psbenz12

The car runs absolutely fine and very smooth, so my thought is that it could possibly be just the sensors... Search is coming up with different answers, there's just no clear answer one way or the other- some say the 305 check is how you tell others say its a waste of time so I'm giving up and just making my own thread and hope someone can let me know.

Should I attempt to replace the sensors?

Or should I just assume it's the big repair and just take whatever CarMax or anyone who will take it as a trade in offers me for it?


My sob story is I bought it, no CEL was on and it ran smooth so I didn't bother to scan it- brought it in for emissions and was told they couldn't run the test because of a CEL. I scanned it and yep P0016 and P0017 were indeed found, but no light, looked around some and yep the seller just removed the bulb for the engine light... I waited about 3 months after I bought the car to bring it in for emissions so it's way past the point of trying to track down the seller, and I can't register the car without emissions so it's basically just a paperweight or lawn ornament until it can pass.

cetialpha5

There are several videos on youtube on how to check to see if the balance shafts are gone or not. If they look ok, you can do the sensors, but usually for a 2006, it's not the sensors and the fact that the previous seller removed the bulb meant that he probably knew it was the balance shaft. You can still sue the seller in small claims court, the fact that the bulb was removed would tend to be in your favor as it was done intentionally to deceive and consumer protection laws basically prohibit unfair and deceptive trade practices.

psbenz12

I drove it a couple thousand miles over a a few months before taking it for inspection and emissions- so legal route is not looking favorable for me (not to mention the invaluable time and headache it would cost)... best case scenario I'm thinking I might see 30% tops of the purchase price, then if I subtract the insurance premium, taxes and title fees I might end up with $1000.

I already got an offer for a trade in for $1600 from a local dealer, they just don't have anything I would want to purchase.

I was just asking to see if it's worth the time and what like $80(?) to replace the sensors or f it's pretty much a given that the car is essentially totaled.

cetialpha5

Well the inspection route isn't that difficult. There's a slim chance that it's just the sensors. If it's the balance shaft, you can still drive it for a while, maybe even a few thousand miles before it actually goes, I think it just starts running rougher and then eventually the engine doesn't start when it's gone. The legal route is a headache for everyone so maybe the guy won't even show up in court and you'll win by default. Or once you send a demand letter he will know he did it on purpose and just settle.

psbenz12

@cetialpha5 when you mentioned the videos can be more specific because the top results are for checking the alignment of the markings but I have seen threads on here saying that's more or less a waste of time... Shouldn't there be some sort of way to tell by data logging?

cetialpha5

That's usually the easiest method to check. Never heard of a way to check by data logging. According to the videos out there, it shouldn't take that long to check. Another way is to drop the oil pan and check for metal bits in the pan from the sprocket wear on the balance shaft, but that sounds like a bit more work than checking to see if they're lined up or not. If they're lined up, try changing the sensors and see if the code goes away. If they're not lined up, you have a balance shaft problem. Not sure what thread you read that said it was a waste of time.

OnlyGerman

I’ve driven over 15k with those codes. I’m starting to think it’s something else and not even the balance shaft lol