Chrysler Repair: 1996 Sebring Convertable Starting Problems, camshaft sensor, crankshaft sensor

Question
QUESTION: This is a strange one, our Sebring starts up fine, we drive it home, no problems.  We drive about 30 miles, when we get home we turn off the car.  We get back into the car about 15 min. later and if does not start.  We have the dash lights on, the radio on.  Then if we wait about 30 or more minutes it starts right up.  This happened a couple of weeks ago, and we took it to a mechanic and he as not able to find any problems.  Everytime he tried the car started right up.  We drove it a couple of times this week and it starts up.  Last night drive home, make a stop, (about 15 or so mins) got in the car and would not start, all dash lights, radio work.  Then waited a bit and it started right up.  Any ideas....

Thank you
Cathy Kennedy

ANSWER: Hi Cathy,
This very appears to be one of the two sensors of engine position (crankshaft or camshaft) that are needed to time the spark and the injectors. These breakdown in just the manner you describe. But you need to find out which one is breaking down:
I would try using the ignition key to get a fault code readout:"On-off-on-off-on and leave on" doing that in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch the check engine light which remains "on" to begin to flash, pause, flash, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause. Then repeat to be sure of an accurate count. Then group the numbers in pairs in the order of appearance to form the 2-digit fault codes. The last code will always be 55 which means "end of readout". Then go to www.allpar.com/fix/codes.html for a code listing.  Then write back and we'll go from there.
Code 11 is for the crankshaft sensor, code 54 is for the camshaft sensor (which for the 2.5L V-6 engine means replacing the distributor in which it is located, unfortunately, unless you can find the sensor separately or find a good used one in a wrecking yard; at least those maybe the only alternatives since the sensor itself doesn't seem to be sold separately. But check to verify that is the case if you get the 54 code.)
Roland



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Roland,

Thank you so much for the feedback, it happened again last night when we cam home, pulled the car in the garage, shut it off and then tried to start it and heard the hmm of the fuel pump, the dash lights, radio work.  We did the on/off thing and we got 5 flashes pause 5 flashes?  We did it a couple of times and got the same thing.  Strange?  We waited about 2 hours and the car started right up.  At this point we are hoping to get with our mechanic and letting him know that we are going to bring it to his shop on the way home, and maybe it will do it thing and he can hook it up to one of those computer reading things that they hook up cars to and maybe that will tell us what is wrong.  It has been a great car and we have had really no problems with it..  1996 Sebring Convertible with a 2.5L V6 with H in the Vin number...  If you have any other ideas, please pass then along....

Answer
Hi Cathey,
I would, the next time this happens, carry along a plastic handled philips head screwdriver so that you can test it for spark. You simply remove one of the caps on a spark plug of the front bank of cylinders. Then insert the screwdriver in the cap so the tip touches the internal wire. Then hold the handle and the cap and position the shaft of the screwdriver 1/4" from the cylinder head or other convenient metal part of the engine while a helper tries the starter for 5 seconds to see if you get a spark to jump between the shaft and the metal. If so, then there is no problem with the spark, otherwise you either have a subtle issue with the sensors (not so severe as to set that fault code) or it could be simple like a rotor, inside the distributor breaking down. If you do have spark, then I would suspect a mixture problem with the MAP sensor which also can fail without setting a code. Having it fail at the shop is the next approach that should bear fruit.
Roland