symptoms of camshaft position sensor failure?

[Pushaq45infinit]

I'm new to posting in this forum but I've owned a 1992 q45 for the past 11 years. I recently had all of the fuel injectors replaced and when I picked it up I was told that the (the shop) were getting a code for the camshaft position sensor. After driving the car off and on for the next month it just died in the middle of driving. Could this be caused by the position sensor failing?

[OwnerCS]

Welcome to NICO.

Did you get a check engine indicator before it failed? How many miles does your Q have on the engine? Do you know if the timing chain guides have ever been replaced?

Where are you located?

[goody90q45]

I'm new to posting in this forum but I've owned a 1992 q45 for the past 11 years. I recently had all of the fuel injectors replaced and when I picked it up I was told that the (the shop) were getting a code for the camshaft position sensor.....

Welcome to NICO. Crank angle sensors (CAS) do go bad but its pretty rare. Time to save yourself a lot of $$ and do a little DIY work rather than let your shop have you throw $$ at parts. It's easy to pull engine codes on the Q. The ECU is mounted behind the passenger side footwell. If you've never pulled codes yourself then Q45.org is an excellent, condensed source of information. The link for pulling codes is below. Come back and ask questions if you need to. Lots of us have done it "manually" and can get you a quick reply.

The CAS and MAF are two of the most important engine components and neither has a connector that is watertight. If you've had a radiator leak or live in an area with lots of wet and ice you can bet there will be some level of corrosion on these two connectors. The same style connector is on the injector harness so hopefully your shop cleaned up all these connectors when they had the intake off. While you're at it check the throttle position sensor and EGR solenoid connectors. All these connectors need to be corrosion-free (spray cleaner/toothbrush), lubed with dielectric grease, and the female pins tightened so the connector fits securely. Any of the conditions I've mentioned could throw a code.

Another thing all these connectors have in common is a metal clip holding the connector in place. If it wasn't installed properly or the clip is missing then the connector could come loose and kill the engine.

infiniti-ecu-codes-and-how-to-check-them-t60332.html

[Pushaq45infinit]

Welcome to NICO.

Did you get a check engine indicator before it failed? How many miles does your Q have on the engine? Do you know if the timing chain guides have ever been replaced?

Where are you located?

I didn't get a check engine light indicator. The Q has abou 147K on it now. The timing chain guides have ever been replaced and I'm in Chicago.

[elwesso]

Most times on the older Qs ive heard that the connector gets corroded causing random stalling. Take the connector off and clean it up good, and make sure its on there real night...

[lino]

Welcome to Nico.

You can download a copy of the F.S.M. (Factory Service Manual) here if you don't already have one:
http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Q45/


On pages 50-55 of Section EC you can see how to pull the codes:
http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Q45/1994_Q45/ec.pdf


The link Goody mentioned http://www.q45.org has information on the timing chain guides which you'll probably want to read:

Chain Guides (CRITICAL for 1990-1993):
http://q45.org/techhelp.html

[OwnerCS]

Does this super-lube product fill the bill as a good dielectric lubricant?

http://www.super-lube.com/silicone-diel ... -ez-52.htm

[elwesso]

honestly for that stuff Ive tried the expensive stuff and the cheap stuff, and its all about the same... For instance, Ive noticed NO difference in using the generic brake parts cleaner, lubricating oil, and so on..

In fact, electrical parts cleaner and brake parts cleaner are basically the same thing.

[Q451990]

In fact, electrical parts cleaner and brake parts cleaner are basically the same thing.

For some applications, BPC may be ok to clean electrical parts - but it's so caustic, and you never know what plastics will be damaged by it, so I would stick to electrical contact cleaner unless you know that whatever you're spraying (and whatever is around it) won't suffer any damage.

I'm a big fan of the SuperLube products. They have a synthetic spray lube that I can't find locally anymore that will keep metal garage door hinges quiet for 4 or 5 years! I'm going to have to order it online...

Heath