The average price of replacing a camshaft position sensor and the typical camshaft repair cost comes to between $120 and $300 on average. Parts alone will usually cost the owner between $50 and $200 total, while the labor cost will vary depending on the hourly rate, but can be between $70 and $100 total for the professional replacement from a mechanic.
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If you are in need of replacing the entire camshaft, then the typical replacement cost for the camshaft repair comes to between $1500 and $3000, since you have to add in the extensive labor costs and the severity of the part.
If you have a luxury car or something that will take more labor, then you can expect the labor cost to be much higher to deal with the harder work. There can be additional fees and taxes added onto the labor costs, along with the local car dealership camshaft repair cost.
What is the camshaft position sensor?
To figure out how much you will have to spend on the total camshaft repair cost, you should first know the function of the camshaft position sensor and what this part is in your car. Keep in mind that every single modern day car has this camshaft position sensor – showing it is a key part of your vehicle.
This sensor is important because it helps to ensure that the engine is running at an optimal level and is functioning correctly. Without this, you will never know if your engine is experiencing issues, leading to expensive engine replacement and repair costs that would be much higher than any camshaft repair cost.
If you are wondering where the camshaft position sensor is located, it is usually placed under the hood of your vehicle. Sometimes, different car manufacturers and various models of cars will have their own spot for the camshaft position sensor located near the engine. You might find that the cylinder head is next to the engine block, helping you to realize how central a part this camshaft position sensor is in your car.
The main function of the camshaft position sensor in your car is to locate the position of the camshaft in relation to the crankshaft. The camshaft is the rotating object that contains pointed cams that convert rotational energy and motion to the reciprocal motion, used in internal combustion engines to operate the intake and exhaust valves to control the pressure and keep the camshaft repair cost low.
The crankshaft in your car is the part that is located at the bottom of the engine and is in charge of transforming the vertical movement of her genuine pistons into horizontal and rotational movement. The crankshaft rotates within the engine block through the bearings, along with the connecting rods and rod bearings, working in order to keep the engine running smoothly and keeping the camshaft repair cost low.
Symptoms of a bad camshaft position sensor
As we know by now, the camshaft and the camshaft position sensor are important components in your vehicle. In order to know how much you might pay for the average camshaft repair cost, you need to know the signs and symptoms of a faulty or damaged camshaft position sensor in your car.
Bad fuel mileage – unlike not being able to deliver enough fuel to the engine via the transportation ones that are used for this purpose, bad fuel mileage relates to having a poor fuel economy and miles per gallon compared go what you are used to in your specific vehicle.e in this case, because of the inaccurate reading from the bad camshaft position sensor, there is more fuel than is actually necessary being put into the engine. In this scenario, the fuel economy will plummet and the camshaft repair cost will be higher.
Shifting problems – certain types of cars with a bad camshaft position sensor sometimes can result in a transmission that is locked up – meaning it will stay in just one single gear and not be able to shift out of the year, regardless of the performance of the acceleration needed. This is the only way that you will experience transmission issues with the gears. In this scenario, the only chance that you will be able to get out of the inability to shift gears is to shut off your engine completely and then restart it, causing a high camshaft repair cost.
Unfortunately, for the shifting problems this is only a temporary fix and not a long term solution, meaning you will need to figure out in the long run how to fix the high camshaft repair cost. Along with this, your vehicle might put itself into limp mode which will not allow you to shift gears or accelerate your vehicle beyond a certain high speed, like if you are going up a hill or driving on a highway.
Poor acceleration – along with other transmission acceleration issues, like the car shaking or jerking while trying to accelerate, you might not be able to accelerate your car very fast during certain scenarios if there is a problem with your camshaft. If your camshaft sensor begins to fail, you won't be able to accelerate quickly, whether on a highway or going up a hill.
The poor acceleration in your vehicle is most often caused by a poor fuel delivery to the car’s injectors, resulting in a much higher camshaft repair cost and an inefficient transmission, leading to a lack of performance abilities.
Engine stalling – in addition to the aforementioned issues, your engine shutting off is a severe problem that really causes extreme damage in your car and a huge inability to drive your car safely. If your engine actually shuts off or your engine stalls while driving, this means that your fuel injectors and camshaft are not working properly. This is a clear sign that you need to look into the camshaft repair cost and that your fuel injectors are not being directed by the mechanism to inject the right amount of fuel into engine cylinders.
