More than once the car started bucking and jerking as I entered the freeway, necessitating my pulling over on the on-ramp--not the best place for an emergency stop. It has done the same thing in town, even in intersections. It was an intermittent problem. And at times the car would not start for several attempts. In all these things the car acted as though it was not getting enough gas, though the fuel pump and fuel filter are fine.
An OBD scanner indicated that the camshaft location sensor was bad, and when it goes bad the main computer tells the fuel pump to stop sending fuel. Because the sensor was starting to go out, the problem was intermittent.
On this site I have read the "cures" other drivers have attempted, with no success, and it bothers me that they could not find out the solution from their mechanics, with repairs ranging from new ignition switches to new computers to new engines--to no avail. I want to pass this on to help other owners who might have the same problem as I did. Have a mechanic use an OBD-2 scanner and read the code to you, which should indicate where the problem lies. My fix was only $38, surely a lot less than an ignition switch, new computer or replacement engine. Though your problem might not be a camshaft location sensor, it should be easy enough to identify and fix. Shortly after I installed the new part, the OBD light on the dash went out all by itself. I did not need to flash the computer.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
More than once the car started bucking and jerking as I entered the freeway, necessitating my pulling over on the on-ramp--not the best place for an emergency stop. It has done the same thing in town, even in intersections. It was an intermittent problem. And at times the car would not start for several attempts. In all these things the car acted as though it was not getting enough gas, though the fuel pump and fuel filter are fine.
An OBD scanner indicated that the camshaft location sensor was bad, and when it goes bad the main computer tells the fuel pump to stop sending fuel. Because the sensor was starting to go out, the problem was intermittent.
On this site I have read the "cures" other drivers have attempted, with no success, and it bothers me that they could not find out the solution from their mechanics, with repairs ranging from new ignition switches to new computers to new engines--to no avail. I want to pass this on to help other owners who might have the same problem as I did. Have a mechanic use an OBD-2 scanner and read the code to you, which should indicate where the problem lies. My fix was only $38, surely a lot less than an ignition switch, new computer or replacement engine. Though your problem might not be a camshaft location sensor, it should be easy enough to identify and fix. Shortly after I installed the new part, the OBD light on the dash went out all by itself. I did not need to flash the computer.
- Bob R., Medford, OR, US