Universal cam/crank sensors
 

My cam and crank sensors are both doing the long, slow decline again. The cam sensor doesn't like revs above 6500 anymore. The crank sensor doesn't like to get wet.
Since new ones only seem to last for a limited period of time, has anyone tried replacing them with some aftermarket ones, like the ones from DIY Autotune: hall-effect-crankshaft-position-sensor?
If they last longer and work more reliably, I'd be determined to install two of those somehow. I have an MS3X, so the challenges should be purely of a mechanical nature.

I did not have good luck with (one of my two) DIY autotune stainless threaded hall sensors. I'm running their plastic/lug mount sensors currently. I do not have many miles on them so the jury's still out on them, but the max temperate spec is higher for the plastic sensor. Go figure.

MSD has sensors with built in LEDs that flash when it triggers, for quicker diagnosis when things go wrong. But they cost a lot more than the DIY.

I would think OEM sensors are more reliable than aftermarket sensors however...?

Something tells me the MSD sensors are from an industrial application. Might be called a prox or proximity sensor. We use a dick load of those things at work.

And I'm pretty sure the DIYAutotune's can be bought from Newark Electronics for cheap, but in quantity of 10. I found the newark part number in some old Megasquirt documentation.

Buying the sensor off Amazon from DIYautotune was cheaper than buying directly off DIY's site.

The Escort has a fancy Haltech sensor. It's worked just fine for the 10 minutes the motor ran before self-destructing.

I am currently using, and have been using, genuine Mazda parts from the dealership. So my empirical evidence is that stock Mazda isn't all that great.
My MS can handle pretty much any input signal, but it may require a change on the PCB. So if I'm replacing my stock Mazda sensors with something else, all I'm asking for is that it lasts longer than a year. And I don't want to modify my MS, just to figure out that the sensor I'm using is no better than stock Mazda.
You can also get Bosch sensors from VW and such for cheap. I believe they are Hall sensors too. They run around $20 or so. But again- nobody seems to know, if they are any good.

NB cam sensors are notoriously bad, but the crank sensors are bombproof - between my own customers and all the 949Racing cars I've wrenched on, I've never seen one fail. I'd look at your ECU, not at the crank sensor.

Could be an auto-x thing again. A few of the CSP and SSM miata have had crank sensor failures.

We've had 1 crank sensor randomly just stop working. Not damaged, only 70k miles, no matter what car just wouldn't start. swapped it for another one, been running like a champ ever since.

What ECUs?

I know of two on hydras and one on an EMS4.

The first crank sensor failed with the stock ECU. The current one has been working for two years and now starts failing with my MS3. But only when wet....

So I doubt it's the ECU.

I have had one get flaky. It was a NB CKP sensor that was transplanted on a ~600CI big block Ford.

Amazon is funny like that on rare occasion. It wasn't intentional. Our prices on Amazon or ebay are usually a couple dollars higher than on our site to help offset vendor fees.

It should work great for the CMP sensor. I am concerned about picking up the CKP signal though; the Miata OE trigger wheel is very thin. As the Mazda CKP sensor is generally robust, I'd recommend leaving it and concentrating on just replacing the CMP sensor.

I have some Omron proximity sensors laying around (god knows why), PNP, NO, 5-30VDC and threaded body. P/n E2E-X1R5F5-G. Any reason they can't be made to work with an MS instead of buying new sensors every season?

Spec sheet for poops and giggles.

I dont think those go hot enough. Seem to top out at 80°C You'd really want something to be able to handle like 150°C to be safe. And I only quickly paroosed, whats the max frequency they can handle?

Specs for the ones I have:

The 85C might be a bit low for our applications perhaps.

That should make things a little easier then anyway, since changing the settings on the MS3X, that reads the CMP is easier than changing the circuit on the MS3 mainboard (v 3.0) that reads the CKP.

Does anybody have any idea why the CKP would fail when I drive through a puddle? The connector looks good to me- but it is a 15 year old car....

As long as you keep the sensor type the same, Normally Open Hall Effect. I dont see why the settings would need to be changed at all, its more or less generating the exact same signal for the ecu. Might need some work if the leading and trailing edges look different.