Crank Sensor Quality v. Price

[chameleo78]

So I pulled my CKP today and am starting my search for a replacement part. I called NAPA, a local parts store, and the dealer last week and got prices anywhere from $70-110. I'm looking at eBay and Google products and seeing prices in the $17-32 range. What should I be concerned about with this thing? I'm willing to pay for a good part but don't want to part with money that I don't have to. (Pun intended) At this point I'm assuming that the dealer is using aftermarket parts and not NOS or even possibly OEM anymore. Just looking for some advise so I'm not pulling this thing in a year again.

 

[DanMan2k06]

Why would you assume a dealer would use aftermarket parts? That's why you GO to a dealer, to get OEM certified parts. It comes in a MOPAR bag, it has a MOPAR part number. On such important sensors like this, I don't even think twice about spending $100 for an OEM one. My old one lasted 12 years, I think that's reason enough. I've had aftermarket sensors be defective straight out of the box.

 

[ehall]

Standard makes most of the sensors out there, but they are made to the buyers spec. Quality is iffy on all of them, accuracy is the only difference. I would buy OEM first if I had the coin and they had they part

 

[birchlakeXJ]

Go Jeep. No contest.

I buy plenty of aftermarket parts, but there are a few parts that I buy ONLY from the Jeep dealer.

And the crank sensor is the #1 item. It is the most important sensor on your engine. Well worth the extra money.

Plenty of threads of people having trouble with some (not all) aftermarket crank sensors. Why take the chance?

 

[chameleo78]

Why would you assume a dealer would use aftermarket parts? That's why you GO to a dealer, to get OEM certified parts. It comes in a MOPAR bag, it has a MOPAR part number. On such important sensors like this, I don't even think twice about spending $100 for an OEM one. My old one lasted 12 years, I think that's reason enough. I've had aftermarket sensors be defective straight out of the box.

I assume the dealer is not selling OEM/NOS because Chrystler Corp isn't using this sensor in a factory anymore. Sure they can get a part made to the same specs, but it may not even be made by the original manufacturer.

Standard makes most of the sensors out there, but they are made to the buyers spec. Quality is iffy on all of them, accuracy is the only difference. I would buy OEM first if I had the coin and they had they part

Go Jeep. No contest.

I buy plenty of aftermarket parts, but there are a few parts that I buy ONLY from the Jeep dealer.

And the crank sensor is the #1 item. It is the most important sensor on your engine. Well worth the extra money.

Plenty of threads of people having trouble with some (not all) aftermarket crank sensors. Why take the chance?

Any specific experience with getting a CKP from a dealer and getting one from somewhere else?

 

[birchlakeXJ]

Yes, I have had one aftermarket crank sensor fail after 30 days and another didn't even work out of the box.

Chrysler has never made their own sensors, but they ALWAYS source them from very reliable vendors. I worked for Honeywell for 23 years in Test Engineering and we provided some sensors (not crank) to Chrysler, so I know how picky they are about their test data.

 

[MoparManiac]

I always go Standard (Made in USA version) CKPs.

Never had one fail, but I pay ~$90 for each one.

 

[kastein]

I buy 4 at the junkyard and bet on one of them working. haven't been wrong yet, only one I burned out was because the torque converter grenaded and overheated so badly the CPS case was visibly melted and deformed.

 

[gradon]

I like the JY ones myself, but I did like Standard's high-alt CKP for the renix($37 from amazon wasn't bad either).

 

[Big Hank]

Yes, I have had one aftermarket crank sensor fail after 30 days and another didn't even work out of the box.

Chrysler has never made their own sensors, but they ALWAYS source them from very reliable vendors. I worked for Honeywell for 23 years in Test Engineering and we provided some sensors (not crank) to Chrysler, so I know how picky they are about their test data.

I'll 2nd this.... I work for a company that supplies parts to Chrysler and quality is their goal. I would say most things they purchase are better than the products they produce themselves.

That being said... 7 years with NAPA and 3 as the Manager and I don't remember a single Echlin Crank sensor coming back. I've always paid very close attention to XJ parts going over the counter.

-Hank-

 

[kastein]

At least around here, electrical parts aren't eligible for return/exchange. So I gotta say, if I did buy a CPS and it was a dud I'd probably curse a lot and throw it in the trash instead of trying to return it.

 

[Big Hank]

At least around here, electrical parts aren't eligible for return/exchange. So I gotta say, if I did buy a CPS and it was a dud I'd probably curse a lot and throw it in the trash instead of trying to return it.

Sounds like you are the 1 in 300 million that has considered the guidelines. I can speak for NAPA and say they will honor the parts warranty and replace it, they just don't let people take parts home to try, then get cash back.

-Hank-

 

[chameleo78]

Kind of off topic, but didn't want to start a new thread. With the shifter in the 1-2 position, while slowing to a stop, my Jeep used to downshift to first at about 25mph if I remember correctly. Now it seems to be inconsistent on when it shifts and sometimes doesn't shift at all, even to the point that it downshifts after I have started to accelerate again. Could this be due to my CKP being faulty? I was thinking that because the ECM wasn't getting the right signal it wasn't sending the right commands to the transmission solenoids. But I may be way off base; I'm not sure that this is how things work even....

 

[kastein]

That's almost certainly the tps or brake light switch or maybe the trans output speed sensor, definitely not the ckp.

 

[Ecomike]

I always go Standard (Made in USA version) CKPs.

Never had one fail, but I pay ~$90 for each one.

The last Renix CPS (CKP) I bought that came in a Standard box (I bought 3 from Rock auto this year), one was made in Italy stamped on the plastic casting, and the other two were a different unknown country of origin, looked different.

The world has gone global, nothing is what it seems anymore. Last time I tried to buy a new alternator from Chrysler for a vehicle that was over 7 years old, they told me they were no longer available, only rebuilts were available, and I doubt Chrysler rebuilds any alternators.

What year CKP is the OP looking for? Renix or HO?

chameleo78: The CKP (CPS) has nothing to do with transmission shifting at all. It reads a bunch of teeth on the edge of the flywheel (or flex plate if is is an automatic transmission) and tells the engine computer where the engine crankshaft is in real time so the engine knows which cylinder is near Top Dead Center (TDC), and tells the computer when to inject fuel to that cylinder and when to fire the spark plug in that cylinder.