Camshaft Position Sensor: Description and Operation

2010 Mercury Mountaineer 2WD V8-4.6LSECTION Description and Operation
ENGINE CONTROL COMPONENTS

Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor
The CMP sensor detects the position of the camshaft. The CMP sensor identifies when piston number 1 is on its compression stroke. A signal is then sent to the PCM and used for synchronizing the sequential firing of the fuel injectors. Coil on plug (COP) ignition applications use the CMP signal to select the correct ignition coil to fire.

Vehicles with 2 CMP sensors are equipped with variable camshaft timing (VCT). The second sensor is used to identify the position of the camshaft on bank 2.

There are 2 types of CMP sensors: the 2-pin variable reluctance type sensor and the 3-pin Hall-effect type sensor.


Typical Variable Reluctance CMP Sensor:






Typical Hall-effect CMP Sensor:




RENDER: 1.0x

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