Hi all. I've been lurking for a while, but now I have a problem, and I sure hope that you can help me. I did a search, and didn't find anything.

 

I have a '95 Legacy L Wagon 80,000 miles, with 2.2L engine and 5MT. I bought it last fall from my brother. Today, while I was running errands, it refused to start. It would crank over, but no spark. A few minutes later, it started, but I had a CEL. I went to AutoZone, and they said it was the Crankshaft Position Sensor. I had the exact same thing happen a couple of months ago. Now that it had happened twice, I am worried about it.

 

Will this continue to happen until I replace the sensor?

 

Should I just replace the sensor, or there some other thing causing the sensor to read bad?

 

Should I try to clean the sensor, or just replace?

 

Thanks in advance for any and all help that you can give me.

This is common and replacing the sensor would be the first thing to do, along with the camshaft sensor which is of the same design.

I recently had to replace the camshaft sensor. Da** expensive by the way but relatively easy DIY.

1) It's one of the most simple part to replace. ONe connector and one bolt.

2) Price: if your car is 95-03, you're in luck crank and cam sensors are $17.96 USD each at 1stSubaruParts. If earlier, you're out of luck, it's $183.00 for the crank sensor.

In Canada they ask the same high price even for the 95 and after models. Go figure...

https://www.1stsubaruparts.com/

Sounds about right, I was definately out of luck!

Never knew that pre-1995 sensors cost 10 times more. What can possibly explain such difference?

answering a year old question -- on the older cars the 'crank angle sensor' is part of the distributor and can't be fixed except by replacing the distributor.

 

Thus per the service bulletin files I got from Alldata for the 1988 GL, anyhow. I don't know when it changed to being a separate component instead of built inside the distributor.

answering a year old question -- on the older cars the 'crank angle sensor' is part of the distributor and can't be fixed except by replacing the distributor.

 

Thus per the service bulletin files I got from Alldata for the 1988 GL, anyhow. I don't know when it changed to being a separate component instead of built inside the distributor.

 

My 90 Legacy has the sensor mounted in the oil pump housing, comes right out with one screw. Based on what you say I would guess they started doing this with the EJ22 engine. I can't explain the high cost (nor did I confirm it).

 

For you electronics guys - is this a hall effect sensor? I don't know what else it could be...