3800 camshaft sensor position?

To the left & behind the water pump, at least it is on my old 91 3800

========= Harryface =========

You might want to clarify whether you are after Series I or Series II. Or, to put it another way, what year of 3.8L engine are you working on? I had a Series I engine, and the Helm manual showed that. Now I have the Series II engine, and the new Helm manual shows that.

---Bob Gross---

That sounds correct for the Series I engine. Kind of hard to get to unless you are a glutton for punishment. Harry probably knows from experience.

---Bob Gross---

It's a series I - and I don't have a manual. Is it obvious where it is if I backtrack the wires?

Harry already stated where it is on Series I.

Backtracking the wires might work, if you know where to start from.

---Bob Gross---

BG

Actually mine is pretty easy to get at. Only replaced it twice.

========= Harryface =========

Like I said. Glutton for punishment.

On my old Series I engine, I didn't even know that it had some of those sensors until they had failed and had to be troubleshot.

When I got the Series II engine, I had to sit down to read the Helm manual for a couple of days.

---Bob Gross---

Cool. One other thing - are there any other sensors that control the coil packs? Why they couldn't make a normal distributor on this engine - typical GM design oddness.

I'll go to the yard first and yank on a few to see what I need - is there any easy way to tell a good oine form a bad one when it's off the engine?

I'm not sure where you are going with this. On both the Series I and Series II, it is a normal GM ignition system. Surely you don't refer to the old distributors of twenty years ago.

---Bob Gross---

"Joseph Oberlander" wrote

What are you talking about? The sooner that all mechanical devices that resemble a distributor are gone, the better. There isn't any need for them.

Ian

Whaddaya mean? All this computer crap is ridiculous--who needs fuel economy, clean air, or a car that actually starts in cold weather? If you'll excuse me now, I'm going to go reassure my 4GCs and points dizzys that I still love them, and put some shine on my bias-plies.

Seriously, however, the old dizzys do have at least one advantage: It's kinda hard to fix a DIS with a pocket knife, cigarette lighter, fishing sinker, and chewing gum wrapper, when it strands you 150 miles from Big Moose Dick, Montana.

Heh. I agree that technology is good, but there is something to be said for the major components of an engine being as simple and brute-force as possible. I got 270K miles out of my old Volvo and it had a normal distributor. A cinch to replace the cap every year or two, and never failed to start.

Distributorless is fine, but it should be as brute-force in implimentation. Having a dozen computers unbetween the sensor(s) and the coils as you find in some "modern" cars - it's just not very sane. Any one of half a dozen computer modules dies and your engine shuts itself off. Fuel, air, spark. That part of the equation should never be dependant upon a computer to work(or at the least, function like my old 88 Regal did - computers die and it still runs, albiet poorly and dirty(read - 8-12 mpg and half the power)