QuestionQUESTION: First of all, I understand that you are a Ford person, but the Dodge person could not answer the question, and there was only one person for Dodge. Thank you in advance for your help. Here is my question... I have an 02 Intrepid with a 2.7 engine. My car wouldn't start it was diagnosed with a bad camshaft sensor. I installed the sensor. My car started for 2 days. Then the same problem, wouldn't start again. I went back to AutoZone and got another sensor. My car started. On my way to work the next morning I pulled into a gas station for gas, my motor was running rough so I figured I would get gas after work. I drove another 3 miles past the gas station, a total of about 15 miles since I installed the second camshaft sensor. My oil and engine light came on I pulled over immediately there was a lot of noise in the upper portion of the motor and it was determined that my motor blew up. Was this a coincidence my motor blew up or was it self inflicted from the camshaft sensor that I changed twice? I changed the 2 camshaft sensors within a 3 day period. Any input you have in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
ANSWER: When the first new sensor went defective should have been a red flag. The Dodge should have been immediately towed. The problem was probably due to either a defect in the camshaft, or the rod that notifies the sensor. It is hard to say, but still a good guess/bet. Either way, you are more than likely correct, you warped several valves and need head work done. At the age of the motor replacement is recommended of the long block.
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QUESTION: When the first camshaft sensor went bad, I got out of work that day, and my car wouldn't start. I did have it towed to a garage for diagnosis, and it was determined that my camshaft sensor was bad after being scanned. Is it possible that the few days of driving the car between the first and second camshaft sensor is when the damage was done to the motor? Once again, thank you for your time. Greg.
AnswerI did not necessarily mean that anyone was fault. Due to the age of the engine and quite frankly, parts break. My only point was that clearly there was an internal engine part that was defective. Without it making noise, it would have been hard to catch, and who is to say what exactly was the main culprit. Only by tearing the engine down to rebuild, can you basically perform an autopsy. Due to my unfamiliarity with Dodges, I am not aware of any occurring problems in this area. Try a thread board for dodge Intrepids. The response may take a while though.
