1998 I-30 has no spark at plugs

[shane21]

Been having rare issues with the car over the past year. Sometimes it starts right up, sometimes it has to crank for 3 seconds, sometimes cranks for 20 seconds, lately not starting at all. So far has refused to start at all only twice. The first time I check the basics, fuel (at fuel filter) and spark (removed a coil and stuck an older plug in it to check for fire while grounded to engine). Had fuel but no spark. Plugged tester into dash to see if any error codes and had it read out "camshaft position sensor circuit". Pulled plug harness off the sensor and removed sensor, look at it, cleaned it, put it back in, put the coil back together and it started firing. It was a little flooded from cranking for 2 minutes over a 30 minute period trying to test for problems, but once it ran for 10 seconds it sounded smooth. Never misses after it's running. I proceeded to turn the engine on and off about 10 times and it worked perfect every time. Drove home and had a similar problem the next morning. Removed the camshaft sensor harness, immediately put it back on and car fired right up. Car worked fine for 3 - 4 days and then it wouldn't start one morning. Did the same old "remove the harness" and nothing happened. Pulled coils again and had no spark. Replaced camshaft and crankshaft POS sensor and still have no spark now. After replacing sensors I check for error codes again and now the reader is telling me the P1335 which is crankshaft REF sensor (located next to the oil filter). I'm at a loss for ideas and still have no spark. Not sure why the Crank sensor REF would read as a failing now but never before. Cannot get my hands on an REF sensor or i'd replace that too. ANy ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[MaximA32]

Definitely strange that it would start throwing that code. You can get your hands on the sensor, it's just the crank position sensor. If you have the ability to test it, it should go between 0 and ~2.3V since it's just a magnetic sensor (similar to the ABS speed sensor). If this sensor was/is bad, it could definitely cause the issue you've been having because the sensor isn't picking up where the engine is. Check out http://www.rockauto.com as they usually have very good prices.