Hey i posted about my car a few months ago, but alot has transpired. so i will condense it and basically need an answer about 1 certan thing.
MY STORY:
Car would not run most of the time, would turn over like a champ but would hardly ever run...acts like out of gas, will run for a short time after it sits for a day or so. 1st mechanic said crankshaft sensor and mass air flow sensor, he changed these and car ran wonderful for two weeks. Started doing it again , took it back to him and he said to change fuel pump. Did pump and filter myself - no luck. Took it to dealership, complete waste of time, they said nothing wrong with it, even though it had to be towed up there and it died as i pulled out. Took it to new mechanic and he changed ICM , did not fix it. So i called him and told him i have a gut feeling it is the crankshaft sensor. He called a few days later and said it is fixed, he took out crankshaft sensor and it was full of water, he said he dried it out and it runs fine. Asked how did it get water in it - answer "i do not know". Asked " wont water just get back in it". Answer "i do not know". I drove it home today and even though it ran farther than it has than a month, it skips if i try to accelerate "push it past cruising speed". I called him and he said lets put some plug wires and plugs on it......arrrrrrrggggghhhh. I really think the sensor needs to be changed and was wondering how water could of got in there? Please help

 

pick up a shop manual for your year and model. have it scanned for trouble codes. gota go be back in a few hours. plugs and wires are not an easy project on these cars and is spendy if you have someone else do it.

 

No codes at this time, wondering why the sensor would have water in it....that was my question at the end of my story. I think this is what is causing my problems

 

water would have to be getting in at the plugin. make sure the rubber seal is still there and add some electrical grease around it and where the wires go into the plug. http://shbox.com/1/engine_front_diagram.jpg i think you have to take the balancer to get to the sensor so a manule would help if you wish to install the sensor yourself.

 

Where do you think the water is coming from, i think this needs fixing. Iam thinking water pump since it is so close by.....any ideas??

 

Is the water pump leaking?

 

only a couple things could be it, coolant or outside source like rain. are you losing coolant? could rent a coolant system pressure tester and see if punp is leaking.

 

The day before it quit running good and the day of it quitting, it was not raining outside, so i would not say rain was a factor. The water pump is making a racket, sounds like bearings but cannot see any leaks or feel any water......just wondering if it could start leaking some as it goes down the road and gets hotter

Dont you think the sensor just needs replacing once i figure out how the water got in there , i just think it is still skipping because moisture in the sensor is making it act flaky

 

i dont see how anyone can get water out of the sensor. far as i know its a sealed unit that has one opening for the plug and the connections on it should be sealed as well. yes you should replace the sensor if you feel strong about it being the issue. make sure you get some electrical grease on the plugin and the rubber seal. yes a water punp seal can leak when the cooling system heats up and build pressure. thats why i was recomending you do a pressure test on the cooling system. it may be the fellows at the parts store will help you out on testing it. most will during a slow time in the day or week and they have a better chance of selling you the part if its failing. it does sound like the pump may be on its last legs. before going farther what motor is this?

 

Thanks for your help......it is a 1997 3.8 v6. He said when he took out the sensor it had water all over it?? He did not explain if the water was in the sensor or just on the exterior.......he was not helpful at all. The big issue now is it still has a skip when you get up past cruising speed around 60mph and it also revs up and down by itself on idle......not anything drastic but it slow dances between 500 and 1500 rpm, which i know is not normal. Drying out the sensor definitely helped because now it cranks up everytime which it would not do before