Automotive help please!

[rick snagwell]

2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

first problem ive had with this beast since buying it 4 years ago.

last week - when i started it up in the morning, it would go high idle/low idle 20-30 seconds then i would tap gas and return to normal.

today - was stopped at light and the whole vehicle jolted forward and died. i then restarted it giving it a lot of gas, and it was fine. note: the check engine light went on at this point.

1 hour ago, was in park in a lot, just idling and died. could not restart right away. waiting 15 minutes and it started just fine and drove to auto shop. they ran the check engine light and got the code you see in the picture.

i have done a little google with this info i got from auto shop and it all points to a crankshaft sensor...which im super clueless about anything car related.

looking for advice/info from anyone in the auto field or maybe experienced this issue. thanks



auto shop check engine light came up with this:

P0320 mod$10 1/1

ignition/dist
engine speed input
circuit malfunction

[ideal.dreams]

I just had to have the crankshaft sensor in my Cadillac CTS replaced. It's just a sensor and it amazes me that such a small thing can cause the car to stall like that. I had mostly the same symptoms as you. My car stalled and it wouldnt turn over right away. I waited a minute and it started back up with the check engine on this time. Onstar ondemand diagnostics gave me two error codes, one for the crankshaft position sensor and the other for the camshaft position sensor. It was fine the rest of the way home. Taking it for a drive, it wouldn't stall until the car was running for a little while. After that point it would stall regardless of what was going on. I had to have both sensors replaced. I'd recommend getting it replaced right away.

Cheers.

[rick snagwell]

well thats great news for me! thanks for your story and good info. couple questions

did you buy the parts yourself or bring into a shop?

[CorvusCamenarum]

While all this is going on, what's your tachyometer doing? I had the crankshaft sensor go out in my car a while ago - I only noticed because the tach was completely dead, but the car would still run normally. You might also notice you're taking a hit to your gas mileage.

for me it was a <$100 fix - 30 or so for the part, 25 or so for the Haynes repair manual (I highly recommend you buy one), and a couple sixers of beer for my next door neighbor who happens to be a shade tree mechanic to help out.

[ideal.dreams]

Originally Posted by rick snagwell

well thats great news for me! thanks for your story and good info. couple questions

did you buy the parts yourself or bring into a shop?

I had our mechanic fix it. He said it was strange that the car was reporting both the crankshaft AND camshaft, so he replaced the crankshaft first. The trouble code for the crankshaft sensor left but the camshaft came back and the car still stalled. I had him replace that as well and now the car runs fine.

The camshaft looked like it was an easy fix, it was right on top of my engine. The crankshaft was underneath the engine and he had to put the car on a lift to get to it.

Originally Posted by CorvusCamenarum

While all this is going on, what's your tachyometer doing? I had the crankshaft sensor go out in my car a while ago - I only noticed because the tach was completely dead, but the car would still run normally. You might also notice you're taking a hit to your gas mileage.

for me it was a <$100 fix - 30 or so for the part, 25 or so for the Haynes repair manual (I highly recommend you buy one), and a couple sixers of beer for my next door neighbor who happens to be a shade tree mechanic to help out.

When my crankshaft/camshaft went bad, my tachometer didn't die but rather showed the RPMs subtly jumping. My car also definitely did not run "normally" since it stalled after the car was used for a bit. I guess it affects different cars in different ways.

[rick snagwell]

my tach is kinda jumpy, dunno a better way to say it.

anyone know a good spot online to buy these parts?

[rick snagwell]

bought the CPS, now i need to install, can i do alone, or auto shop?

[ideal.dreams]

Originally Posted by rick snagwell

bought the CPS, now i need to install, can i do alone, or auto shop?

Like I said above, my car had to be put on a lift in order to install the crankshaft position sensor. With that being said, I have a Cadillac CTS and you have a Jeep; I'm not sure if the sensor locations on the two cars are in the same place or different. If they're the same, are you able to lift your car high enough to reach it? Do you know what you're looking for? If not, I'd take it to a mechanic.

Have you checked online?

[rick snagwell]

Originally Posted by ideal.dreams

Like I said above, my car had to be put on a lift in order to install the crankshaft position sensor. With that being said, I have a Cadillac CTS and you have a Jeep; I'm not sure if the sensor locations on the two cars are in the same place or different. Have you checked online?

i have, lotta different things i've seen. nothing on my engine though, the V8.

[ideal.dreams]

Originally Posted by rick snagwell

i have, lotta different things i've seen. nothing on my engine though, the V8.

I think it'd be best to take it to a mechanic. They'll have all the necessary tools to get it replaced and will know where the sensor is located. It was a very easy fix for my car, it took about 10 minutes each time to replace the sensors, so you won't be without a car or anything.

[rick snagwell]

Originally Posted by ideal.dreams

I think it'd be best to take it to a mechanic. They'll have all the necessary tools to get it replaced and will know where the sensor is located.

yeah, im going to bring into my fire station, someone will know something there, and we have tons of tools. i called the local auto shop and they said $94 to install. the part was $35, and looks like it would take 10 minutes to do!