Code 41 Cam Sensor Issue When Car Warms Up

Overdose

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2011
I hate to post another cam sensor related thread but I wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts on an issue I've been experiencing before I go hanging parts. I pulled my engine out last winter to do some minor clean up work to both the engine and the engine bay. Every since I've got the car running again it appears to be running great for the first 10-15 minutes and then it starts missing, throws a code 41, and then goes into limp mode and won't start again until i reset the computer. I've set the cam sensor twice, the first time with the lining up the dots method, and the second time with a volt meter. It's getting good voltage to the sensor, all the grounds are hooked up tight including the two bolts on the back of the head, the ground on the turbo bracket, and I have a ground strap from the intake to the firewall. There's nothing on the scanmaster that is alarming, crank sensor checks out ok but I haven't taken a close look at it. The car runs better than it ever has before the issue occurs which makes it hard for me to believe the sensor is bad when it ran fine before I took the motor out. If the sensor is bad wouldn't it have the issue all the time and not just in closed loop? However, I don't know what else to check, the no start tree at vortexbuicks points to a faulty cam sensor as well. The last time I had the sensor out the gear did not look worn and it had very little vertical play. The sensor cap has always had a small crack in it but it never caused an issue before. Should I just buy a new sensor or has anyone else had this problem?

Thanks in advance for any input, there's nothing more frustrating than having your car apart all winter and still not being able to enjoy it once you get it back together.
 
If it ran fine before look to the module. 41 started popping up and i knew it wasnt the sensor cause ive been beatin the hell outof it for awhile. It wasnt until i found someone chasing the same problem and the module change worked. Gl :)
 
If the cam sensor was defective, the car wouldn't start. Period. By removing the battery connection, the car starts, so that eliminates the sensor.

The CCCI module is your culprit. Try running the car until the code gets set. Then blast the module with some of that duster spray (invert the can so it sprays liquid) to cool it off. Try restarting. If a cool module makes the code disappear, you found your problem.

Be careful on the replacement module; aftermarket modules will give you mixed results as some won't work properly in the turbo cars. Try to find a good OEM module first.
 
IIRC Computer Controlled Coil Ignition, fancy name for ignition module:)
 
Thanks guys! I'm going to do some more troubleshooting on it this weekend and hopefully find the cause. I'll keep an eye out for any OEM CCCI modules for sale on here. I checked a few vendors but didn't see any listed.
 
The CCCI module is your culprit. Try running the car until the code gets set. Then blast the module with some of that duster spray (invert the can so it sprays liquid) to cool it off. Try restarting. If a cool module makes the code disappear, you found your problem.

Now that I think of it, the second time this happened I let the car set and tried starting it again the next day once the engine was cooled off and it started fine. If it was the CCCI module, would disconnecting the battery have any affect?
 
Driving down I75 to Fla. About 15 hours from home, check engine light came on. Pulled into Hardys lot, saw this thread, installed spare coil/module. Got back on the road. Would like to thank John for his insight. Oh, autozone will warrant module (lifetime). So I will still have a spare for the ride home. 80 degrees in Fla. Today BTW.
 
Swapped the old module for a new one at autozone. Assembled the new module with coil, then read the instructions where they said you might have to reverse the blue and yellow wires "if the engine does not run correctly". Anyone know what the symptoms would be? The instructions indicate the preferred configuration is for the yellow wire to be closest to the wire harness, then Green, then blue. I put the blue wire closest to the wire harness, then green, then yellow.I hate to switch the blue and yellow wires and risk breaking a tab off. Thanks.
 
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Swapping the wires around will change the firing order. Or better said, which plugs get fired at which time.

The blue wire is for cylinders 3 & 6, with the yellow wire for cylinders 1 & 4.

Reverse them and the firing of those cylinders get swapped. I would imagine that the engine would run fairly bad.

On an OEM '87 ICM the yellow is closest to the harness connector, then green, then the blue wire. Can see it here on this page:

http://www.dynamicefi.com/CnP_Type-1-Install.php

The second and third picture show this as the blue wire isn't even long enough to clip onto the tab closest to the connector.

To really mix this up I have a Caspers pdf on the '86 - '87 CCI system and it shows the blue as being closest to the harness connector.

This may be due to the fact that the OEM coil pack is symmetrical and can be mounted with 1 & 4 coil next to the harness connector or with the 3 & 6 coil next to the harness connector. The OEM coil pack also has the cylinder numbers molded into it. Which will only be the correct cylinders when wired correctly.

RemoveBeforeFlight
 
I put blue closest to the wire harness so maybe I did it correct by accident. Also I have 3 and 6 closest to the wire harness. So just to be clear, must 3 and 6 be closest to the wire harness?
 
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