Car jerking – if you are driving your vehicle and have not experienced any other issues, your car jerking or shaking while accelerating can be very sudden and scary. This is a clear indicator that the camshaft position sensor is failing and you need to determine the camshaft repair cost for your car. This can result in the engine losing power and causing your car to surge forward unexpectedly, accusing the potential for a crash to be much higher.
The reason for the car jerking while accelerating or suddenly shaking or surging can be due to the improper amount of fuel being added to the cylinders. This is due to the powertrain control module note receiving the right information from the camshaft position sensor, leading to a higher camshaft repair cost.
Ignition issues – once you notice that you might need to look into the camshaft repair cost, this usually indicates an issue with the car’s computer, also known as the engine control unit.
As the camshaft position sensor starts to break down over time and notices some electrical glitches, the signal that is transmitted to the car’s computer will weaken over time. This means that the signal will eventually get so weak that it will not be able to properly start the engine and the spark plugs from the ignition and the key in the ignition.
Check engine light – as you might know by now in your car history, your car check engine light can turn on for various reasons. When your camshaft position sensor is damaged or faulty over prolonged use, the first thing that you might notice as a driver is a common sign and symptom of many other issues -the check engine light illuminated on your dashboard.
Obviously, the check engine light coming on means you need to determine the issue and the root cause of the light sooner rather than later, since some reasons this light is on are minor, and some can directly related to the higher camshaft repair cost.
In the case that your camshaft position sensor is at fault, you or the mechanic you bring your car to should use either a diagnostic scan tool or an OBD2 scan tool to find out the diagnostic trouble codes that are showing up. Which can always indicate where the problem is coming from. If you do not have a diagnostic scan tool or you don't know how to use one, you can bring your car to an echoic who will have the proper tools and be able to tell the average camshaft repair cost.
If you think that the check engine light is not a big deal in your car’s dashboard, sometimes you might be right. It could be as simple as a loose fuel cap, however, other times it can be very serious, relating to the catalytic converter or the engine breaking down over time, and can directly cause the camshaft repair cost to be much higher than normal. For these reasons, you should never ignore the check engine light.
Do not postpone scanning your vehicle or getting it inspected when you notice the light has turned on on your dashboard, or else you could end up having something that is much more costly than the typical camshaft repair cost. The engine could even end up stalling and dying altogether, resulting in a complete rebuild or replacement of your engine.
What happens during the camshaft position sensor replacement?
When figuring out how much you might spend on the total camshaft repair cost, it is key to keeping in mind all the steps that go along with the camshaft position sensor replacement. Although this is a fairly inexpensive and easy process, the mechanic, or yourself, must still take in different steps to do the repair properly.
Depending on the kind of manufacturer and make and model of your car, a number of various processes will need to be done in the correct steps in order to properly get the right angle to access the camshaft position sensor.
First, the mechanic will need to analyze and assess the situation in your vehicle by reading the diagnostic codes using a diagnostic scan tool. After he has used the diagnostic scan tool and figured out where the issue originated from, he will have to check the live data. Next, the mechanic must confirm that the camshaft position sensor is indeed the faulty part and give you an idea of how much this camshaft repair costis.
Once this has been done, he will have to finish the camshaft repair by repairing and replacing the part. Once he has replaced the camshaft position sensor, the mechanic will then start the engine and recheck the error codes to ensure that it still applies and figure out the total camshaft repair cost for the services.
If you are worried about having this camshaft position sensor replacement done too frequently and want to save some money on the camshaft repair cost by enhancing the lifespan of the sensor, there is unfortunately nothing you can do to extend the lifespan and the longevity of this part.
How do I know I need a camshaft repair?
To figure out if something is wrong with your camshaft position sensor, there are certain clues to look out for along with the signs and symptoms of the issues. First, you might notice there is extended difficulty and longevity in starting the engine. In some more severe cases, you might even experience complete engine failure and an inability to start the engine, resulting in a much higher camshaft repair cost.
Furthermore, if you notice that her engine management light has turned on in your dashboard and the associated fault codes are read by your diagnostic scan tool or the mechanics' diagnostic scan tool, then this is a clear sign that something is wrong with your camshaft position sensor.
Lastly, if your engine goes into limp mode to protect the car, then all of the critical components will turn off and your camshaft repair cost will be very high due to the associated issues along with the camshaft.