Cranks fine but won't start

hi folks. Been a while since I posted. Can't believe this beast is still hanging in there. my 01 DOHC has developed this issue where sometimes it will crank hard and long but won't turn over. Battery checks out fine. did some research online and a couple of things came up. The crankshaft position sensor and the neutral safety switch. When it cranks I see that no rpms register which might lead me to beleive a bad CPS. However if I shift into neutral and then back into park it will start right up, which leads me to believe its the neutral safety switch. I would think that if it was a bad CPS it wouldn't start no matter what. But if it is a faulty neutral safety switch why would it show no rpms on the tach when cranking? Both sensor and switch are original to the car so either one going bad wouldn't surprise me and I don't mind changing them but the CPS looks like a real pia to swap out as most posts say you have to loosen the alternator to remove it. uuggh.


thanks
Tino

A CMP sensor should not prevent the engine from starting, and a faulty transmission range sensor should prevent the starter motor from being activated. Your no-start condition condition sounds more to me like a bad or mis-aligned crankshaft position (CKP) sensor.



Have you checked to see what you are not getting (spark, fuel, or compression)?


-Rod