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I will add that I have read on the internets that cam sensor helps it start then is out of play ... because of this belief I always assumed the brand new cam sensor was fine and tried everything else .... I changed the crank sensor 3 times.
The 3rd one was a NOS from ebay. .... well it's running, can't be a cam sensor!!!
Finally took it to a local mechanic to pay to have him use his OBD1 scanner on it ... turns out he sold it ... seems he had to pay a annual license fee for it and not worth keeping it.
His advice, if it was a bad crank sensor it would not start .... the O2 sensor, MAP sensor or the cam sensor is the only things that can cause the engine to run like that after it warms up and runs off the sensors.
Because I used my spark tester connected to plug wire/spark plug .... Dodge 3.3 is a wasted spark system meaning it fires every stroke ... just a steady spark ... once it warmed up, the spark was erratic and disappear and just all over the place.
So I knew it was ignition related and not O2 sensor ... changed the cam sensor as mechanic suggested and it runs perfect and we have put over 6K trouble free miles on it.
Was just really frustrating as it was a used motor with 135K miles on it and I replaced every sensor,coil, plugs/wires before I installed it ... then had the ignition issue ... I bought a used ECM ... is installed now and original is tucked away for a spare. I rebuilt the injector wire harness where it crosses over exhaust ... hoping it would fix the problem, then I went after the wire harness under the battery tray.
I went through months of trying everything to fix it ... because I read on the internet, the cam sensor only helps it start .. if it's running it is not a cam sensor ... I disagree with that statement 110%
Then monitor your spark ... according to my mechanics advice, you might have a bad O2 sensor MAP sensor or a bad cam sensor ... bad cam sensor will affect the spark and make it erratic ... I do not know for sure, I do not think the O2 or MAP will effect ignition spark. .... so the spark test will give you a start.
IMHO, if the crank sensor went bad and it works hand in hand with cam sensor ... it has just as many hours on it as the old crank sensor .... for my personal vehicles, I would replace them together.
My problem cam sensor was brand new, at first I could drive the car about 50-60 miles before it acted up ... just gradually got worse where could only drive 4-5 miles.
https://p15-d24.com/topic/55045-way-...ge/9/#comments
I have a thread on the car elsewhere and on December 6 2024 I started talking about my issue ... August 26 2025 I wrote ... 4 full pages of replacing fuel relays, fuel pump, rebuild wire harness, replace ECM ... Moral of the story, cam sensors count also
I was told by many people online that the cam sensors helps the engine start ... crank sensor keeps it running.
This is false ... camshaft sensor finds #1 cylinder ... if it is not working, it can not control timing.
I paid dearly for this lesson, one I will not forget.
That would be injector timing. When starting, the cam sensor needs to change state at least once, for the PCM to know which injector to fire. If it never gets a signal, it will never fire the injectors. Cam sensor has absolutely nothing to do with ignition. (aside from providing the fuel to ignite.)
Maybe I'm not a professional mechanic and do not understand injector timing.
When I monitor spark going to the plugs and it turns erratic when in closed loop I call that timing ... maybe it does control when to fire the injectors, is also controlling when to fire the plugs. As a non mechanic, I call that timing since the cam sensors locates #1 cylinder to send that information.
I'm speaking solely on a 2nd gen1993 Dodge Caravan 3.3 V6 ... A first gen Dakota is a 3.9 V6? ... maybe they are different.
When I read this ... I find it as disinformation. Cam sensor changes state once per crankshaft revolution, indicating to the PCM where in the firing order the engine is. This is how it knows which injector to fire. (sequential port fuel injection after all....) It is REQUIRED for engine startup, after that, it's open to debate..... But, it seems to me, if you have a wonky crank sensor, One of two mis-reads there, and injector timing is now out of whack......
The cam sensor is in play the whole time the engine is running ... It locates #1 to start and it needs to work every revolution of the engine for the engine to run correctly.
I spent 8 months searching for non existent issues because I believed the myth that if it start and runs, cam sensor does not matter ... $15 & 15 minutes to change a cam sensor, could have saved me 8 months of headache ... because I believed the myth cam sensor does not matter.
Joes automotive is the best and busiest shop in town ... Joe explained it to me how the cam sensor works ... I know for a fact the spark to plugs was erratic once in closed loop ... another fact, changing cam sensor fixed it.
Lets not argue about it ... you will not convince me, I will not convince you ... I will always speak up when I hear how non relevant the cam sensor is. Cam sensors matter.
Wrenchtosser may have a bad MAP or O2 sensor ... cam sensor is a possibility. .... spark verification is needed.
Maybe I'm not a professional mechanic and do not understand injector timing.
When I monitor spark going to the plugs and it turns erratic when in closed loop I call that timing ... maybe it does control when to fire the injectors, is also controlling when to fire the plugs. As a non mechanic, I call that timing since the cam sensors locates #1 cylinder to send that information.
I'm speaking solely on a 2nd gen1993 Dodge Caravan 3.3 V6 ... A first gen Dakota is a 3.9 V6? ... maybe they are different.
