Go Golfing or work on a Golf?

The last chore any dad wants to do on Father’s Day is fiddle with that pesky crankshaft position sensor. Dad wants to golf, not be under the hood of his Golf. So heat up the grill and serve this Real Fix to your Pops so he can fry that annoying check engine light and spend the rest of his day relaxing on the green.

Vehicle
2004, Volkswagen Golf GLS, 1.9L

Title
P0726, Repaired Crankshaft Tone Wheel

Complaint
The customer states the check engine light is on.

Cause
Connected a scan tool and found code P0726 – Engine Speed Input Circuit Range/Performance. Performed an inspection of the engine compartment, but found no faults. Connected a lab scope to the crankshaft position sensor, cranked the engine, and monitored the crankshaft position sensor signal. Observed the crankshaft position sensor signal was erratic and the signal amplitude was lower than specifications. Removed the engine oil pan, inspected the crankshaft tone wheel, and found the crankshaft tone wheel was bent. Upon further inspection, found the crankshaft position sensor was not fully seated in the sensor bore.

Correction
Repaired the crankshaft tone wheel, cleared codes, performed a road test and verified the vehicle operated properly. The check engine light did not illuminate and no fault codes returned.

*Courtesy of Mitchell1