[SV900S]

ok guys im really getting angry at my 97 900. everytime i get the CEL to go out, a week later it comes back on. i need to fix everything for inspection, but im really tired of pissing my money away. the latest thing is the cam sensor.... but aparently the 4cyl 2.3 900 doesnt have one, @ least according to thesaabsite.com the code reader says that the cam sensor is the last thing to fix. so my question is, is it that plug on the distributor? if it is, can i just replace the sensor or do i have to buy a whole distributor? that would be gay. also how does that sensor come out of the distributor? i tried searching the forum for this, but found nothing. sorry if it has already been addressed. . . this 900 has turned me into a saab hater. thank-you GM

 

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

In my WIS, it shows a Camshaft Position Sensor only for the 2.5L V6. It's located on the left (passenger side) of the V6 engine, over the front cam, but I don't see anything for the 4-cylinder non-turbo. The only thing I see is the distributor for the I4 2.3L engine. It might help if you post the particular fault code so others with the 2.3L engine can chime in... Ron

 

[SV900S]

P0341 is the code. i didnt consult my code list. the reader i used just said cam sensor, so i took its work for it. i will look @ my list now and make sure

 

[SV900S]

P0341 Camshaft Position Sensor Circuit Range/Performance

..... i dont get it. why doesnt anything show a cam sensor?

 

[SV900S]

well i just called 3 auto parts places and they didnt even show a sensor there, so i called saab. they say you have to replace the entire distributor.... $488.... i am so pissed about this. why the hell would GM design that??? it makes no sense!

 

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

I checked Autozone, AdvanceAutoParts and Napa, and they all have rebuilt distributors "without module" whatever means. Then, they don't list a "module"... Ron

 

[Gunnar]

Try and find one at a pick your part junkyard and save yourself a chunk of change.

Or here it is for less than half that new.

http://www.thesaabsite.com/900new/NG900ignition.htm

 

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

There are some I4 2.3L distributors on car-part.com, mid-Atlantic region, starting at $94.44 with a high of $200... Ron

 

[SV900S]

ok thanks guys, ill look into that. im gonna tear down my distributor and clean it first. its unlikely, but just maybe itll work. i apologize for being so mad earlier. haha thing is i bought the 900 13 months ago because everyone said they were so nice, but within that year, im already on my second engine, and things seem to break as fast as i fix them. add to that the fact that part prices can be rather high, and it all becomes very frustrating very fast.

 

[KaMiKaZi_t0M]

Okay I'll shed some light on this subject. There is a hall effect style sensor on the 2.3 engine distributors. It is possible to replace just the sensor Link its like 20 bucks.
Here is a page on how to repair it Link
I'll have you know that the cam position sensor is pretty much useless on this model car, due to the RPM's are managed by the Crank Position Sensor, not the Cam Position Sensor. What this means is you can repair it if you're sick of looking at the light, however I noticed my Cam Position Sensor didn't throw a light till I drove it for about 100 miles or so.
If this is the same case as yours, then clear your codes before you go for emissions testing, and bring it in; worked for me. Your car will not perform poorly becuase of this sensor being inactive, if somsone else can refute that please let me know.

Tom =]

PS sick avatar SV, I love meatwad!

 

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

I thought that if the codes were cleared, it would take a week or two of use before the ECU performed all of its check and set the emission readiness flag so that testing could be done. I know that some cars get turned away if the battery was just replaced (or reconnected) which reset the codes... Ron

 

[KaMiKaZi_t0M]

I was told that too, however I cleared the codes an hour before bringing the car to have its emissions done, they didn't seemt to care.

 

[JoeBeets]

Purpose of cam sensor

My understanding is the cam sensor is used to distinguish between compression stroke TDC, requiring a spark, and exhaust TDC.

 

[SV900S]

thanks so much, Tom. im thinkin the one i want is BBHME2000, right? oh and thanks for the compliment. ya meatwad is only the single greatest cartoon character ever conceived by the human mind. haha

 

[blepkowski]

I had the same code and bought a used distributor a few years back for $50. It was fine for 6 months then started intermittantly throwing the p0341 again.

I decided to rebuild the distributor with the new sensor and oil seal following the instructions in the above link.

It was a permanent fix and a fun afternoon project. I highly recommend that route and the guy that took the time to figure it out and put that page together deserves a big thumbs up and thank you!

BTW you want the BBHME301.


On a side note

I really have no idea what the cam sensor does on this car. Nothing changes with it plugged in or not. I even monitored the ignition advance, calc. load, etc. with a scan tool. The car just doesn't seem to care... well except for the OBD throwing the code!

 

[MXer746]

I just rebuilt my distributor with a new seal, bearing and hall effect sensor ( camshaft position sensor ) it works great! The roll pin is kinda hard to get out though so be careful. I used a hammer and punch and a small socket on the other side as a catch for the pin.

 

[grkguy89]

im glad my 2.3 n/a has T5 now
no more distributor for me

but ya i did the distributor rebuild before too
not to hard if you have the patients and i clean work area

 

[SV900S]

so i went to check out with that sensor and shipping was over $29... is that right? thats almost twice the price of the sensor, and its only shipping from NY. just makin sure im not missing something before i pull the trigger on this 1.

 

[earthworm]

Shipping has become very expensive, yet goods are moved all over this planet, back and forth, China to America, us to the moon.:cheesy:.
Why so expensive, with UPS,FedEx,USPS, others, all competing ??
Anyway, thanks to the good people at SaabCentral, this thread is now a favorite, and should help someone in the future.

 

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

It seems to me that when I watched the last Shuttle launch, it was mentioned that it costs (us) $1-M per pound to get it into space... Ron