1991 Buick Park Avenue Code 41
Trouble Code 41 indicates an incorrect MEM-CAL has been installed or it is faulty and it must be replaced.
Possible causes include:
1) Faulty connection due to MEM-CAL not locked in place.
2) Incorrect MEM-CAL installed.
3) Faulty MEM-CAL.
However, if your engine is a 3.8L, a code 41 may also mean "Camshaft Sensor or Circuit". I get this from the manual for my car (in my sig).
In my case, I had a code 41 for quite a while. I replaced the sensor, but it didn't do any good. I did some research, and found that it may be the magnet that's attached inside the timing cover on the Cam Sprocket. As the cam sprocket rotates, it makes the magnet pass by the sensor and sends that signal to the computer.
Using lights and a mirror with the sensor off, rotate the engine manually and look inside the sensor hole untill you see where the magnet belongs. The magnet may be broken, or completely missing.
According to my Haynes manual, the magnet should be square with a metal backing that bolts onto the front of the sprocket. However, this wasn't the case. The correct magnet was smaller, shaped as a cylinder, and encased in plastic. It snapped in place in a small hole in the sprocket.
Once the magnet was in place, code 41 never returned again, and I gained some engine power I never new I had lost. If this is your problem, you may find pieces of the old magnet and/or plastic housing sitting in the bottom of your oil pan.
Good Luck!
Suggested Repair
Treat code 41 as a MEM-CAL or camshaft-sensor/circuit fault. Confirm the MEM-CAL is the correct part, fully seated, and locked. Because the cam sensor was already replaced, inspect the cam sprocket magnet through the sensor hole while turning the engine by hand; replace the magnet if it is broken, missing, or the wrong style. Debris from a failed magnet may be in the oil pan.
Conversation Summary
The owner of a 1991 Buick Park Avenue Ultra 3800 still has code 41 after replacing the camshaft sensor and asks whether the crank sensor or ECM could be at fault. One reply says code 41 means an incorrect or faulty MEM-CAL that is unlocked, wrong, or defective. Another agrees and adds that on a 3.8L it can also indicate a camshaft sensor or circuit problem; in that case the cam sprocket magnet inside the timing cover was missing or damaged, and replacing it cleared the code.
