywhere yet there a numerous complaints.
So after I repaired the split wire I have not had any problems with the car and its been about 200 miles since then. I tried to excellerate and could not go over 20 miles an hour with out the car sputtering as if it was not getting gas. Push the plugs back in runs fine so I do know it is this part I hope for a fix before someone gets really hurt from the loss of power so abruptly. If I remember correctly there is an O-ring that can be a little sticky, so, if you can twist it, you should be able to reach in there with a standard screwdriver and be able to pry between the sensor and the block, should be able to get a putty knife under it to help a little, keep from chewing up the edge of the sensor. This necessitates removing the radiator to be able to remove the fan shroud.
You may also have a wire shorting but that is the less likely issue. Once you have an error code or a particular failure series from the diagnostic machine you should be able to diagnose your problem. Have one person position a screwdriver into the ring gear teeth and have another remove the pulley bolt. Troy, welcome to the Forum. Hopefully I will not have the oil problems that all the others have had.
Take three very small screws or bolts that came with the puller and position all three in place. I have had more people tell me that these cars pt cruisers have many problems and that something is always going wrong with them. I'm still getting the same error codes. Once the bolt is removed, take the puller and position accoridngly. Just wanted to share what I had found and maybe help someone save some time. Also check the wiring from both sensors to the harness and see if it has rubbed against something causing a short. Apparently as the car accelerated the engine moved the wire just enough that the connection was failing.
Also check the wiring to this sensor, they have a problem shorting out. Have parts delivered straight to your home, or find the nearest Advance Auto Parts store to check out our Crankshaft Position Sensor stock in-person! There are several of us that have replaced sensors that weren't factory units and had problems and error codes that were erroneous, and the errors tend to go away after switching back to factory sensors. We only sell parts from trusted brands like so that you can find quality parts you can count on. After replacing the camsensor, cranksensor, and coil it idled fine but as I drove down the road it stuttered and died when the car reached around 2500 rpm. I drove to the nearest off ramp and preceded to a dealership where I had an oil change done on the same car a month prior.
Or you may just be struggling to keep it highway-approved. It is possible to do though. Now the car does it we push the plugs back in runs fine then when the car is ran for any length of time it does it again. Bad Sensors After examining the wiring harness, it would be time to check the sensors themselves. Just wanted to share what I had found and maybe help someone save some time. The tech said it was probably something minor.
If the plastic sensor body breaks off in the block, it isn't the end of the world as you will then have to break the pieces out or try threading a screw into the broken piece and pulling it out. It's good to know I'm on the right track at least. Just ask for a harmonic balancer puller. We linked to a great video showing you how to do so directly below. Delphi Speed and Position Sensors feature silicon Hall sense elements. What I found by accident during diagnosis was the connectors terminals that plug into the front control module lose terminal tension causing intermittent electrical concerns.