TEST 2: Making Sure The Cam Sensor Has Power
Now that you've made sure that the distributor rotor is turning (when the engine is cranking), the next step is to make sure that the camshaft position sensor is getting power.
This power, depending on your specific vehicle, may come in the form of 5 or 8 Volts DC. Whether it's 5 or 8 Volts, this voltage is supplied by the fuel injection computer.
The wire that feeds the cam sensor with power is the orange (ORG) wire of the connector. In the illustration above, the orange wire connects to terminal number 2.
Alright, let's get started:
- 1
Place your multimeter in Volts DC mode and disconnect the distributor from its electrical connector.
- 2
With the red multimeter test lead, probe the orange wire of the distributor connector.
The orange wire connects to the female terminal labeled with the number 2 in the illustration above. - 3
Connect the black multimeter test lead directly to the battery negative (-) terminal.
- 4
Turn the ignition key to the ON position but don't crank or start the engine. Your multimeter should read 5 or 8 Volts DC.
Let's take a look at what your test results mean:
CASE 1: The cam sensor is getting power. This is the correct and expected test result. The next step is to make sure the camshaft position sensor is getting Ground. For this test step, go to: TEST 3: Making Sure The Cam Sensor Has Ground.
CASE 2: The cam sensor IS NOT getting power. This test result tells you that the camshaft position sensor is not getting power.
Although it's beyond the scope of this tutorial to check for this missing power, your next step is to find out why it's missing and restore it.
TEST 3: Making Sure The Cam Sensor Has Ground
So far you've checked that the camshaft position sensor is getting power. Now in this test section we're going to make sure that the camshaft position sensor is getting Ground.
The wire that feeds Ground to the camshaft position sensor is the black with light blue stripe (BLK/LT BLU) wire.
NOTE: The fuel injection computer is the one that provides this Ground to the cam sensor. Be careful not to short this wire to battery power (12 Volts) or you'll fry the computer. The multimeter voltage test (indicated below) is a safe way to test this Ground circuit.
Alright, let's get started:
- 1
Place your multimeter in Volts DC mode and disconnect the distributor from its electrical connector.
- 2
With the black multimeter test lead, probe the BLK/LT BLU wire of the distributor connector.
The black with light blue (BLK/LT BLU) wire connects to the female terminal labeled with the number 1 in the illustration above. - 3
Connect the red multimeter test lead directly on the battery positive (+) terminal.
- 4
Turn the ignition key to the ON position but don't crank or start the engine. Your multimeter should read 10 to 12 Volts DC.
Let's take a look at what your test results mean:
CASE 1: The cam sensor is getting Ground. This is the correct and expected test result. The next step is to make sure the camshaft position sensor is generating a cam position signal. For this test step, go to: TEST 4: Testing The Camshaft Position Signal.
CASE 2: The cam sensor IS NOT getting Ground. This test result tells you that the camshaft position sensor is not functioning due to a lack of Ground.
Although it's beyond the scope of this tutorial to check for this missing Ground, your next step is to find out why it's missing and restore it.
