what is a crank angle sensor

[rkn527]

i have a 96 talon tsi fwd turbo and i have changed mostly everything and the car still wont start do u think the crank angle sensor has something to do with spark

 

[ben90tsi]

Have you ever washed dout your engine bay recently or got moisture under the hood? If so the CAS could have gone bad, ive come to the conclusion thats why my car wont start, and im not sure how to test if they have gone bad, if anyone knows please inform

 

[luv2rallye]

The cam angle sensor determines spark timing but the ECU uses both cam angle sensor and crank angle sensor signals - they both must be there. No spark can only be a limited number of things: coils, power transistor, ECU, spark plug cables/plugs, cam angle sensor, battery, fuses, fusable links, or bad wiring/connectors. Make sure all these connectors are making good contact (pull off and check - they must not be corroded or full of muck). Also make sure you have 12 volts on the coil primarys with the key on both start and on positions.

 

[rkn527]

i was told that the crank angle sensor wouls have do to with the car not starting

 

[luv2rallye]

The ECU uses both cam angle sensor and crank angle sensor (and other things) to determine both spark and injector timing.

One more thing I forgot to list in my "no spark can only be a limited number of things" list:

There is a special capacitor that is integral to ignition operation. It always connects (and is close) to the coil primaries on all vehicles. It must be there for proper spark. (There also are other noise filter capacitors around which sometimes are mistaken for this one.) The capacitor rapidly discharges energy (current) from the coil primary (due to a collapsing magnetic field) when the power transistor fires (turns off) which induces the high secondary coil voltage (for the spark plugs) . Without it, you may get weak or no spark at all. It also provides waveform dampening which is why it is sometimes refered to as a noise filter (although there can be noise filter capacitors all over the car like near radios).

 

[dsm4life]

i was told that the crank angle sensor wouls have do to with the car not starting

my crank sensor went on me also. Yes if that goes bad the car will crank like it wants to start but will not turn over. I had this happen to me in MD with no DSM help what so ever . Took it to local shop cause i didnt know what it was at the time. Thing cost me 400.00+ because of where it was located. Good luck

 

[cuttheduck]

Isn't the crank angle sensor going bad usually a BIG warning sign of crank walk. OR am I thinking of another sensor?? Sorry if I gave you guys w/ this CAS probelm a heart attack.

 

[dsm4life]

yes and no. On some 2G's the sensor is down below and when the crank moves alot it till crush the sensor so in that case yes. Other model the sensor is located up top by the valve cover in that case no. Not sure what models list them though. I went through all this crap when mine went.

 

[rkn527]

thanks alot to the people that helped me with my ?