My 2002 PT Cruiser’s engine light APPARENTLY really means something: the code say it’s a P0340 Comshaft Position Sensor CKT Malfunction. The engine dies without warning, and I can’t find any pattern to when or why it happens. The mechanic says the complete diagnostic is $150. Bah! Feh! And I am broke broke broke. I’m not driving anywhere outside town (Sonoma, CA) because I can’t afford to be killed on the road if the thing dies. If I turn everything completely off, then crank it again, it’s so far cranked up, thank all the gods. Anything you can tell me will help–and if it’s not the $900 problem that someone claimed it is, I will be able to think more clearly and not about robbing an ATM for the $$$.
Thanks so much. Deb
Deb…
Was ist “gerflunken”, bitte ???
Slang for ‘broke down,’ or in this case “engine warning light giving me a headache”
Well, your on board diagnostics have narrowed the problem down considerably. It’s either the camshaft position sensor, the PCM, or the wiring in between. The diagnostic fee covers the tests required to determine which of the three it is. The PCM would be very expensive, but it is also very unlikely. The wiring would be the cheapest (unless you go to a dealer), but the sensor is more likely to be the issue.
If you wait, it may fail altogether, and you will have to add a towing charge to the diagnostic fee. I wouldn’t wait.
Thanks so much, Tardis. Do you have any idea of a range of costs on the sensor repair?
The camshaft sensor cost between $30-$40 Dollars. and a couple more for the O ring gasket. http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1398764,parttype,7192
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1398764,parttype,10249
Well slap my tuchas and call me Barney! That is do-able, plus labor, and not 900 dollars at ALL. Thank you again: ya made my week.