Crankshaft Position Sensor

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The crankshaft position sensor is connected to the ECM by the following circuits:

5 V reference
Low reference
Signal

The crankshaft position sensor is an internally magnetic biased digital output integrated circuit sensing device. The sensor detects magnetic flux changes of the teeth and slots of a 58-tooth reluctor wheel on the crankshaft. Each tooth on the reluctor wheel is spaced at 60-tooth spacing, with 2 missing teeth for the reference gap. The crankshaft position sensor produces an ON/OFF DC voltage of varying frequency, with 58 output pulses per crankshaft revolution. The frequency of the crankshaft position sensor output depends on the rotational velocity of the crankshaft. The crankshaft position sensor sends a digital signal, which represents an image of the crankshaft reluctor wheel, to the ECM as each tooth on the wheel rotates past the crankshaft position sensor. The ECM uses each crankshaft position signal pulse to determine crankshaft speed and decodes the crankshaft reluctor wheel reference gap to identify crankshaft position. This information, along with information from the camshaft position sensors is then used to determine the optimum ignition and fuel injection points of the engine. The ECM also uses crankshaft position sensor output information to determine the camshaft relative position to the crankshaft, to control camshaft phasing, and to detect cylinder misfire.