Alright, so today’s topic is “where is camshaft”. Let me tell you, finding that darn camshaft position sensor can be a real pain sometimes.
First things first, I had this error code popping up on my OBD2 scanner – something about camshaft position sensor malfunction. My car was running rough, especially at low speeds, and the check engine light was mocking me. So, I figured, gotta tackle this.
My first step was to Google, of course! I typed in my car’s make, model, and “camshaft position sensor location.” YouTube videos popped up, forum threads, the whole shebang. The problem? Everyone’s car is a little different, even within the same model year. What works for one guy might not be where it is on mine.
So, I cracked open my car’s repair manual. Best investment I ever made. It had a diagram, but even then, it was a bit vague. Said it was “near the engine head”. Great. Thanks a lot.
Okay, time to get my hands dirty. I popped the hood and started visually inspecting around the engine head. I was looking for something that looked like a sensor – usually a small, cylindrical thing with a wire connector plugged into it.
I started by tracing the wiring harness coming from the spark plugs and the coil packs. I figured the camshaft sensor might be somewhere close by. Nope. Nothing obvious.
Then, I focused on the front of the engine. I know the camshaft is usually near the timing chain or belt. Still nothing. I was starting to sweat a bit, both from the sun and frustration.
Finally, after about an hour of searching, I spotted it! It was tucked away behind the engine, almost hidden by the intake manifold. It was a pain to reach, but there it was – a small, black sensor with a single connector. Bingo!
Getting to it was the next hurdle. I had to remove some air intake hoses and a couple of brackets to get enough room to work. Then, using a small wrench, I carefully unbolted the sensor. The connector was a bit stubborn, but I managed to unplug it without breaking anything.
The old sensor looked a bit grimy, but nothing obviously broken. I swapped it out with a new one (bought from my local auto parts store), reconnected everything, and put the air intake and brackets back in place.
Crossed my fingers, started the car… and the engine light was still on! Argh! I needed to clear the error code. So I used my OBD2 scanner to clear the code. Started the car again. Smooth as butter! The engine was running perfectly, and no more check engine light.
So, yeah, finding the camshaft position sensor can be a real scavenger hunt. My advice? Use your repair manual as a starting point, but be prepared to do some visual inspection and poking around. And don’t be afraid to ask for help from online forums – someone might have had the same problem on your specific car model.
