How To Test The Camshaft Position Sensor (1993-1998 3.0L Nissan Quest)

TEST 4: Testing The 1° POS Signal

So far all of your test have confirmed that:

• The camshaft position sensor is getting 12 Volts (TEST 1).
• The camshaft position sensor is getting Ground (TEST 2).
• The camshaft position sensor is creating a 120° REF signal (TEST 3).

In this last test section we're gonna' make sure that the camshaft position sensor is creating a 1° POS signal.

On the 1993, 1994, 1995 3.0L Nissan Quest and Mercury Villager, the 1° POS signal wire is the red with blue stripe (RED/BLU) wire of the distributor's 4-wire connector.

On the 1996, 1997, 1998 3.0L Nissan Quest and Mercury Villager, the 1° POS signal wire is the green with yellow stripe (GRN/YEL) wire of the distributor's 4-wire connector.

NOTE 1: The distributor must remain connected to its 4-wire electrical connector for this test to function. You'll need to use a wire piercing probe to connect the LED light to the signal wire. You can see an example of this tool here: Wire Piercing Probe.

NOTE 2: This test requires that you turn the engine by hand (with the appropriate tools). Don't use the starter motor to test for the 1° POS signal.

IMPORTANT: The fuel system must be disabled before starting this test. You can disable the fuel system by removing the fuel pump fuse. You can find the location of the fuel pump fuse here: Fuel Pump Fuse Location.

OK, these are the test steps:

1. 1

   Locate the 1° POS signal wire.
   
   The 1° POS signal wire connects to the female terminal labeled with the number 4 in the photo above.

2. 2

   Connect the red lead of the LED light to 1° POS signal wire. You'll need to use a tool to pierce the wire and then connect the LED light to this tool.
   
   IMPORTANT: The distributor must remain connected to its electrical connector.

3. 3

   Connect the black lead of the LED light to the battery negative (-) terminal.

4. 4

   Turn the key ON but don't crank the engine.

5. 5

   The LED light will probably turn ON and this is normal. If the LED does not turn ON, don't worry and continue to the next step.

6. 6

   Slowly turn the crankshaft pulley by hand using the appropriate tools.
   
   NOTE: It's important that you turn the crankshaft pulley as slowly as you possible can so that you can see the ON/OFF flashes of the LED light.

7. 7

   The LED light should flash ON and OFF as you turn the engine by hand.

Let's analyze your test result:

CASE 1: The LED light flashed ON and OFF as you turned the crankshaft pulley. This is the correct test result and confirms that the 1° POS signal is present.

CASE 3: The LED light DID NOT flash ON and OFF as you turned the crankshaft pulley. This test result tells you that the camshaft position sensor is not producing the 1° POS signal.

You can conclude that the camshaft position sensor is bad if you have confirmed that:

• The camshaft position sensor is getting 12 Volts (TEST 1).
• The camshaft position sensor is getting Ground (TEST 2).
• The camshaft position sensor is creating a 120° REF signal (TEST 3).
• The camshaft position sensor is not creating a 1° REF signal.

Since the camshaft position sensor isn't sold separately, you'll need to replace the distributor.

Where To Buy The Distributor And Save

The distributor on your 3.0L V6 Nissan Quest (or Mercury Villager) isn't an inexpensive component. Check out the following links and compare prices, I think they'll save you a few bucks:

The distributors in the links above fit the following vehicles:

• 3.0L V6 Nissan Quest: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998.
• 3.0L V6 Mercury Villager: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998.