Crankshaft Position Sensor: Description and Operation

Crankshaft position sensor (CKP Sensor)
The crankshaft position sensor is the most important sensor on the engine. It is located in the left hand side of the flywheel housing and uses a different thickness of spacer for manual and automatic gearboxes.
The signal it produces informs the ECM:
- The engine is turning.
- How fast the engine is turning.
- Which stage the engine is at in the cycle.

As there is no default strategy, failure of the crankshaft sensor will result in the engine failing to start. The fault is indicated by illumination of the malfunction indicator light (MIL) on North American specification vehicles.