How a crankshaft position sensor works and where to find one.

One of the sensors that keep your engine running smoothly is the crankshaft position sensor.The crank angle sensor and the engine speed sensor are used to measure the position of the crankshaft.The engine control unit has a crankshaft position sensor.In order to control systems like ignition timing and fuel injection, the ECU uses that info along with inputs from other sensors.The engine works well when it is well timed and working in concert.A smooth engine depends on the crankshaft position sensor.

The crankshaft sensors tend to work on principles of magnetism.A Hall effect sensor is a type of electronic sensor.A Hall effect sensor can produce electricity when exposed to a magnetic field.The magnetic field is disrupted by a toothed wheel in a crankshaft position sensor.The Hall Sensor has a pattern of on and off switches that can be interpreted as the speed of the crankshaft.The faster the sensor turns on and off, the quicker the crankshaft is spinning.

Some crankshaft position sensors give an analogue signal.They still work on magnetism.The sensor has a magnetic field.The movement of metal pins causes the fluctuations.There are more fluctuations and more voltage when spinning faster.This voltage can be translated into crankshaft speed.

The timing elements, the pins, and the teeth on the wheel have to be placed in a certain order to show an accurate measure of speed.There is usually a gap when one of the engines is at the top dead center.The sensor can determine where the crankshaft is in its rotation by looking at the gap.

From one vehicle to another, the location of the crankshaft position sensor can be different.The front underside of the engine is where it is most often located.It is mounted to the timing cover.Sometimes it is mounted on the side of the engine.The speed of the clutch is measured by the crankshaft position sensor.The bell housing of the transmission has a sensor mounted to it.

crankshaft position sensors can fail for a variety of reasons.The experts at 1A Auto wrote an article about why crankshaft position sensors fail.

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