DE camshaft sensor woes. Advice needed.

[SifuSteve]

Aghh! These things! They have become the bane of my driving life, so I'm going to bite the bullet and source the really expensive third revision (metal-shielded) Nissan part. (350Z DE camshaft sensor, for anyone who hasn't encountered them yet).

 

But when conducting my first change I encountered an enigma: The videos and listings I've seen typically show these as a pair. One is flat, one is angled. I assumed that was simply cosmetic to aid in accessibiliy, but it turns out they actually have different plug connections. When I started rummaging around on the back of my engine I was surprised to find I had two of the flat ones in there. Importantly, I also had the corresponding plugs, which suggests it's deliberate and not 'bodged'.

 

A bit of research suggests that during one revision, they opted to ditch the angled sensor in favour of two of the same flat sensors, with the corresponding connectors. But I've since found the opposite may be true: They swapped one of the flats for one of the angled cam/crank sensors. What's the crack?

 

So after that long preamble, my questions are: Has anyone else found the same? Can anyone recommend a place I can buy 2 of the 3rd revision metallic flat sensors (23731-AL60D)?

 

Cheers.

 

P.S. I posted this to the FB group but the post's been waiting for approval for a couple of days and I need to get this fixed as the car's not starting well.

[Ekona]

Tried Nissan themselves? Won’t be cheap, but will be right. 

[SifuSteve]

16 minutes ago, Ekona said:

Tried Nissan themselves? Won’t be cheap, but will be right. 

I'm having trouble with them. The initial contact seemed to indicate they were no longer produced and recommended Hitachi or Bosche as OEM brands. But they weren't sure and promised me a call back... a couple of days ago. 😒

[ZMANALEX]

For the DE, Bank 1 is the straight one and Bank 2 is the angled one.

 

The only exception to this on the DE is if you have the later rev up engine (not the HR)

 

The rev up engine has 4 cam sensors.

 

Alex.

 

[SifuSteve]

17 minutes ago, ZMANALEX said:

For the DE, Bank 1 is the straight one and Bank 2 is the angled one.

 

The only exception to this on the DE is if you have the later rev up engine (not the HR)

 

The rev up engine has 4 cam sensors.

 

Alex.

 

Yes, it's the rev-up, which explains why it's 4 of the same. Thanks for clearing that up.

[ZMANALEX]

In that case, please refer to the schematic below and take this with you to the Nissan parts department. but you will have to tell them what sensor you require, unless you want all 4.

[SifuSteve]

2 hours ago, ZMANALEX said:

In that case, please refer to the schematic below and take this with you to the Nissan parts department. but you will have to tell them what sensor you require, unless you want all 4.

Thank you, that's useful. There's an issue with that schematic as it has the non-rev-up configuration for sensors, i.e. a left and a right. I need 2 rights (24), but specifically the 3rd revision which uses metal shielding against heat. What I've asked for already is exactly that, but the specificity appears to be the issue. I'm going to get some cheap ones to get me running again while I dig into it. So far the difference between an unbranded sensor and a Nissan sensor from Tarmac is £20:£175, so there's a lot in it.

Edited 5 hours ago by SifuSteve

[ZMANALEX]

That is a schematic for the rev up showing 4 cam sensors, 2 exhaust and 2 inlet.

[SifuSteve]

1 hour ago, ZMANALEX said:

That is a schematic for the rev up showing 4 cam sensors, 2 exhaust and 2 inlet.

Then who is correct? The previous poster, ZMANALEX, suggested that the rev-up specifically has 4 of the flat type cam sensors. The schematic shows 2 different types. 🤔

[ZMANALEX]

27 minutes ago, SifuSteve said:

 ZMANALEX, suggested that the rev-up specifically has 4 of the flat type cam sensors. 

I never said that, 

 Please read my post again.

[SifuSteve]

30 minutes ago, ZMANALEX said:

I never said that, 

 Please read my post again.

My apologies. I took that as 'the cam and crank sensors, 4 in tolal, are the same and share the flat design'. That's my mistake as whilst I've been shopping around I've found items listed as 'cam/crank shaft sensor', suggesting they were one and the same. Those were clearly for models of than a 350Z as I can see now they're notably different. 

 

After looking again at the schematic, I can now see 'my engine' and which parts I have previously replaced (and why one is harder to reach than the other).

 

Thanks both for your help and patience.