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alternative method for adjusting cam position sensor


misterW

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came across this method for adjusting the cam position sensor without using a special tool. it also seems like the only way to set the position of the cam sensor if the original position of the cam sensor is not known.

the basic idea is you rotate the engine by hand to the timing point (i'm assuming this is TDC, right? ), then loosen the bolt holding down the sync so you can rotate it back and forth. you put a voltmeter into the output wire that runs from the cam sensor to the computer. as you rotate the cam sensor, when the vane from inside the sync passes under the sensor, the voltage will change on the output wire. locate the exact position that the voltage change occurs and tighten the bolt.

this method logically makes sense --- after all, the voltage shift is what tells the computer where the cam is, right? also, the methods in the book involving the special tool seem to be based on knowing the original position of the cam sensor.

(1) has anyone used this method?
(2) the timing point for a '94 2.3 would be TDC, right?
(3) from what i understand, the voltage shift is supposed to be from ~ 12 volts to no volts. i messed around with this a bit last night, and my voltage shift barely changes. could that mean my sensor is bad?
(4) does ford list a method anywhere that doesnt involve knowing the original position of the cam sensor? this method seems like the most straightforward and logical approach -- why isn't this the method suggested in the book?
 


4b316

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I found my tool to do this.I'll see if I can explain how to do this.You have ahalf moon on the shaft inside,I think a open part and a solid side.Try to put this from 9 to 3 oclock,the open side down.At about 3:17 on a clock should be a line,line this up with the housing.That should be it.If you don't get it,let me know and I'll send you a picture of it.
 

misterW

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i get what you are saying with the half moon on the shaft inside -- basically line it up with the crankshaft, empty side down -- but i'm not sure about the line on the housing u are referring to. are u talking about the notch in the housing that the sensor fits on top of?

if i had a picture of the correct relationship between inside shaft and housing, that would be great.

also, i'm assuming all this is done when the #1 piston is at TDC?

final question: is there a way to test the sensor to see if it is working when it is off? some kind of resistance test? i havent been getting any kind of voltage change coming out of it when i move it around the shaft. it should be changing when it starts to go over the half moon (from what i understand).
 

4b316

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there is a line on the tool about 3:17.I think this lines up with a line on the housing with the half moon down.Yes,at TDC.Have you tried starting it with this unhooked?I unhooked mine while it was running and notced no difference.The other states didn't even have one.We no longer run -95 motors in our truck.Went to 2.5,s but I'll see if I have a cam sensor around that i can put the tool in and take a picture.
 

misterW

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there is a line on the tool about 3:17.I think this lines up with a line on the housing with the half moon down.Yes,at TDC.Have you tried starting it with this unhooked?I unhooked mine while it was running and notced no difference.The other states didn't even have one.We no longer run -95 motors in our truck.Went to 2.5,s but I'll see if I have a cam sensor around that i can put the tool in and take a picture.
i imagine the tool looks something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Ford-Sensor-Sync-Tool-T93P-12200/dp/B000K2S7QC

if there is a mark on the housing, then it seems easy enough. i hadn't seen a mark on the housing and just kept thinking "wouldn't this whole thing be solved if they had just put a timing mark on the housing that you could line the vane up with?"

yeah, i have wondered how important it is on my '94. i am switching engines and i found out that my old engine is a california model, which had the cam sensor, but the new engine just had sort of a dummy sync gear in there with no vane or sensor or anything on the outside. guess i'll find out......
 

misterW

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How would that work? I've been wondering that as well. If the cam sensor wasn't used, did the computer just get that information from the crank sensor?
 

4b316

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yes,that is the tool.Just use the plug shaft that came with the new motor.i never saw a difference with it hooked or unhooked.If you have a good scanner,try hooking that up with it hooked and unhooked.thats what I thought also,why didn't they put a mark or just time it like a dist?
 

misterW

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yes,that is the tool.Just use the plug shaft that came with the new motor.i never saw a difference with it hooked or unhooked.If you have a good scanner,try hooking that up with it hooked and unhooked.thats what I thought also,why didn't they put a mark or just time it like a dist?
thing is, this all came about because i'm switching engines. the engine i'm putting in has the sync shaft, but just a bolt on the end -- no vane or anything. its some kind of dummy set up or something. so i had to put the sync and sensor from the old engine in there. so i cant use the old shaft.......but, like u said, it may not make a difference in any case. started it yesterday just for a second and it seemed ok, and i'm pretty sure the sensor is not properly lined up.
 

4b316

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Yes,that one that was in your old motor will bolt right in.It has the oil pump shaft on the bottom and the gear.
 

Bryan22

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you don't need it. if ur old motor didn't have one just use ur dummy set-up and the wiring and computer from the old motor. even the ca models don't need it. i ran mine unplugged for a year until it came time to smog it. it's a pain the put it with the motor in the truck and intake manifold on. anyways, long story short- you don't need it.

if you live in ca you'll need it hooked up to pass smog.the tool on amazon is 10x better than the crappy one that came with my new synchronizer assembly. basically the lip on the tool will sit in the slot on the synchronizer housing and there is only one way you can set the vane for everything to line up. as for your method without the tool, you could be 180 degrees off. if the vane were spinning clockwise it needs to be set about 10-20 degrees before it passes through the slot on the housing, and the slot should be facing, roughly,the drivers seat.
 
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