Camshaft Sensor Causing Misfire!!! Yeah!
 

I promised Willwren that I wouldn't throw any more money at my shudder at highway speeds until I could get some engine codes. I lucked out this morning and it threw a code my way at long last! I never though I'd be so happy about something like this.

Here's the report:

I am incredibly happy to have something to work on. Now, I just need to make sure that replacing the Camshaft Position Sensor might be the right way to go. It's $26, so I'm not concerned about the cost or the actual replacement.

Is this the way to go or should I be looking for something else?

what ho? methinks a solution to possibly be found?! is THIS the ailment from which a surging bonneville could be suffering?! what say you good men? have i been delivered from my ghastly torment by the fiendish TORQUE CONVERTER in the black lands of OVERDRIVE? wassail!

We've been suggesting all along that these problems of yours, bignews, are ignition-related. 9/10 of these problems are. In your case, you need to get a scantool on it to verify.

On the camshaft position sensor, it can be the sensor, or the interuppter magnet. Either can do the same, or wiring. It's in a rather abusive spot.

Now, you said that the testing on a Cam Pos Sensor is flakey? Is it worth pulling and testing or just replacing?

When things last pointed to it last summer, a friend who worked in a shop and was just finishing his EE degree focusing on auto and aviation electrical systems told me he didn't believe that a magnet could wear out. In this case, the magnet has to still be there, I've got to think, or the code would trigger more often than once in a while.

What makes the sensor so hard to get to? I've been looking for it on the passenger side of the engine. There must be a cover over it or I might have to pivot the Alternator up out of the way? My repair book is in the car. I'll look through it tomorrow for details, but anyone with experience, feel free to chime in!

Magnets CAN be intermittent....your buddy's EE degree just got upset by a Mechanical degree. The magnet comes loose, and gets misplaced sometimes. Magnets stick to steel and go for a ride ;)

But it could still be a flaky sensor or wiring. There are several posts here on this subject, but I may be confusing the crank sensor with the .....no, the cam sensor uses the magnet, the crank sensor has an interruptor ring. Pretty sure I'm on track here.

Buy Chilton's #28200 manual for about fifteen bucks. It'll take you right through it.

Good deal. I'll give it a shot and report back.

Thanks again!

It's not hard at all to replace, just jack the car up, pull the right front wheel, as well as the access cover, and you should see the connector right behind the water pump pulley. I did mine 3 days ago.. It didn't take long at all.. but my magnet is messed up :( Anyone have a time estimate on one of those?

Did the replacement. The shudder is still happening. I'm wasn't completely convinced that the Cam Pos Sensor was the cause, but when I finally got a code I could do something about, I jumped on it. I suppose I could still have bad wires, but the code only popped up the other day and hasn't come back since (before or after the replacement). I'll drop by and get codes scanned again tomorrow. No reason that it couldn't be the wires or a weak magnet, right? The old sensor had a little oil on it. I'm assuming that that's normal. I suppose I should mention that in case it's not.

One thing I've been thinking about is using Sea Foam or Top Engine Cleaner through the vacuum hose. I know this will do my engine good whether it fixes it or not. What are the chances that it could smooth the engine out, too? Is there extra magic in the GM stuff?

I'm still looking for parts to replace just because they're worn out even if they're not quite dead. Would the EGR Valve be in this class? Could it just be cleaned with some electronics cleaner?

I see several post about replacing the crank position sensor.
On a 1992 SSEI does the harmonic Balancer have to be pulled ? You guy's saying thats its no probelm must have VERY little hands .. or else the magic tool which I dont have.
Mine is stuck behind a double pulley on the balancer. Any tricks or suggestions ?

JLathem

1992 SSEI

the sensor itself is a piece of cake to replace but on my ride it wasnt the only problem. i had to replace the little magnet also and it was a pain in the but because it is with the timing chain and you might as well replace the timing chain while you are in there. just to let you know. hopefully you wont have to go that route also. i have a friend who's service engine light came on and i got him one out of the junkyard because my friend gave it to me becasue i spend alot of the time at the junkyard. havent put it on yet but that was the only code he threw at me