Crankshaft Position Sensor: Operation

The clearance between the crankshaft position sensor and the flywheel are fixed by the installation position. Two teeth on the flywheel are missing. The resulting gap is used by the ECM to detect DTC of cylinder number one. The crankshaft position is calculated to an accuracy of a fraction of a degree so that the start and end of injection can occur at exactly the right moment. The engine speed signal is also processed by the ECM from the crankshaft sensor. This signal is then transferred to other control modules over the CAN bus.

If the crankshaft position sensor fails, the ECM will stop triggering the injectors, the engine will stall, the engine warning light may or may not illuminate, but the engine will not restart.