My ultra-reliable (but very clunky) 1996 v-6 2500 van refuses to start. Tests; no spark. Pulled crank angle sensor. Three pins on the connector. I put my trusty Veleman VOM on it and all three read open - no resistance. Now I'm no crank angle sensor expert but if these things work the way I think they do, this one is shot. If someone could please either confirm or deny this, I'd be ever so appreciative.

Dr. T

 

Which pins are you testing resistance on? Your best bet is to scan engine ECU and see if theres any faults and/or check RPM signal with a scanner. Also, if you crank the engine, does the tach read 0 RPM all the time?

 

I'm testing between all three pins - not all at once. In succession. No reading whatsoever. I have no way to test the ECU. There is no tachometer in this van. I'm going to Autozone and buy a new one. Yes, I know that that is the "throwing parts at it" method but I need to get this van going ASAP. Thanks for your help.

 

A new crank angle sensor did not work. I get 8.5 volts at the coil when cranking. This confuses me. Shouldn't it be 12 volts or nothing?

 

You really need a scan-tool for the most part.... But...
What at this point led you to the crank sensor in the first place ???????
I would have checked all the fuses myself.
Head to O'Reilly/Advanced auto part and get a loaner code reader or a cheep one to scan it with. Pull the codes and go from there...

But tab side up
center is ground
right should be 5 volt ref.
left should be signal

This might help
:http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/chr...-sensor-test-1

 

Because everything else was replaced. The only thing left is the ECM. Fuses had been checked both visually and with a continuity test. Same for relays.

 

Hummmm....

 

3.9 Rite?

 

Should be 12 Volts...

 

Yes, a 3.9 liter. I read that 8.5 volts is sufficient for spark and I should imagine that it would produce at least a weak spark. It has been checked with a spark checker and the old fashioned way with a loose plug, grounded and hooked up to a plug wire.