When I read this ... I find it as disinformation. Cam sensor changes state once per crankshaft revolution, indicating to the PCM where in the firing order the engine is. This is how it knows which injector to fire. (sequential port fuel injection after all....) It is REQUIRED for engine startup, after that, it's open to debate..... But, it seems to me, if you have a wonky crank sensor, One of two mis-reads there, and injector timing is now out of whack......
The cam sensor is in play the whole time the engine is running ... It locates #1 to start and it needs to work every revolution of the engine for the engine to run correctly.
I spent 8 months searching for non existent issues because I believed the myth that if it start and runs, cam sensor does not matter ... $15 & 15 minutes to change a cam sensor, could have saved me 8 months of headache ... because I believed the myth cam sensor does not matter.
Joes automotive is the best and busiest shop in town ... Joe explained it to me how the cam sensor works ... I know for a fact the spark to plugs was erratic once in closed loop ... another fact, changing cam sensor fixed it.
Lets not argue about it ... you will not convince me, I will not convince you ... I will always speak up when I hear how non relevant the cam sensor is. Cam sensors matter.
Wrenchtosser may have a bad MAP or O2 sensor ... cam sensor is a possibility. .... spark verification is needed.
Cam sensor has nothing to do with ignition timing. It is ONLY about injector timing. The engine has a distributor, that decides which cylinder gets the spark, crank sensor and PCM determine when to fire the coil.
Bear in mind though, crank and cam sensors are on the same 5 volt feed, so, if the cam sensor starts screwing up, it can most certainly affect the crank sensor as well..... And even stranger..... A weak signal from the crank sensor can give you a weak spark. GDStock demonstrated that one for me. (long time ago.) Isn't fuel injection fun......
I've been doing this a LONG time. (state certified as well....) I know how these things work. This is the 'trust me bro' moment.
KK Bro we are comparing apples and oranges ... A 1993 and earlier 3.3 V6 does not have a distributor ... I once owned a 1994 Dakota with a 3.9 ... I honestly can not remember if it had a distributor or not.
If the engine has a distributor .... I wonder why it even has a cam sensor ... other then to control injector timing
So if a first Gen Dakota has a distributor ... we are not talking about the same engines.
What year is your dak? That bit of info is conspicuously absent in this thread.
And a 3.3?? Not an engine I am familiar with. When did the dak EVER come with a 3.3???? Certainly not a standard engine for them..... (and yeah, that would indeed make a difference. I am basing what I say on the 3.9 magnum engine. (the 92? and earlier were LA engines, and were either carbed, or throttle body injection.)
You are correct and why we are guessing at it ... 3.3 V6 was a starting point, later they went to a 3.8 which is just a stroked 3.3 ... these are transverse mounted in fwd cars, vans ... the 3.9 is a rwd truck ... I just assumed the technology was the same.
More info is needed.
Again I will agree with you ... if it has a distributor and a cam sensor .... just injector timing.
If no distributor and a crank/cam sensor ... cam senor is just as important as a crank sensor. ... I'm thinking the cam sensor takes on a bigger role and replaces the distributor.
I'm still going to stick with the belief, crank and cam sensors should be replaced as a pair.
Back in the day, we would replace points, rotor, condenser,cap ... these parts wore together ... a modern tuneup includes crank and cam sensor together ... honestly all the sensors on these older engines are cheap, I replaced them all and kept the proven working ones.
Sadly I will have to make a trip from TX > WA ... wife Father has cancer between stage 4-5 ... is 3K miles round trip ... we will not hesitate to drive the old 1993 van
Same thing with a first Gen Dakota ... parts are cheap, take care of it and can drive it anywhere.
Oh, so it's not a dakota at all... Its a FWD van. That explains a LOT.
On the DIS motors, cam sensor still does pretty much the same job. Tells the PCM where in the firing order the engine is. I don't know if yours reads a tone ring, or if it's just an On for 1 rotation, Off for one rotation, like the magnum motors. Never really played much with those. (aside from brakes and exhaust.....)
Well this is a Dodge forum, not a Dakota forum ... the 3.3/3.8 V6 is known to go 300K miles ... 4spd overdrive transmissions ... 180K ... cheap and easy to rebuild at home.
The 3.3 in 1993 did not have a distributor ... I only assumed a first gen 3.9 would also not have a distributor ....
Having a distributor and a cam sensor .... just seems morally wrong ....
Well this is a Dodge forum, not a Dakota forum ... the 3.3/3.8 V6 is known to go 300K miles ... 4spd overdrive transmissions ... 180K ... cheap and easy to rebuild at home.
The 3.3 in 1993 did not have a distributor ... I only assumed a first gen 3.9 would also not have a distributor ....
Having a distributor and a cam sensor .... just seems morally wrong ....
You are posting in the 1st Gen Dakota section. You'll have to excuse me if I thought you were driving a *gasp* Dakota. There are specific sections for the vans as well, but, even so, posting what you are driving when you are talking about it is extremely helpful, and will help avoid such confusion in the future. This is one of the main reasons we HAVE different sections for different vehicles.
