Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Cam Sensor getting hit by cam?

[_luke]

this all started this weekend with this thread:

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=94347



I'm a newbie diesel owner, so bear with me.



I took the truck to the shop on monday morning, the ran the diagnostics on it & came up with a bad cam sensor. When the pulled it out, it looked like it had been hit by the cam. They put a new one in & told me to be on the lookout for anything funny.



Last night, the engine light came on again. We were on the highway w/ cruise set at 70mph. Engine was running fine (didn't even set the cruise off) but the tach was all over the place. Dropped it off at the shop this morning & it's the same story. Cam sensor with impact damage.



I bought this truck from a reputable dealer on friday & have about 300 miles on it since purchase. I called them today & told them the story & they said the truck wouldn't have passed emissions if it had been a pre-existing condition. I hope they don't try to screw me.





advice? I'm kind of freaking out. This was a big purchase for me & I can't afford to dump a bunch of $$ into it right off the lot.







_luke

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Luke, Cycle the key 3 times on, and off leaving the key in the on position th ethird time (All done without starting the truck) And check the Odometer display for codes, write them down and check back to us.



I Know you have before however there may be something else we aren't seeing.

 

[_luke]

yeah, I did that right away. Turned up the 1693 code.



they reset the computer when they put the new cam sensor in, so that's a fresh start.



Has anyone ever heard of something like this?

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

I was trying to find a post that talked about someone losing an engine because the CPS was getting hit and it cracked the block but I haven't found it yet. I think it was Snow Man and he got a new one under warranty though. Something is definantely foul, how is CO's lemon law for used vehicles? Also I have found that alot of codes don't show up on the odometer and you need a code reader. I go to Auto-Zone and let them read it but they usually don't have the right definitions so I take the number and head to the tech manual

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

The 1693 seems to allways reside on pretty much everybody's truck that has thrown a code in it's life. If That is the only code and no other P or E codes then I would say that all is fine (In code world then) However a DTC read at Autozone would not be such a bad idea as they do it for "Free"



P1693 (M) DTC Detected in Companion Module A fault has been generated in the companion engine

control module.

 

[_luke]

they ran the codes at the shop. Not sure exactly what they found, but seems to be related to the cam sensor. Should I take somewhere else?

 

[Piers]

Pull your cam sensor out & check the tone wheel that is bolted to the cam. We have had 3, 2001 trucks that the tone wheel had broken, snaps at it's thinest point where 1 of the 3 bolts goes thru it. Cummins could not give me an explaination when I showed them the broken pieces... ... ... said they had never seen that before, by the way 1 truck was bone stock, but had 220K on it, the other 2 were under 100K, but pushing 350hp.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Well if the codes were not completely cleared the first go around then I would have the codes cleared 100% and then see what happens. Mainly because what seems to be happening again just may be the same thing from before. Kinda like a cell phone ... it will say 2 missed calls but when you check it shows only one number (Because that one called twice)



:Edit: I just now saw that you have damage AGAIN (Didn't see that my bad)

 

[_luke]

Originally posted by Piers

Pull your cam sensor out & check the tone wheel that is bolted to the cam. We have had 3, 2001 trucks that the tone wheel had broken, snaps at it's thinest point where 1 of the 3 bolts goes thru it. Cummins could not give me an explaination when I showed them the broken pieces... ... ... said they had never seen that before, by the way 1 truck was bone stock, but had 220K on it, the other 2 were under 100K, but pushing 350hp.

would the truck still run ok if that were the case?

 

[Piers]

All the trucks that came in, were under their own power, although one fellow who's tach wasn't working, had to jury rig power to the lift pump. The other two's tach still worked, although they were erratic at times.

Was yours still running with the damages cps?

 

[A Johnson]

I have also seen tone wheel issues on ISC breaking the EPS, so it is not isolated to Dodge.



I would ask the dealer to help you out, yes it would pass emissions if it didn't break until you got the truck. On the ISCs' the sensors would go a week or so before the bus returned with fault codes.



A Johnson

 

[_luke]

yeah, it runs completely normal as far as I can tell. Tach has been erratic once or twice.





Is this a lift pump issue or related to the cam lobes or shaft?



I'm taking it back to the dealer I bought it from first thing in the AM. I just want to be well informed so they can't feed me a load of s**t.

 

[_luke]

Update:



I just heard back from the dealer & they diagnosed the same as my local shop. The Cam is phyically hitting the cam sensor & it seems to be out of tolerance. They want big bucks to diagnose further to see what might actually be causing the problem.



Another mechanic told me that shops & dealers seldom actually dissasemble the motor - they just pull it out, send it back to Cummins & put a new one in. Is this true?



I also found out the dealer service dept had worked on this truck for "days and days" prior to the previous owner trading it in for a new one. I'm guessing they never acutally fixed the problem.



What steps can I take that I can be sure they fix it this time?

Or should I just make them take it back?

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

Depending on how much I "WANTED" the truck I would either give them one chance to fix it right or make them take it back. If they give you grief call the AG if the shop that sold it to you is the one that worked on it trying to fix it prior to selling it to you.

 

[Jetson]

Some dealers do not have anyone experienced enough with diesels, or the proper equipment to work on them. Some do. Piers told you what was wrong with it. I would tell them they're taking it back unless they will send it to a Cummins shop and pay for the repairs.

 

[_luke]

Originally posted by Jetson

Some dealers do not have anyone experienced enough with diesels, or the proper equipment to work on them. Some do. Piers told you what was wrong with it. I would tell them they're taking it back unless they will send it to a Cummins shop and pay for the repairs.

The dealer is the largest Dodge truck dealer in the country. Don't know if they're an authorized Cummins shop or not.



Should I insist they drop a new motor in it?

 

[_luke]

Update:



The dealer is unwilling to repair the truck for a mutually agreable price, but they are willing to take it back.



Now comes the hard part...



I really like this specific truck. Both the dealer & my local shop say it's possible the truck will run fine for many years. Or... . I could be signing on for a lifetime of headaches.



I'd really rather keep the truck, but I don't want to be looking at a major costly repair in the near future.



Any advice from those who might be more able to make an educated decision?

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Hard question to answer - if it IS only a failed tone ring, doesn't seem that would be a major issue, other than the labor to replace it - much depends on the competence of the shop doing the work - IF you have confidence in their ability, and the agreed upon price for repair seems adequate, it might be worth the gamble if you really like the truck...

 

[_luke]

Originally posted by Gary - KJ6Q

Hard question to answer - if it IS only a failed tone ring, doesn't seem that would be a major issue, other than the labor to replace it - much depends on the competence of the shop doing the work - IF you have confidence in their ability, and the agreed upon price for repair seems adequate, it might be worth the gamble if you really like the truck...

I don't think it's the tone wheel... at least the dealer tells me this particular engine doesn't have a tone wheel at all. (?)



they seem to think it's the spacer that seperates the cam sensor from the cam. Which I guess is a simple part, but very hard to get to.

 

[Jetson]

Your dealer doesn't know what he's talking about.