Car wont start after hot rod cam install

[whitepunisher]

Haven't yet. Was going to grab one today...

 

[itsslow]

Might be stupid question, but are the two cps's the same? If they are, switch CPS b with cps a and see if it still throws the same code? That would tell you if the sensor itself is bad or not

 

[whitepunisher]

both are the same but if one is bad and preventing the car from starting, switching them out won't matter...

 

[avinaj80]

Both cam sensors are the same, but cam sensors should not really be keeping the car from starting up. Who did your tune? I had issues with my tunes where the car would start up and have the idle flare up and come back down and it cut out. Got a supposed revised tune but it still did it.

I would be more worried about what caused the damaged on that sensor. Get it home and pull the valve covers. It could very well be the computer needs to go through the relearn because of the dead battery? Hope it is a simple deal bro.

 

[whitepunisher]

I got it home and verified everything under the valve covers was torqued down and no carnage in there. everything looked good and verified by hand cranking the phasers aren't hitting the sensor.

 

[whitepunisher]

also hadn't tried to start it since last night and sure enough it started up, for a second (didn't sound good) then died. If I let it sit, it will at least start up then die and not start anymore. I bought a new fuel filter that I will be putting in thinking maybe mine is clogged?... I just don't understand how if I let it sit for over like half a day it at least starts even if it's for just a second then won't start.... AHHHHH!!!!!

 

[skwerl]

This is why I'm not going to install my own cams. IMO if you're in over your head then it's time to take it to someone who knows about this stuff. Pay an expert for a couple hours of his time and resolve it correctly instead of possibly making things worse and costing yourself much more time and money.

 

[BruceH]

here is a picture of one of the CPS... would that knick in it cause the motor not to start?

I've seen that damage before. It happened when I did a cam install for a friend and didn't use a spring tool. What happened was the front of the front cam cap broke out due to misalignment caused by all the spring tension. His car started and drove fine but started throwing codes over time. The whole cam was able to shift forward when running and this would cause damage to the cps.

We were able to fix it with a spare cap I had from a set of junk heads. We got pretty lucky because it fit on his head with about .0015" clearance. Ford has some pretty precise machinery because the cam bore in line honed which means each head is unique to itself.

Ask hemilol what symptoms he had as it progressed. We noticed the cam cap right away so we were able to reinstall the cam properly. The cps was ground down over a few weeks time after the fact.

Have you checked the battery voltage?

 

[whitepunisher]

new battery was just put in it.

 

[07graygt]

When this happened to me if I reset the codes with the sct it would start and run normal no codes but then I shut it off and start it again the codes came back.

 

[BruceH]

new battery was just put in it.

I understand but what's the voltage? When my battery and alternator went out and the voltage dropped to around 12v it wouldn't stay running.

 

[whitepunisher]

around 11 when cranking and 12 just sitting there

 

[BruceH]

around 11 when cranking and 12 just sitting there

All I can tell you is that my car wouldn't stay running at that level. Can you put a charger on it? Maybe the alternator went to. It happened to me and it's happened to others. Both at the same time.

 

[whitepunisher]

but would the alternator not working cause it to not start/run?

 

[BruceH]

but would the alternator not working cause it to not start/run?

I don't know. The battery should be putting out more voltage. I'm guessing that your battery level is too low to keep the car running. If the alternator doesn't work the battery is only going to get lower.

Can you put a charger on the battery?

 

[whitepunisher]

i dont have a charger but can get one.

 

[MexGT]

but would the alternator not working cause it to not start/run?

You can start the car with the alt gone bad, but you'd also get the battery light on in the dash, so I doubt your alt is bad.

And yes I've had alt + battery died on me almost simultaneously, alt regulator tend to die if the battery is not in good shape, very delicate part.

 

[05moneypit]

Both cam sensors are the same, but cam sensors should not really be keeping the car from starting up. Who did your tune? I had issues with my tunes where the car would start up and have the idle flare up and come back down and it cut out. Got a supposed revised tune but it still did it.

I would be more worried about what caused the damaged on that sensor. Get it home and pull the valve covers. It could very well be the computer needs to go through the relearn because of the dead battery? Hope it is a simple deal bro.

This is incorrect.

The PCM needs to see the cam position sensor on the right bank to verify TDC of compression stroke or the engine will not start. Without a cam position sensor the PCM does not know if it is TDC of compression or exhaust stroke. Cam turns 1 revolution for every two revolutions of the crank.

Did you replace the cam position sensor or just try swapping left to right?

Lee

 

[whitepunisher]

didnt get to the auto parts store today to get a new sensor, just swapped right to left.

 

[avinaj80]

This is incorrect.

The PCM needs to see the cam position sensor on the right bank to verify TDC of compression stroke or the engine will not start. Without a cam position sensor the PCM does not know if it is TDC of compression or exhaust stroke. Cam turns 1 revolution for every two revolutions of the crank.

Did you replace the cam position sensor or just try swapping left to right?

Lee

Hence why I stated I'd be more worried about what caused the damage. I've seen a variety of no start issues that have thrown a cam sensor code to find it isn't the actual cam sensor. Timing issue? Possibly. Bad sensor? Possibly. If their is evident damage, that would of been my first step. My convertible GT is throwing those same codes, starts up fine, runs fine, changed the sensor, changed it from left to right. Light still comes back on. Heard its the diode in the alternator that causes this code on a lot of cars.

That sensor got nicked, but doesn't look like its broken to the point where it wouldn't send a signal. Could also be the issue where the front plate of the phaser spun off those little crappy roll pins during torque down. There is three pins and the plate may of been pulled up off of the phaser while placing the phaser back on the cam. Had that happen to me when I first did my cams. Lucky I saw it spinning while torquing. It may not be in its proper location, throwing that said code.

It's odd how its always that bank when these cam code/cam install issues arise. I hope the OP gets it figured out and finds out what the issue is.