Camshaft position sensor

Hey all,
My '98 Malibu V6 has a severe intake manifold leak (coolant). It seems like the leak has cause the CPS to give out. Is it possible that the sensor failure is causing the trouble that I am now having starting the car. I can hear the selenoid clicking, but it can take many attempts to actually get the engine going, it runs rough for a little while, then calms down and runs really well. Anything I can do, short of changing the Intake Gasket and/or CPS?

Thanks for any help!!

I can hear the selenoid clicking, but it can take many attempts to actually get the engine going,

Does it crank or just click?


Assuming it cranks, a CPS code is more likely a frayed and/or drowned wire on the harness. It passes under the power steering pump and up to the alternator area. So right through one of two areas generally sprayed with coolant when LIM gaskets are failing.

None of this matters if you have a gallon of water in the crankcase of course. You may want to move the gaskets up on the list, or at least watch the dipstick very carefully.

Yeah, it cranks, just doesn't get going, and as far as i can tell there is nothing foreign in the crank case.

Yeah, it cranks, just doesn't get going, and as far as i can tell there is nothing foreign in the crank case.
I know that the CPS on the back of the engine by the firewall, that connects at the Ignition Control Module (ICM), needs to be working properly before the car will start. I had an issue with the same vehicle and it turned out that the connector of this CPS was loose at the ICM. Since I changed it, it's been fine. It's just a 2-wire cable that may be running over your exhaust manifold and melting and shorting.

I'm getting confused here......are we talking about the camshaft position sensor under the ps pump or the crankshaft position sensors(behind harmonic balancer and back of block).....

"I can hear the selenoid clicking"......what solenoid are you talking about? Cam and crank sensors don't click......

You are losing coolant.....and you have a hard start first thing in the morning......to me, this sounds like coolant is getting into the cylinder(s) overnight......then when you start, you have a misfire because of the coolant in the cylinder.....see this happen on 3.1/3.4's........cylinder #1 is the usual culprit as far as a head gasket is concerned(a scan tool would tell which cylinder is misfiring on startup)......need to detemine if you have a headgasket leak, because if you just do intake gaskets, and it is a headgasket problem, you will be doing the same job twice and then some...

Has the vehicle been scanned for codes?

if this is a poor cold start issue only ,,,,, the engine coolant sensor could be defective. 10 years old they tend to get out of spec.

after warm up engine runs fine .

with this you will notget any codes.

cps/headgaskets your gonna see dtc's and have many other issues all the time.