Cam sensor fix....surging, backfiring.

[87natl]

Last weekend my car went crazy and started bucking and backfiring with even light throttle. It would idle, but even touch the throttle and it would surge and act ALL KIDS OF CRAZY! I left it on the side of the road and walked 3.5 miles home....Ugh.

Got the wife and another vehicle and went back, got it started, and disconnected the cam sensor after startup. This allowed me to nurse the car home. Once home in the garage, I popped the cap off of the cam sensor and could see that the tab in the interrupter ring was sheared off. I'm honestly surprised teh car even started in the first place....but God was smiling on me and decided to save me a tow bill.

I mention the above simply becasue it might help someone if they have a similar problem and are trying to track down a nasty problem with surging and backfiring.

On to my question. I ordered a repair kit for the cam sensor from RJC. Got it installed and the car runs fine again. The kit has a new bolt with a locking washer on it. The old setup appeared to have a threadlock compound on it to keep it from breaking free. Should it take it back out and put threadlock on the RJC bolt? Anyone done this? There is also a thin washer that rides freeley below the interrupter ring...whcich seems strang to me becasue there is nothing there to perfectly center it. Am I missing something.

No strange noises and ran fine on a little test run. But.....I don't need any more long walks.

 

[Junior Samples]

Dang Mike, good thing it was there when you got back to it... IM not sure on the threadlock fix, just glad you got it back home and safe

 

[87natl]

Yeah, it broke down on Narcoosee, near the 417. At least I got safely off the road with it. Could have happened in a much worse location. Car was running perfectly fine right up until then, and I wasn't beating on it when it happened. Freakish, but aparently not all that uncommon. Hard to believe we have such a weak link in our ignition system.

 

[Bruce Urie]

Just for extra insurance, even with the lock washer, I'd take the bolt out and put some threadlocker on it. You can never be too careful with these damn Tubo Buicks. Pays to play it safe. And possibly save yourself another three and one half mile walk home again (or further) One day, God will be busy with some other poor sap who forgot to put on the threadlocker (like me), and you could be stuck. Just my opinion from a logical point of view.:wink:

Bruce '87 Grand National

 

[Razor]

The real question is what cuased the tab to shear off...

More than likely the sensor is whooped.. and will need replacing. Bushing/bearing/etc..

What cuases the tab to break is the wheel hits the photo interupter. Kind of like a lawnmower breaking the key when the blade hits something hard while its spinning.

 

[87natl]

Dunno, Razor. There were no signs of the cap getting hit by teh interrupter. And it never made noise. Seems to run fine now. As far as I am aware, that was the original cam sensor. 23 years old, stuff just breaks.

I'd still like to hear opinions on that washer underneath......

 

[TurboBuRick]

Dunno, Razor. There were no signs of the cap getting hit by teh interrupter. And it never made noise. Seems to run fine now. As far as I am aware, that was the original cam sensor. 23 years old, stuff just breaks.

I'd still like to hear opinions on that washer underneath......

The washer is factory.

 

[LOT]

wick

Isn't there wick under the washer that should be soaked with oil (lube). I think vibration sometimes is the cause of the tab breaking. I had one break--repaired --ran forever.

 

[87natl]

It may be factory, but unless I am missing something there is nothing to center that washer. It's floating free, and could easily be off center.

 

[LOT]

washer

It may be factory, but unless I am missing something there is nothing to center that washer. It's floating free, and could easily be off center.

I'm not talking about the one with the window in it--yes it has a locating tab. I'm talking about the stainless steel one. I think it is a spacer/ rub washer--something for the tabbed one to ride on. You are right it has no locating tab. It's also been a while since I had one apart.

 

[87natl]

Yup, that's the one I am talking about, the rub washer. No shouder to center it, which seems extremely odd to me.