Cam shaft position sensor issues.

I am really new to this Aveo life. Got our daughter an 07 and it was running great. 150k on it, but very well maintained by a family member. Our daughter was driving it last night and all the sudden she said it started making a loud noise and lost most engine power. The tick is very loud and upon first glance I was sure it was extremely low on oil. However it was not, and the oil on the stick was barely even dirty. Ran the codes and the only one popping up is the camshaft position sensor. I cleared it and made it pop back up multiple times. I tried to test drive it but it acts like it’s running on one cylinder. Lol. I have ordered the factory sensor and will install it this weekend. My main question here is, did it do any lasting damage? I have never heard a motor make such a horrid tick over a cam sensor. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I recommend that you remove the top timing belt cover and check to make sure the cam sensor didn't somehow come loose and is now making contact with the belt, BEFORE starting it up again.

Most likely the cam sensor has failed. That can make an engine run poorly, shake and make a lot of unsettling noises. Wouldn't be a bad idea to check the condition of your timing belt and make sure its timed right as well. Its extremely unlikely that the sensor became loose. Good luck!

Upon removal it is obvious that the sensor has been previously replaced. The clip was damaged and not secure. I still replaced the sensor and secured the broken clip with electrical tape so it would not wiggle free again. I installed new spark plugs and added some Lucas oil stabilizer. Code is gone and car is running much better, but there is still a horrible tick. This is more prominent at high RPM and lower speed. The oil looks to be in great shape and there is plenty in the motor.

If the noise is coming from the timing belt cover, then I'd suspect that something detached when the cam sensor loosened up, got lodged somewhere in the belt loop, and is what's causing the noise. I'd advise getting it resolved ASAP.

https://youtu.be/N9Rpu4PQVTA. Someone in this forum posted this video on Youtube. It stated the noise was the waterpump coming apart. This is the noise that we hear in ours. There was no follow up on the fix on YT, so I don't know if that was the actual issue.

Do you happen to know when the timing belt/water pump were last replaced?

I do not. They are about to be replaced though. The sound is exactly like that video I shared and apparently it is the bearing in the water pump. Where is the best place to get the timing belt kit and water pump?

Depending on how good your local auto parts stores are in your area maybe there. But a Gates brand set from Amazon would be good.

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Originally Posted by Biggunzilla

I am really new to this Aveo life. Got our daughter an 07 and it was running great. 150k on it, but very well maintained by a family member. Our daughter was driving it last night and all the sudden she said it started making a loud noise and lost most engine power. The tick is very loud and upon first glance I was sure it was extremely low on oil. However it was not, and the oil on the stick was barely even dirty. Ran the codes and the only one popping up is the camshaft position sensor. I cleared it and made it pop back up multiple times. I tried to test drive it but it acts like it’s running on one cylinder. Lol. I have ordered the factory sensor and will install it this weekend. My main question here is, did it do any lasting damage? I have never heard a motor make such a horrid tick over a cam sensor. Any thoughts or suggestions?

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I would replace the water pump, timing belt, and tensioners. You can get the whole kit on ebay, amazon, or Rockauto

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Originally Posted by Biggunzilla

Upon removal it is obvious that the sensor has been previously replaced. The clip was damaged and not secure. I still replaced the sensor and secured the broken clip with electrical tape so it would not wiggle free again. I installed new spark plugs and added some Lucas oil stabilizer. Code is gone and car is running much better, but there is still a horrible tick. This is more prominent at high RPM and lower speed. The oil looks to be in great shape and there is plenty in the motor.

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At the very least , use one or more wire ties , instead of tape .

I agree , find out the source of the tick , before you drive it again . Visually inspect every inch of the belt . Look for damage to the plastic cover / covers . Look for loose / missing fasteners .

Might be helpful to go down to Harbor Freight & get a stethoscope to help you determine where the tick is coming from .

https://www.harborfreight.com/mechan...ope-63691.html

Wyr
God bless

I would highly recommend you do not drive it or start it up if the water pump is going out. All it takes is complete failure of the water pump to make the belt jump timing of the camshafts which will lead to bent valves. At that point your looking at expensive repair. If your doing the replacement yourself you will want to buy the 41mm wrench since the timing belt tension is set by rotating the water pump itself since its offset style water pump. There is an arrow on the tension pulley when you set it right. The timing belt kit should have the Timing belt and a idler pulley and tension pulley with it. If your oil seals are not leaking do not bother replacing them yet which the kit does come with them. Just pull out old seals and tap in the new ones. The water pump is held in with 3 allen bolts. You can snake the water pump out through the back timing cover but removing the camshaft pulleys and removing the rear cover is not hard. Just replace the pulley's in the same locations and torque the bolts to 50 FT pounds. The crankshaft pulley is 17mm and that you want to torque to spec and use an angle gauge. If that pulley comes off and timing belt slips its game over for the engine.

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Originally Posted by flood404

I would highly recommend you do not drive it or start it up if the water pump is going out. All it takes is complete failure of the water pump to make the belt jump timing of the camshafts which will lead to bent valves. At that point your looking at expensive repair. If your doing the replacement yourself you will want to buy the 41mm wrench since the timing belt tension is set by rotating the water pump itself since its offset style water pump. There is an arrow on the tension pulley when you set it right. The timing belt kit should have the Timing belt and a idler pulley and tension pulley with it. If your oil seals are not leaking do not bother replacing them yet which the kit does come with them. Just pull out old seals and tap in the new ones. The water pump is held in with 3 allen bolts. You can snake the water pump out through the back timing cover but removing the camshaft pulleys and removing the rear cover is not hard. Just replace the pulley's in the same locations and torque the bolts to 50 FT pounds. The crankshaft pulley is 17mm and that you want to torque to spec and use an angle gauge. If that pulley comes off and timing belt slips its game over for the engine.

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After removal of the timing belt covers I was unable to make a full rotation of the crank. The timing marks would not line up. I cut the belt and removed the water pump. The water pump does not seem damaged, but the belt is worn oddly. I believe it jumped time a lot and is trash. I guess I will be parting her out. Our daughter put less than 100 miles on it. What a shame. Is this a good place to part it out?