3.0L Camshaft Position Sensor & Syncronizer

[Jim Oaks]

There are a lot of people that experience problems with their camshaft position sensor and camshaft syncronizer shaft.

This may be that 'squeak' you're hearing near the back of your engine.

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/camshaft_position_sensor.html

 

[Stxrangerbumper]

thank you. I always thought this thing that causes the problem:I change it myself

 

[adfav1]

i am in the process of changing mine.it did not make any noise but i lost oil pressure because under the cam sensor is a shaft with a gear on it that drives the oil pump.

 

[Nikki]

I keep getting a camshaft sensor code, but i'm not hearing any squeak or anything. And it only seems to happen when i start her on really cold mornings, you think the synchronizer can still be the problem? or is it more electrical?

 

[mattswan267]

So what do I do if the cam sensor shaft is already removed and there is no record of how the engine was rotated or how the little trigger was aligned? A while back I pulled the shaft out to test the oil pump and forgot to keep any record of how anything was aligned. I kept note of how the sensor itself was rotated but not anything else. I cant track down an alignment tool around here either. can I just eye ball it?

 

[lsmith]

If i accidentally removed the cam synronizer in my 3.0 ranger before i marked anything, how do i get every thing back in time? please help.........

 

[McCormack]

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech...on_sensor.html

http://www.rangerpowersports.com/forum/f10/what-can-we-do-about-cam-synro-problem-203433.html

 

[Rulebreaker]

Has anyone diagnosed why they go bad? It looks to me that there is an oil galley that feeds oil from the lifter galley into the camshaft synchronizer . If you look on the camshaft synchronizer below the o ring is an oil port that feeds oil down to the bushings. Is it possible that this oil feed is getting restricted and causing the shaft bushings to run dry? I find it hard to believe that the bushings would go out with a good oil supply. RB

 

[Stevorocks]

With the #1 cylinder @tdc on the compression stroke, the arm on the shaft should point to the cutout in the housing. When the sensor is installed in the housing, it should point 60 degrees from the rear of the engine. On my 2002, this was right above the bolt that secures the housing. So the synchro is in time when the cutout and the arm both point at the bolt hole. The install tool makes this much easier, the synchro I got from Oreillys came with one.

 

[Stevorocks]

I would be curious to compare the synchro with a distributor. Maybe the distributor has larger oil holes, or bearings, rather than bushings.

 

[Rulebreaker]

I would be curious to compare the synchro with a distributor. Maybe the distributor has larger oil holes, or bearings, rather than bushings.

Look the same to me.

I'm not pulling out my synchro to compare, some one must have one laying around. RB

 

[hondaxr650]

Has anyone diagnosed why they go bad? It looks to me that there is an oil galley that feeds oil from the lifter galley into the camshaft synchronizer . If you look on the camshaft synchronizer below the o ring is an oil port that feeds oil down to the bushings. Is it possible that this oil feed is getting restricted and causing the shaft bushings to run dry? I find it hard to believe that the bushings would go out with a good oil supply. RB

I knocked apart the last squeaking synchro I replaced at work and it was the very top bushing that was rusty, scored and overheated. I wish I could remember how it was sealed off from the oiling system but it obviously was not oil fed. If I get another one soon I'll knock it apart too and maybe post some pics.

 

[det107]

Service your C.P.S.

Thanks to Mercuryseven's threads in the General Discussion Forum;
1) The Camshaft Position Synchronizer @ 3-22-2012
2) Ok, I give up @ 3-20-2012 ~post #8 click on going this route for video
I was able to do a CPS swap. I was even more surprised to see the old one still in good shape at 121666 miles. After much thinking, how about making it a top priority to lube the gears & oil the shaft at every tune up time to prevent a future breakdown (and headaches)-

 

[Rulebreaker]

I'm guessing the one I just removed from one engine and put in another has 230,000 miles on it and I didnt see any signs of wear. Thats why i'm thinking it's not a part problem but an oil flow problem. Is there certain years that are locking up? Has anyone who changes their oil ever 3000 had one go bad? How can an oiled bushing rust? Either there is water in the oil or there is lack of oil (possibly a restriction), or the part has an oil distribution problem.

 

[txgocartB3000]

Apologizes for bringing up an old post but this is new to me.

Looking at replacing mine and do not understand the difference as related to me.

The replacements come either "with step on plug" or "without step on plug".

Which is the correct one to get?

Ray

EDIT: Just in case someone is looking for the same info on the plugs, I was able to go on another forum and receive this:

Non-Step Style - If you look inside the connector on the Camshaft Position Sensor; you are looking at the socket (female) side of a quick connect plug. For the non-step style plug socket, the hole is the same size in the front of the plug socket as it is at the back (bottomed out in the socket hole) end of the plug socket. This means the tip of the plug (male end of the quick connect) from the vehicle will be the same size as the back end of the quick connect plug, (no step down in size.)

Step Style - If you look inside the connector on the Camshaft Position Sensor; you are looking at the socket (female) side of a quick connect plug. For the step style plug socket, the hole is large at the front of the socket, then about .25 (1/4) inches into the socket, the size of the socket steps down about .0625 (1/16) inches. This means that .25 (1/4) inches into the socket, the socket hole steps down and is smaller than the socket hole at the front of the socket. The smaller socket dimension remains this size the rest of the way back (bottomed out in the socket hole) of the plug socket. Looking at the vehicle side of the quick connect plug, the tip of the plug (steps down in size.)

Also the are videos explaining the required steps on youtube; search parameters; Ford Ranger camshaft syncro replacement

This is part 1 of a 2 part tutorial. This helps for us mechanically challenged.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upNyLdSADiI

Ray