newb question

[james west]

i searched a little but didnt find exactly what i wanted to know:

i just bought a 97 4cyl ranger. its slow as hell, as i expected. then the check engine light came on for cam position sensor. i noticed the PO had a used one behind the seat, so its been replaced once. i also found a manual for an OBD2 scanner. get the picture?

my question is: could the timing actually be out on the truck and it still run without a mis?...or is the cam sensor causing the truck to be even slower than it should? (i mean this truck barely creeps up the road unless i keep my foot in it to the floor)...is the cam sensor actually bad, or could it be some stupid fluke? are these sensors notorious for going bad?

thanks

 

[Mark_88]

Any sensor can go bad but usually replacing them corrects the associated problems...if the truck is working really hard it could be a number of things...

When was the truck last tuned up? Did you check the air filter and make sure the plugs and wires have been recently replcaced (plugs espeically...and make sure they are gapped properly because that can cause more problems than you'd think)...

The check engine light is mostly for emission controls and the truck should run properly unless something is plugged up badly...

On my Suzuki the Check engine light came on because the speedometer cable broke and the computer couldn't figure things out without that feedback...but the truck ran fine for five months before I actually replaced the cable...

 

[james west]

thanks...i just bought the truck friday, and havent gone through it yet. i will replace the plugs (all 8 of em) and air filter soon, but first i'll try to deal with this issue.

also i realized that the sensor i found behind the seat was un-used. the PO must have simply bought a scanner to turn off the light when it came on.

 

[james west]

problem solved: i removed the check engine lightbulb

NEXT!!

 

[PetermanJ]

Most Ford Cam Position Sensors require a special alignment tool to install that sensor.

 

[james west]

yeah...i saw that in the haynes manual. luckily the year and engine i have doesnt require that