Has anyone solved the reocurring issue with failing cam position sensors?
i suspect mine is due soon, so i keep a spare in the glovebox.
is there aftermarket ones that works better?

 

I haven't heard of anything better yet. Maybe someone else has.

 

I hope so

 

Simples. Carry a spare, recognise symptoms of failure, swap in the new one, buy new spare. Repeat as necessary.

Yeah, its a pain in the ****. But the upside is that it is quick and simple.

Also, if you are doing it frequently, check the harness plug, they are known to have occasional issues (with the pins IIRC. I have seen a cable tie used to firm up the contact between the two mating plugs. I have also seen a car using a generic Haltech sensor in the stock location, which solved the problem on a track car out here. It required new connectors, so it solved both problems in one go.

 

Ive had the car die twice on low load at ca 50mph. a restart later and no issues. it might be something else but i suspect the cps.
However, i do think that these either work or not, and that it might be the wiring also.
the aftermarket "haltech" is a solution that im working towards, might do it this winter when i get toyota cops.
Thank you for your input

 

Heat from the exhaust contributes to their demise. Perhaps add an additional layer of shielding. If there is a clear line of sight between the sensor and any exhaust component, you will speed that process.

 

I also strongly recommend you test the new one before committing it to be your spare. Have had more than one friend spend weeks trying to find the issue when it turned out their brand new in bag sensor they swapped in was faulty, leading them down a rabbit hole of fixes, whereas the actual issue and fix was the first thing they tried.

 

Good suggestion Rascal.

I'd maybe change my mantra above: Carry a tested spare, recognise symptoms of failure, swap in the new one, buy new 'not-spare', install, keep old one as new (tested) spare.

I've never had a new one not work, but then I don't buy the cheapest I can find. There is always the chance of a first time though.

This addresses one part of OP's concerns, the dud from the factory. The harness/connector issue can sorta be tested if there are recurrent 'sensor failures' by doing the cable tie fix, if that solves the problem obviously it is the connectors, not the sensor. Not fixing it doesn't mean that connector is not the problem, pretty sure I have read here or elsewhere about a case where recurring 'sensor failures' turned out to be a connector wiring issue only solved when a new connector plug was wired in, and the old one dissected. IIRC potting compound was also suggested somewhere, but I don't recall if anyone actually used/tried that.

 

Two sources I found seem to imply it’s not the sensor, but the harness.


Rent Waffen used to make one, but their site is down for construction.

An old google search had this info cached:
basically, it extended the harness about 6” with a better sealed connector, and wasn’t sitting right behind the radiator,
But it was like $140…

Meanwhile, Al Angelo says this is common in Spec Miata, and the fix is to freshen up the pigtail, not the sensor (jump to 10:00).


If that’s true, we’ve been mistaking the CPS as a failure, when the fix was just tightening the harness back up. But I’m with Gee Emm, an extra $10 sensor isn’t a bad idea either.