Crankcase position sensor

[gmcl1025]

Hello
I have a 2001 intrigue 3.5l. This problem is intermitent - occasional hesitation at speed and occational stall while at idle, usually requiring several revolutions of cranking to restart engine then all is fine. This intermitent problem will then set a PO385 code - crankcase position sensor B circuit malfuntion. Have checked wiring and connectors on both sensor and the PCM and all looks well.

Question - Is it normal to have an intermitent failure of either A or B of the sensor or does the sensor normally die outright? Could this be a fault with the PCM?

[TheBobsHere]

Any electronic device ang go intermittently or all at once. The crankshaft sensors often go intermittent before dying outright. Replace the sensor and see if the problem is resolved.

[Ruley73]

My wife's '99 Intrigue 3.5L was throwing the same P0385 troublecode. It didn't ever stall, but it always took the same amount of cranks before it would start before the problem was fixed. The techs replaced the crank sensor under warranty and that didn't fix it. They actually found some frayed wires in the harness going to the crank sensor. The problem went away after the wires were repaired. I was told this was a common problem with this car at that time.

I know you said you checked the connectors and wiring, but make sure you check the entire harness leading to the crank sensor. IIRC they found the frayed wires somewhere between the alternator and the control arm (sorry, it's been 5 years since that was fixed) on the belt side of the engine.

[gmcl1025]

I changed the crankshaft sensor today and all appears well. A few more days driving will be prove the fix. Interesting, both sides of the old sensor at the tip were covered with fine steel particles which one might assume would affect the operation since it is a magnetic device. If it wasn't such a bear to remove and replace, I might have been tempted to clean it and try it again.

[TheBobsHere]

The same thing happens to ABS sensors.