I was dealing with intermittent long cranking times at startup after I replaced my plugs and wires. At first I thought it has something to do with my battery because it went bad around the same time. I replace a 800 CCA with a 700 CCA battery. I undersand that my ‘08 Sahara requires only 600 CCA. However, after a few days I went back to Autozone and asked if I could trade up to the 800 CCA battery. Just to be sure it as not something with the battery. Fortunately they agreed. Still same long cranking time, it was not the battery.
After some searching on the web I found it could be the Camshaft Position Sensor, however, I was not getting any codes. I did check all grounds and vacuum hose connections before moving on. Now keep in mind this is not my daily driver so I could take my time and explore other options. Knowing that OEM parts are the way to go, however being a bit on the pricey side, I picked up a Camshaft Position Sensor at NAPA to see if that would offer any improvement. It did, but not completely, it started better, but still not at the touch of the key as it did before the wire and plug change.
I put the old Camshaft Sensor back in and the jeep cranked over for ever, the check engine light went on, the traction control light went on, not good. So I put the new Camshaft sensor back in, back to better, not hit the key and start yet.
While exploring other causes when I came across the possibility of the Camshaft Sensor there was also the possibility of the Crankshaft Sensor causing similar conditions of long start / crank times. Okay, now was it the aftermarket Camshaft Sensor or did I also need the Crankshaft Sensor. Well in for a penny in for a pound, off the NAPA for the Crankshaft Sensor. I installed the Crankshaft Sensor, did a reset of the ECU, which I did after I installed the Camshaft Sensor also. Now the jeep starts up at the touch of the key.
So here is what I’m thinking, knowing the jeep has over 137000 miles, the ECU had adjusted for the old plugs, wires, and sensors. When I changed out the plugs and wires I now had better combustion and the old weak sensors were no longer capable of reading the Camshaft or Crankshaft position correctly. Not bad enough to throw a code, (not until I did a quick swap in and out with the new and old anyway). Bottom line, it may be prudent to plan for the replacement of the Camshaft and Crankshaft sensors with Jeeps of this age and miles when swapping out plugs and wires.
As for the aftermarket sensors, I chose NAPA because that is where the majority of the independent garages go for parts, so I thought I would go with them too. I will keep you posted as to how they hold up.
After some searching on the web I found it could be the Camshaft Position Sensor, however, I was not getting any codes. I did check all grounds and vacuum hose connections before moving on. Now keep in mind this is not my daily driver so I could take my time and explore other options. Knowing that OEM parts are the way to go, however being a bit on the pricey side, I picked up a Camshaft Position Sensor at NAPA to see if that would offer any improvement. It did, but not completely, it started better, but still not at the touch of the key as it did before the wire and plug change.
I put the old Camshaft Sensor back in and the jeep cranked over for ever, the check engine light went on, the traction control light went on, not good. So I put the new Camshaft sensor back in, back to better, not hit the key and start yet.
While exploring other causes when I came across the possibility of the Camshaft Sensor there was also the possibility of the Crankshaft Sensor causing similar conditions of long start / crank times. Okay, now was it the aftermarket Camshaft Sensor or did I also need the Crankshaft Sensor. Well in for a penny in for a pound, off the NAPA for the Crankshaft Sensor. I installed the Crankshaft Sensor, did a reset of the ECU, which I did after I installed the Camshaft Sensor also. Now the jeep starts up at the touch of the key.
So here is what I’m thinking, knowing the jeep has over 137000 miles, the ECU had adjusted for the old plugs, wires, and sensors. When I changed out the plugs and wires I now had better combustion and the old weak sensors were no longer capable of reading the Camshaft or Crankshaft position correctly. Not bad enough to throw a code, (not until I did a quick swap in and out with the new and old anyway). Bottom line, it may be prudent to plan for the replacement of the Camshaft and Crankshaft sensors with Jeeps of this age and miles when swapping out plugs and wires.
As for the aftermarket sensors, I chose NAPA because that is where the majority of the independent garages go for parts, so I thought I would go with them too. I will keep you posted as to how they hold up.
