1990 RENIX STATOR?

1990 I6 w/AW4 tranny. Model specific question, Can you change the stator (AKA dist pickup/camshaft sensor/CKS) without pulling the distributor? I know some years you can some you can't. Anybody done it to their 90 and lived to talk about it?

No. To replace the "stator" (Camshaft Position Sensor, or "SYNC" sensor,) you have to remove the shaft. The shaft is retained by a roll pin driven through the gear at the bottom - if you can't access the gear, you can't drive the pin out. You can't access the gear with the distributor still mounted.

The SYNC sensor has a collar that goes all the way around the shaft. Oops.

5-90 said:

No. To replace the "stator" (Camshaft Position Sensor, or "SYNC" sensor,) you have to remove the shaft. The shaft is retained by a roll pin driven through the gear at the bottom - if you can't access the gear, you can't drive the pin out. You can't access the gear with the distributor still mounted.

The SYNC sensor has a collar that goes all the way around the shaft. Oops.

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I was affraid of that, I was just hoping I didn't have to do that. I unplugged the stator and the Jeep runs just about as good without it as with it. Still tryinng to fix my on again, off again rough startup. Runs rough as heck, shut down and restart and runs better. Shut down and restart again runs perfect. Tomorrow I replace MAP. When I unplug vacuum from the MAP sensor its almost the same symptoms.

PuddinHead said:

I was affraid of that, I was just hoping I didn't have to do that. I unplugged the stator and the Jeep runs just about as good without it as with it. Still tryinng to fix my on again, off again rough startup. Runs rough as heck, shut down and restart and runs better. Shut down and restart again runs perfect. Tomorrow I replace MAP. When I unplug vacuum from the MAP sensor its almost the same symptoms.

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Sounds like the sync sensor to me. If the sensor isn't working, the computer will guess which cylinder in the rotation it's on, the CPS does the rest as far as the computer knowing the position of the engine is concerned. When you have a rough start up, the engine guessed wrong, when it runs fine, it guessed right.

88 Wagonman said:

Sounds like the sync sensor to me. If the sensor isn't working, the computer will guess which cylinder in the rotation it's on, the CPS does the rest as far as the computer knowing the position of the engine is concerned. When you have a rough start up, the engine guessed wrong, when it runs fine, it guessed right.

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That's why I unplugged it (the sync plug wire coming out of the dist.) to test it. I was trying to 'recreate' the bad startup. The engine seemed to run almost as good as it does on a 'good' startup. On the other hand, if I take the vacuum hose off the MAP sensor, the engine stumbles almost as bad as my 'bad startup'. Even so, I still wonder about that sync pulse pickup. The symptons sure do fit that thing being bad. I've just never actually seen the symptoms for myself.

ANYBODY HAD A BAD SYNC PULSE GEN AND HAD TO REPLACE IT? SYMPTOMS?