850 Won't Start - No Spark?

meatball1 · Post by **meatball1** » 09 Jun 2008, 06:33

'97 850 was running fine, parked one night now it won't start. Battery, plugs, wires, cap and rotor all replaced - still nothing.

I have had good luck on the forum in the past - can someone point me in the right direction?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 09 Jun 2008, 07:06

In the header you have "No Spark?". Does that mean that you have checked and you have no spark?

If you indeed have no spark start by checking for codes. Most of the conditions that create a no spark situation will set a code. A bad cam position sensor will create a no spark situation and it sometimes won't set a code if its signal wasn't getting intermittent before.

...Lee

phunkdeefied · Post by **phunkdeefied** » 09 Jun 2008, 08:16

Lee,
I may be having the same problem. My 850 has started everytime, but it has trouble at times. The check engine light comes on and the code is P0336 "cam position sensor". Would you please explain what this does, where it is located and the means to go about replacing it...
Thanks.

Post by **stone36** » 09 Jun 2008, 10:53

My cam shaft position sensor went out completely and it would just crank and crank. As for what it does, I think it may be a timing component to ensure the cam is turning in the correct sequence. Location is on the drivers side of the engine, about 9-12 inches down from the top and maybe 2/3 of the way back. I know that is not very technical but I am going from memory. It has a set of wires coming out of it that is about 4-5 inches long. It is about a 3- 3.5 inch circle and is attached by 2 or 3 torx screws (#25 I think). It is a really easy swap, should take about 15-25 minutes, but it is not cheap, around $200 I think, I got two from a parts yard for $30 total, and the first one worked, that was over 2 years ago and still going strong. Good luck.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 09 Jun 2008, 14:28

It would be worth checking out...it's attached to the end of your rear cam shaft and covers up the cam shaft seal. If the seal is leaking oil it could have gotten saturated (as did mine last year) and is causing the problem. Some clean up with brake cleaner spray and it might be good again. Of course if your cam shaft seal is leaking you'll have to replace it so this doesn't happen again. Anyway, take a look before you venture out to get a new sensor.