Crank/Cam Sensor Replaced - Engine Lacking Power / Hesitent

Hi,

Is it possible that the garage who changed the crank and cam angle sensors might have missed a step or got something in the wrong position or something and somehow resulted in the engine timing being a bit off?

The guy claimed he got the proper parts and did it all just fine, but the car just feels really pathetic now, kind of rolls up to speed rather than accelerates. It was never nippy you understand, 2003 1.3l engine... but its the change that worries me.

It does have the death wobble (I'm working through all the amazing articles and parts and WILL win, just done kingpins so far... still pretty wobbly) so there are vibrations there anyway, but I've had the car for 8 months and I'm pretty sure I'm not imagining a little hesitency in the engine, a nothing of cut-out or missfiring or something, barely perceptible. But the power drop is more distinct I swear it had a little more oomph up the hills in lower gears than it has now.

It could be all in my mind. I drove off the forecourt and heard a tap tap tap coming from one wheel and found an unmistakable panel / plastic automotive screw with giant flange and torx hole. Didn't have that when I left it there, so thats a new tyre on top of the towing fee to get me there after the crank angle sensor gave out on the first hot day of the summer last week.

Just wanted to see if anyone could say "they're plug and play and impossible to get the wrong way round, if the engine runs at all, then the mechanic did all he could do" or alternatively "you have to match the position before and after and if he got it one degree / tooth / bolt / mm out then yeah, your timing will be completely shot" or maybe just "perhaps he forgot to go into the ECU and run the special post-crank-angle-sensor-auto-tune function".

I dunno, just be a shame if the car has spontaneusly lost that much oomph, it was already a 'challenge' on dual carrigeways with everyone whizzing past and me stuck at 50, but I genuinely worry if I'll get it over 40 on a long hill now!

Thanks,
Danny

You can't get them wrong, either they are working and the engine runs or they aren't working and it won't even start.

Thanks Busta! Thanks for the quick answer. I've just been working through some youtubes, one by the chap who runs this site I think - he was talking about hte store at least - and yeah, clearly they are just plug and play.

Well hopefully its all in my head and the thing will work itself out and I can concentrate on doing some more stuff wiht the death wobble Thanks again!

When your crank angle sensor went did your engine overheat?

Apparently a sensor might fail if the engine overheats or if the sensor starts failing it can result in an overheating engine.

Either way if your engine did overheat it might have caused the cylinder head gasket to go, this would explain the loss in power, although there are a number of other things that might be wrong.

Robin