The Nissan Path

I just recently changed my alternator about two weeks ago in which everything seems to be working fine. A couple of months ago I did had a check engine light on in which the crank shaft position sensor went off, came to see that it was the distributor that went bad. I changed it and ever since the car been working like a champ. Yesterday I plugged in my ODB II in which threw out that the car has the same problem Crank Shaft Position sensor, the car works fine, nothing wrong, purrs like a kitten. Is it possible that my ODBII went bad or is it having a fault?

Crank positions sensor is located on the top of the transmission bellhousing, slightly towards the driver's side. It's held in with a single, 10mm head bolt and there "should" be a heat shield around it, if it has been disposed of by somebody in the past. It's a pain in the tail to get to, especially if you have 4WD. It's easiest seen an accessed from the bottom of the vehicle with the vehicle on a lift. It's strictly for ECM monitoring and has no affect on performance nor drivability.

smj999smj wrote:Crank positions sensor is located on the top of the transmission bellhousing, slightly towards the driver's side. It's held in with a single, 10mm head bolt and there "should" be a heat shield around it, if it has been disposed of by somebody in the past. It's a pain in the tail to get to, especially if you have 4WD. It's easiest seen an accessed from the bottom of the vehicle with the vehicle on a lift. It's strictly for ECM monitoring and has no affect on performance nor drivability.

I did change the sensor on the transmission bell housing about three months ago and as well the distributor. Back then the car would not hold a stable idle and acceleration was horrible! Right now the car is running fine nothing out of the ordinary but no CEL only OBD II throwing that code, I notice that I have to enter the make of the car since it is not picking up the information. Can it be because I switched the alternator about a week and a half ago?

The alternator replacement shouldn't have anything to do with it. Several things can cause a crank position code; you could have a poor ground or a wiring issue. You best bet would be to follow the diagnostic procedure for the crank position sensor code located in the factory service manual. You didn't mention what year Pathfinder you have, but you may be able to find the Engine Control chapter of the FSM in the "knowledge base" at NissanHelp.com or a full service manual at Nico Club's site.

smj999smj wrote:The alternator replacement shouldn't have anything to do with it. Several things can cause a crank position code; you could have a poor ground or a wiring issue. You best bet would be to follow the diagnostic procedure for the crank position sensor code located in the factory service manual. You didn't mention what year Pathfinder you have, but you may be able to find the Engine Control chapter of the FSM in the "knowledge base" at NissanHelp.com or a full service manual at Nico Club's site.

I have a 1997 Pathfinder SE, yesterday I went out of the office to get me some lunch, when I came to start my car the dashboard lights kinda dimmed on me and bam the car started, when I got to the office I turned off the car and tried to get it going again after 3 clicks the car started. Same when I got home but it only took 1 click. I saw that it might be the starter causing the code to start CEL, also the new distributor cap was thrown in when the mechanic changed the sensor.

It might be a starter, or you still have a charging system incident. Just because a part is "new," doesn't always mean it's good, especially when dealing with aftermarket parts. Or, the alternator may be good, but the battery could be weak, battery cable connections could be poor or corrosion in the cables, there could be to much resistance in the 10-gauge wire to the back or the alternator (or an open)...or a blown out, charging system warning lamp bulb. So, check the battery and charging system before dropping money down for a new starter.

smj999smj wrote:It might be a starter, or you still have a charging system incident. Just because a part is "new," doesn't always mean it's good, especially when dealing with aftermarket parts. Or, the alternator may be good, but the battery could be weak, battery cable connections could be poor or corrosion in the cables, there could be to much resistance in the 10-gauge wire to the back or the alternator (or an open)...or a blown out, charging system warning lamp bulb. So, check the battery and charging system before dropping money down for a new starter.

I am suspecting the starter since I started in the morning and the car started fine, shut it off again and on and bam it did a low RPM start. I erased the code to see if it will come on again.

From what my friends told me:
If it was the sensor from the bellhousing your car will not turn on at all!
If it was the one from the distributor then the car will not idle properly causing it to fluctuate.

Your friends are wrong about the crank position sensor on the bellhousing. As I said, it is only a monitoring sensor for the ECM. It does not affect drivability. It states so in the service manual.

smj999smj wrote:Your friends are wrong about the crank position sensor on the bellhousing. As I said, it is only a monitoring sensor for the ECM. It does not affect drivability. It states so in the service manual.

Are Nissan picky about the sensors like spark plugs? I got the sensor from Autozone in which I am unsure if they prefer something else as in brand wise?

Yes. It's best to stick with genuine Nisaan or at least the original equipment manufacturer, which is typically Hitachi or Mitsubishi when it come to cam and crank sensors. The sensor can be component tested using an ohmmeter; the factory service manual will have the specs in the engine control chapter.

smj999smj wrote:Yes. It's best to stick with genuine Nisaan or at least the original equipment manufacturer, which is typically Hitachi or Mitsubishi when it come to cam and crank sensors. The sensor can be component tested using an ohmmeter; the factory service manual will have the specs in the engine control chapter.

No wonder, I got the sensor from Autozone after market parts. If that is the case I might as well get a new one from Nissan OEM parts.

Rockauto.com sometimes has Hitachi sensors, so it might be worth checking there.

smj999smj wrote:Rockauto.com sometimes has Hitachi sensors, so it might be worth checking there.

Checked there and nothing lol, you got me addicted to that site now lmao!!!! I checked on Nissan OEM site and only alternative they have.