What effects will it have on the car if the camshaft sensor is broken?
A damaged camshaft sensor can cause difficulties in engine startup, vibration during operation, reduced power, increased fuel consumption, and may trigger a fault light alarm.
Engine Startup and Operation Abnormalities
Difficulty in starting and chaotic ignition: After the sensor is damaged, the ECU cannot accurately determine the status of each cylinder and the camshaft phase, resulting in chaotic ignition timing, manifested as needing multiple attempts to start, or even starting delays or inability to start. In severe cases, during the starting process, there may be crankshaft reversal and intake manifold flashback phenomena.
Idle and operation stability deterioration:
Severe idling vibration: Similar to the symptom of engine misfire, the vibration is obvious.
Frequent engine stalling during driving: Especially in a warm-up state, the vehicle may suddenly stall while driving or refueling.
Slow acceleration response: After stepping on the accelerator, the power output is discontinuous, and usually, the engine speed needs to exceed 2500 rpm to improve.
Deterioration of Power Performance and Fuel Economy
Significant decrease in power output: Due to the ECU not receiving precise camshaft phase signals, the fuel injection and ignition timing cannot be synchronized with the cylinder operation, resulting in engine weakness, sluggish acceleration, and sluggish response during climbing or overtaking. The ECU of some models may also actively limit the maximum engine speed to protect the engine.
Increased fuel consumption and emission： The ECU's control of fuel injection is inaccurate， causing excessive fuel injection or disordered fuel injection， and the measured fuel consumption may increase by 15%-30%. At the same time， incomplete combustion will cause black smoke from the exhaust pipe， increased exhaust odor， and may increase the load on the oxygen sensor and three-way catalytic converter， with a risk of damage over long-term operation.
System Protection and Potential Mechanical Risks
Activation of fault protection mode： The engine fault light is constantly on (usually corresponding to fault codes such as P0340)， and the ECU will enter mode， limiting power output， and may disable functions such as variable valve timing (VVT). At this time， the vehicle can only travel short distances， but the performance is severely limited.
Potential mechanical damage risks：
Ignition timing misalignment： It may cause detonation， and over time， it will cause damage to the cylinder， piston， and other components.
Increased wear of valve mechanism： The ECU cannot precisely control the valve phase， which may exacerbate the wear of related mechanical components.
In extreme cases where the crankshaft sensor also fails， the vehicle may completely fail to start or stall during operation.
The signal disc is installed between the light-emitting diode (LED) and the photoelectric transistor (or photodiode). When the light-transmitting hole on the signal disc rotates between the LED and the photoelectric transistor， the light emitted by the LED will be shone onto the photoelectric transistor， at which point the photoelectric transistor conducts， and its collector outputs a low level (0.1-0.3V)； when the shading part on the signal disc rotates between the LED and the photoelectric transistor， the light emitted by the LED cannot be shone onto the photoelectric transistor， at which point the photoelectric transistor turns off， and its collector outputs a high level (4.8-5.2V). If the signal disc rotates continuously， the light-transmitting hole and the shading part will alternately pass between the LED and the photoelectric transistor， and the collector of the photoelectric transistor will alternately output high and low levels. When the sensor shaft rotates with the crankshaft and the valve camshaft， the light-transmitting hole and the shading part on the signal disc will pass between the LED and the photoelectric transistor， the light emitted by the LED will be alternately shone onto the photoelectric transistor of the signal generator， and the signal sensor will generate pulse signals corresponding to the crankshaft position and the valve camshaft position.
Since the crankshaft rotates two full turns， the G signal sensor will generate 6 pulse signals. The Ne signal sensor will generate 360 pulse signals. Because the interval arc of the light-transmitting hole of the G signal is 60. For every 120 degrees of crankshaft rotation, a pulse signal is generated. Therefore, the G signal is usually referred to as the 120. signal. The design and installation ensure that the 120. signal is generated 70. (BTDC70.) before the top dead center of the engine cylinder. The signal produced by the rectangular opening with a slightly longer wide side corresponds to 70. before the top dead center of cylinder 1 of the engine, so that the ECU can control the fuel injection advance angle and the ignition advance angle. Since the arc spacing of the light transmission hole for the Ne signal is 1. (The light transmission hole occupies 0.5. and the shading hole occupies 0.5.), in each pulse cycle, the high and low levels each occupy 1. crankshaft rotation angle, and 360 signals represent a 720. rotation of the crankshaft. Every 120. degrees of crankshaft rotation, the G signal sensor generates one signal, and the Ne signal sensor generates 60 signals.
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