Where is the Crankshaft position sensor located?

Tiny
XULIGANRAGE
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  • 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU
  • 1.5L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 120,000 MILES
Where are the crankshaft position sensors located? I've scoured the net and can't find where they're at. Tia
Wednesday, August 25th, 2021 AT 3:40 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,002 POSTS
It is on the rear of the engine just above the edge of the block girdle at the flywheel end of the block. Tucked behind the right drive axle. The bolt is torqued to 89 inch pounds. Once replaced you need to use a scan tool to do a crankshaft position relearn to be sure the sensor parameters are reset for the new part.
What is the reason for replacement? They rarely set a code when they fail but can cause issues when they get heated.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/symptoms-of-a-bad-crankshaft-sensor
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Wednesday, August 25th, 2021 AT 8:09 PM
Tiny
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The car went into engine reduced power mode. Brake pedal was solid, I narrowed the problem down to a broken vacuum pump. I replaced it and it still had codes P0507, P0106, P0017, P0014.
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Thursday, August 26th, 2021 AT 11:26 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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Okay, with those codes I don't see it being the crank sensor. The P0507 code is basically a high idle code, the P0106 code is a MAP sensor code saying the circuit is out of spec, this could be related to the 507 code in that a vacuum leak would cause both a higher idle and the MAP to be out of the correct range.
P0017 and P0014 are related to the Exhaust cam being out of time with the crank and stuck in the advanced position. Because that engine has a sensor on both the intake and exhaust cams but it is only showing the Exhaust cam codes it likely isn't the crank sensor as if that were the case it would show both cams being out of sync and you would have a code for that instead of just the exhaust cam being wrong. The first thing I would do is an oil change as these are touchy about oil quality and level. Erase the codes and then see what returns. If you still get the P0017 and P0014 codes then I would check the wiring at the exhaust cam sensor, on top of the engine, it's possible it was damaged or corroded and is causing that code or the sensor is bad, for testing the best thing would be to look at the cam and crank sensor signals using a scope to see the timing signals as they relate to each other but many places don't have those and they are a bit out of price for a DIYer. So the next best option would be to just replace the sensor. In this case both the intake and exhaust sensors are the same part so you could easily test the sensors by simply swapping them, erasing the codes and then see if the codes change from the exhaust cam to the intake cam. That would tell you if it's the sensor or elsewhere fast and for just a bit of time.
If swapping the sensors around doesn't change the code it could be the timing actuator has an issue or the sprocket itself is stuck. But testing the sensors and an oil change would be the faster way to eliminate the common problems.
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Thursday, August 26th, 2021 AT 12:13 PM
Tiny
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I changed one cam shaft sensor in the front of engine next to the vacuum pump that I replaced. I was unaware that there was a second one, I'm guessing towards the rear of the engine on top? I was confused at first, thinking the VVT's on the passenger side of the engine were either cam or crank sensors.
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Friday, August 27th, 2021 AT 11:23 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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If the one you changed was straight behind the pump that is the exhaust sensor. I would still try the oil change. If it had that code prior to the pump change it sounds like it might be the cam sprocket itself locked in the advanced position. Change the oil and let the engine warm up and see if it changes. If not then you will likely need to open the engine to get to the sprockets. But I would do testing before that using a scope and scan tool. I would also try a KAM reset using a scan tool first and see if it will allow the reset, then test it to see if maybe it is just a weak sensor.
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Friday, August 27th, 2021 AT 1:00 PM
Tiny
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I've changed both intake and exhaust cam sensors and the MAF sensor, still coming up with the same codes. Is it unfortunately time to take it in the the pros?
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Tuesday, August 31st, 2021 AT 4:05 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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If it's still showing those codes the next step would be to put an O-scope on the sensors and see what the signals actually show. I suspect the exhaust phaser has failed but testing it would show that without opening the engine. The other option involves opening the engine to see what is going on.
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Tuesday, August 31st, 2021 AT 5:13 PM

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