The Mitsubishi Eclipse Crank Sensor is a hall effect sensor that’s mounted to the front of your 2.0 liter engine. This sensor is responsible for telling your Engine Control Unit or ECU how fast your crankshaft is spinning and what position it’s currently at. Using this data your ECU can accurately control the spark events for optimum performance.
When this sensor starts going bad, you’re going to have issues starting your Eclipse. If you own an automatic transmission equipped Eclipse, it’s going to be a seriously dangerous driving condition. Because your ECU relies on the Eclipse Crank Sensor to see where your crankshaft is at, if you are driving your engine will unexpectedly turn off.
This will shut down your brake assist and power steering and could cause you to crash. Because of this reason if you think your Eclipse Crank Sensor is going bad, do not drive your car until you get a chance to test it. Today I will be showing you how to test or troubleshoot your Eclipse Crank Sensor in a 1997 Non-Turbo Mitsubishi Eclipse. This vehicle is equipped with a non turbo 2.0 liter engine.
If you own a turbo Eclipse, this guide is not the right one for you. You will need a 4G63 specific guide, or if you are wondering what crankwalk is check this tutorial here. In order to complete this Eclipse Crank Sensor DIY tutorial, you’ll need a digital multimeter. If you are scratching your head at this term and aren’t sure what it is, check this guide here.
Testing your Eclipse Crank Sensor for Power
To begin you’ll need to find the three pin connector, which unfortunately is mounted to your crank position sensor. In order to access this, you’ll need an automotive jack and to remove the passenger side wheel to access the front of the engine. When working on your vehicle, make sure to work with safety first and foremost.
Once you’ve got access to your Eclipse crank sensor, you’ll be using your multimeter to test the operation. The first wire you’ll be checking for is PIN C on the ENGINE side of the wiring harness. To begin testing insert your ignition key and turn it to the “ON” position to power your engine sensors.
With the key turned to the “ON” position, you should have a power signal at PIN C. Once you’ve determined your crank sensor has power, move onto the ground signal. This is PIN B on your Eclipse crank sensor, and remember you are checking the ENGINE harness side.
Testing your Eclipse Crank Sensor for Signal
The last part of our How To DIY test is testing the crank sensor for the proper signal. Keep your ignition key turned to the “ON” position, and remove your spark plugs to relieve compression in your engine. This makes it much easier for you to manually crank or rotate your 2.0 liter non turbo engine.
Reconnect the crank angle sensor and trace back the PIN A wire on your engine harness. Pierce this wire with your multimeter, and slowly turn your crankshaft over using a front crank pulley wrench or a 1/2 inch drive.
As you rotate your engine you should see a voltage from .02-.04 switch to 5.0 volts of DC voltage. This is your Eclipse crank sensor picking up the teeth or the high and low spots of your crankshaft trigger.
If your crank angle sensor doesn’t return these values, or you still have a OBDII trouble code for your crank sensor, it’s time for a replacement. Have any questions about our Mitsubishi Eclipse crank sensor tutorial? Leave them for us below and let us know!