The Dodge Neon cam sensor is a vital part of how your 2.0 liter engine works. When you turn on your 2.0 liter Neon engine, the camshaft position sensor informs your Dodge ECU of the speed and position of your camshaft. When this sensor starts to go south on you, your Neon will idle roughly and may experience ignition misfire.
Ignition misfire is a serious problem that can cause your upstream catalytic converter to fail prematurely. It will also cause your Neon to run rich, because the ECU cannot properly ignite the air fuel mixture properly.
Today I will be showing you how to test your Dodge Neon cam sensor in a 2000 Neon with a 2.0 liter engine in it. This test must be performed with a multimeter or voltmeter, click here for our guide if you don’t know how to use one of these devices.
Your Neon cam sensor is a three pin unit that’s secured by way of a locking tab. To unplug your cam angle sensor, depress the red locking pins to release the connector.
There’s 4 bolts that connect the cam angle sensor in place, preventing you from installing the sensor incorrectly. Although it still may be possible to install your Neon cam sensor out of phase, it’s impossible to bolt in incorrectly because of the bolt orientation.
Testing the Neon cam sensor for power
To begin our How to guide on testing your Neon cam sensor, put the black lead of your multimeter to your battery ground. The pin you will be measuring is PIN A, shown below. However you must turn your Neon ignition to the “ON” position to send 8 volts of DC power to your engine sensors.
With the cam angle sensor harness plugged in and the key turned to the “ON” position you should have roughly 8 volts of DC power here. If you have power at this wire the next pin to test is PIN B, which will be your ground signal.
If you have both power and ground at the Neon cam sensor, this means that it has the power to operate and function normally. Depending on your error you may need to simply replace your camshaft sensor now. If your OBDII trouble code indicates that you have misfire, go ahead and replace your camshaft sensor now.
However if your CEL shows a lack of signal, or your Dodge Neon does not start you will need to test for signal. Testing for signal is easy to do using your multimeter, and you’ll be checking for the rotational signal at PIN C.
Testing your Neon cam sensor for signal
This part of our How To guide is best done when you remove the spark plug wires and take out your spark plugs. Because you must manually turn or rotate your crank to test the camshaft angle sensor operation, this is best done without compression in your engine.
You can use a simple wire piercing tool to test the signal voltage being sent out from PIN C. This will require your ignition turned to the “ON” position, as your crank angle sensor needs power and ground to operate.
Once you have the spark plugs removed, you should be able to turn the engine easier. Crank the engine over and monitor the wire voltage at PIN C. As your camshaft deflects over the Dodge Neon cam sensor, the voltage should flip from 0 to 5 volts.
If you have rotated your crank pulley and you don’t see a signal being sent out from PIN C, you will need to replace your camshaft position sensor. You now know how to test your Dodge cam sensor. Have any questions about our How to DIY guide? Leave us a comment below and let us know!