We replaced the cam sensor and checked for spark. We have spark and the car will run when the air horn is sprayed with starting fluid. There is power at one leg of the injectors when the key is on. We were told that there is a magnet on the timing gear. When we removed the cam sensor we used a mirror and rotated the engine with a wrench to see if there was a magnet. We see that there is a hole in the gear for a magnet but there is nothing there. The car will run OK until it burns off the spray.
Dec 18, 2010 at 8:42 PM
On many engines with distributorless ignition systems and sequential fuel injection, a camshaft position sensor is used to keep the engine's control module informed about the relative position of the crankshaft. By monitoring cam position (which allows the control module to determine when the intake and exhaust valves are opening and closing), the control module can use the cam position sensor's input along with that from the crankshaft position sensor to determine which cylinder in the engine's firing sequence is approaching top dead center. This information is then used by the engine control module to synchronize the pulsing of sequential fuel injectors so they match the firing order of the engine. On some applications, input from the camshaft position sensor is also required for ignition timing.