It was easier working under my Dakota...

My wife bought a 2005 Neon (VIN 1B3ES56C05D236762 in case it helps any misunderstandings I may have).

Check engine light went on yesterday.

Autozone pulled code, and though the slip does not appear to show the code, it states
OEM Number to Cross: P0340
Cam Sensor condition
and goes on to advise to:

• check electrical connectors,
• replace the sensor, or
• engine mechanical condition-timing belt/chain

as the possible sources.

Now given all that, I looked up what I could through the Autozone site and some Alldata info, then after much swearing, I managed to get a jack under the vehicle, lift it up and inch under it. For the life of me, I can not correlate the pictures of where the sensor is supposed to be to what I am looking at.

Can someone please give me some guidance first using looking down from the front of the car at the engine as to whether this puppy is in the front, back, left or right (OK, to be correct, let us use driver's left or right), a few more relative reference points like maybe the starter or oil filter, and finally whether it is possible to handle from above or if I need get under it again (found there is no way to use my ramps with that low front end!!!)?

Also any tips are appreciated, as too many times I have found that these manuals and real-world can be fairly different experiences.

 

If you are looking down from the front of the car, it is on the right side of the engine below the valve cover. It's on the side of the head (obviously). Little black square with a connector on it.

 

Oh good Lord... Thank-you! I might as well been looking in my back yard from the directions i was working off of. I see it now. Looks a little tight and will have to probably pull the battery to change the unit, but at least i am in the right universe now!!!

 

Deleted duplicate...

 

So I disconnected the battery to clear the code and also access the sensor connector, firmed up the wire connector (well, jiggled and shoved it) and then put everything back and drove it. No warning light so far.

What concerns me is that my wife claims that the morning when she had the problem, the light went on and the engine was having some sort of stutter, but ever since I drove it, even before playing with anything, the engine has run fine. Is this the pattern of a sensor in the process of failing? Just want to be prepared for whatever happens and what to do next, for I honestly doubt my fiddling did anything but clear the code for now.

 

you could have re-seated the connection making it better.
give it a few more real life tests and consider it fixed.

 

The engine won't run correctly if this sensor isn't working. If it is mis-reading it, it'll start to act up.

 

Present game plan is that if it starts messing up again, I will just replace the darned thing - that would handle both eventualities of a gradually failing sensor and corrosion in the clip, as I would clean (well, attempt to clean) the contacts properly then.

I GREATLY appreciate the support you guys and everyone else brings to this forum. Gone are the days when I could afford to pay someone else to repair my cars - heck, if I could afford to spread my income as I did in the past, I would, but right now I am in survival mode, barely keeping my head above water. If it were not for you folks, I would be back to walking to my present-day job a mile and a half away working floor sales at a Target... and right now the mornings easily drop into the single digits...