Chrysler Repair: P1391, crank sensor, pin assignments

Question
Hi there!  I have a 2000 Caravan.  It has been acting like the transmission is slipping, and check engine light came on.  I took it to Auto Zone for the diagnostic test and it came back P1391.  Probable cases is 1. Timing belt or chain stretched or jumped.  2. Defective CMP sensor.  Is there a way to check the sensor?

Answer
Hi Mairsa,
According to an '01 Chrysler manual it could also be the crank sensor not just the cam (cmp) sensor. In any case it is 'intermittent', rather than 'sporadic' which would cause a longer shut down followed by recovery after some minutes. The 'sporadic' is more likely the sensor, whereas the 'intermittent' is more likely the wiring harness or the connectors from the harness to the sensor. At this point it would be good to locate the two sensors and then with the engine running try gently moving the connector and harness for each while the engine is running to see if you can get one or the other to stumble momentarily which would then give you an idea which is bad and where. If that doesn't reveal anything then write back and tell me which engine you have and I can tell you the wiring colors and pin assignments at the PCM plug and you can check the continuity from the connector to the PCM. Also, you can monitor the pulsing of the sensor with a voltmeter, but only statically (turning the engine by hand). That would be more likely to be revelatory if the sensor was not working at all rather that intermittent.
Roland