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What is a 'walking' crankshaft?

A 'walking' crankshaft, or 'crankwalk' as its commonly referred to is a condition in which the crank inside your block suffers from excessive movement and causes crank angle sensor failure. This is also known as excessive thrust bearing play. While there are several theories about crankwalk, there is no rock hard evidence that points to the real cause of this problem. The movement can be from the crankshaft not fitting inside its bearings correctly, or oil squirters in your block clogging. While not bad for the crankshaft, the movement can place excessive or uneven loads on the bearings, causing premature failures, or crank angle sensor failure.

Is there a recall or TSB regarding the crank walk problem?

• It appears that Mitsubishi built many 2G engines that have this ailment, but sadly no there currently is no recall for crankwalk. 1G owners ( 1990 - 1994 ) do not generally need to worry, as there aren't as many problems with crankwalk in those cars. But its possible to get crankwalk in any car. Mazda Miatas are one of the few other cars known to have issues like this from the factory

How can I tell if I have crankwalk?

• Its not easy to diagnose whether or not your car has crankwalk. It can be difficult to tell if a particular car is experiencing symptoms of crankwalk. Some early warning symptoms associated with this problem are :
  
  • 1. Clutch weirdness, improper pedal pressure, strange disengage and engage points
    2. Ticking or strange noise from the pulley side of the engine when clutch is depressed.
    3. Crank Angle Sensor errors ( check engine light )
    4. Difficulty shifting
    5. RPMS decreasing significantly when clutch pedal is depressed.
    6. Clutch does not return or "sticks" to the floor after being depressed

What should I do to check or prevent crankwalk?

• 1. We recommend using a oil filter from a 1g at all times.. A larger oil filter will provide for better filtration, preventing oil squirters from clogging.
  2. Pay attention to what your car is doing.. keep an eye on your oil pressure, and make sure you perform proper maintenance at the scheduled times.
  3. Keep an open mind about it. Crankwalk isnt something you can control, people get it stock or modded. Theres no bearing on whether mods cause it or not.
  4. We always recommend building a 6 bolt or swapping in a 6 bolt. Never build a 7 bolt or swap in a reconditioned one.

In some advanced cases, the car will die when making a left hand turn or will be difficult to start. We recommend checking some of these links below to show you how to diagnose or gather more information.

More information on Crankwalk:

Road Race Engineering | Magnus Motorsports