P0018 Crankshaft Position/Camshaft Position Correlation Bank 2 Sensor A(incl part #s)

[mrgreat]

Out of warranty and my little smart suddenly popped a CEL over the long holiday weekend

Code on the scangauge is P0018 and the symptoms I am seeing are very similar to a severe form of what heraldhamster mentioned last year - engine surging, hesitation while accelerating, and wacky timing in general.

Does anyone know if "Correlation Bank 2 Sensor A" is signaling the Camshaft Hall Sensor [B6/1 - MB 006 153 40 28] or the Crankshaft Position Sensor [L5 - MB 006 153 39 28]?

With either one, is it possible to swap sensors without dropping the engine / major disassembly?


heraldhamster - similar issue
engine surging in park or neutral...

MPrice2984 - part numbers
smart parts supply

Sensor diagram [p.36 of tech supplement]
billo's itibitismart - 2008 smart technical service manual

[mrgreat]

As an update - subscribed to the tech manual on Alldata and see that both sensors are reasonably accessible. Camshaft sensor is up and to the left of the plugs while looking at the engine from the top. The crankshaft sensor is to the left of the oil filter on the crankcase itself when looking at the engine from ground level.

No leads on picking up a camshaft sensor outside the dealership if necessary, but the crankshaft sensor [1865A069] is readily available and cross listed as fitting a 2007-2008 Mitsubishi Outlander V6. Alternate part number equivalents include PC760 [Intermotor] and 180-0403 [Beck] on RockAuto.

[jwight]

Interesting; camshaft sensor issues seem to be a frequent topic on the M-B forums.

[mrgreat]

Another small update - part number physically on the camshaft sensor is Denso 1865A070. Still trying to find an application cross reference

[mrgreat]

Well - the good news is that both the cam and crank sensors are super easy to replace. The bad news is that after replacing both, swapping out the plugs (looked fine but why not), and disconnecting/reconnecting the battery, the car is still running terribly. Same error code.

I suppose I need to find a way to get to the dealer...

[chieftmc]

Originally Posted by mrgreat

Well - the good news is that both the cam and crank sensors are super easy to replace. The bad news is that after replacing both, swapping out the plugs (looked fine but why not), and disconnecting/reconnecting the battery, the car is still running terribly. Same error code.

I suppose I need to find a way to get to the dealer...

Unfortunately....seems like it

[mrgreat]

Towed the car to the nearest dealership - in my case, the problem was diagnosed as the adjustable camshaft timing solenoid [Y49 in the technical diagram / Mercedes part 1321800015]

Access is straightforward - the solenoid is held on with a single bolt on top of the engine between the oil filler and the alternator

[MPrice2984]

My crank position sensor died at about 75k. The car would turn over but no fire. The part is a common part to the Mitsubishi 3.0V6 (08-11) and costs about half as much through a Mitsubishi dealer. I had to reboot the ECU by pulling the positive battery cable off for about 30 seconds and then tightening it back up.
A failed cam sensor won't keep the car from firing, a failed crank position sensor will stop it dead in it's tracks. I didn't even get a warning code when it happened to me. All of the sensors on the engine are Mitsubishi, not Mercedes though some are only on the smart in the US. It pays to Google the number on the part.

[mrgreat]

Yup - the crank sensor is super easy to find - the equivalent to the cam sensor [1865A070] is unfortunately only used on the Smart and is not listed in the Mitsubishi parts database here in the US. Sourcing options are either bulk from Hong Kong or direct from the Smart dealer.

From diagrams of the 6B31, it looks like the solenoid might be available from Mitsubishi but I no longer have the car to pull the part and check. Anyone have a part number handy?

Suggestion for our vendors out there - any chance you could offer a kit with the two sensors and the solenoid for anyone else who has these types of problems going forward? Installation of all three takes about 15 minutes and a 10mm wrench. Even if only one part conked out, replacing all three yourself still costs far less than having one swapped out at the dealership.

[MPrice2984]

The crank sensor is the same part as the one used on the Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0V6 engine.