What are the symptoms if the crankshaft sensor suddenly fails?
2 Answers
If the crankshaft sensor suddenly fails, the symptoms are: 1. Difficulty in climbing hills, the car lacks power; 2. In more severe cases, you may find no idle speed, or the engine keeps shaking at idle; 3. When accelerating, you may hear a popping sound from the exhaust pipe, and sometimes the engine may stall along with the popping sound. The crankshaft position sensor is one of the main sensors in the engine electronic control system, providing signals for ignition timing (ignition advance angle) and confirming the crankshaft position, used to detect the piston top dead center, crankshaft angle, and engine speed. The structure of the crankshaft position sensor varies depending on the vehicle model and can be divided into three main types: magnetic pulse type, photoelectric type, and Hall type.
I was driving on the highway that day when suddenly the engine died on its own as if its soul had been sucked out, giving me a real scare! Immediately after, the check engine light on the dashboard lit up and started flashing incessantly. The worst part was that pressing the accelerator had no effect at all, and the car immediately began to slow down. I desperately tried to restart it, but after turning the key for a while, the engine just groaned and roared without starting. In such situations, even the ABS and electric power steering might fail, making the steering wheel extremely heavy. Later, I learned that these are classic symptoms of a failed crankshaft position sensor—because when it's broken, the ECU can't even tell where the crankshaft is, leading to chaos. Remember, if the engine stalls, immediately turn on the hazard lights and pull over!
