# Diy: Aww awd engine speed crank position (ckp) cracked dipstick sensor p0321 p0322 (g28)



## Oly_Golf (May 20, 2006)

*QUESTIONABLE NOTE: A few Vortex folks have stated that the dipstick tube's attached lower metal piece has a mesh at the bottom to stop pieces from getting into the engine? Is this true?*

Decided to write this up since I couldn't find a DIY for my exact engine model:
2001 VW Golf 4-Door 1.8T. Engine code AWW. Well maintained stock engine with 125,000 miles on it.
Driven all it's life in the Pacific Northwest with no major accidents.

This DIY might also apply to the AWD engines. It does NOT apply to the AWP engines. They got off easy on this repair...

In all honesty, I think this repair is a complete pain in the arse due to all the other things you can break (like the dipstick), a tight working space, and the need to access it from the top and bottom of the car. Personally, it took me 3-4 hour from start to finish with some serious head scratching and soul searching to fathom German engineering.... Heck, I did my own timing belt and water pump replacement, so this should have been a breeze, right?

*HOW IT ALL STARTED:*

WHEN THE SENSOR MALFUNCTIONS IT FEELS LIKE YOU RAN OUT OF GAS OR THE FUEL PUMP IS DEAD, AND SOMETIMES THE RED DEAD BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON IN THE DASHBOARD MAKING YOU THINK IT'S A BAD BATTERY OR YOU HAVE AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE.

Driving home last week after work running some errands for about an hour driving at 40MPH when all of a sudden the RPM gauge just drops and the engine goes silent for a second then revs back up, but roughly. Check Engine Light is on. Stop on the side of the road, turn engine off, then on, engine keeps trying to turn over for 5 secs, then starts up. EPC light is now on. After arriving at AutoZone it wouldn't immediately restart. Opened the hood, and then had a smoke with a friend, then 15 minutes later it started again just fine.

The AutoZone diagnostic scanner found these fault codes:
P0321 - 16705 - Engine Speed Sensor (G28): Implausible Signal 
P0322 - 16706 - Engine Speed Sensor (G28): No Signal 

*PART NUMBER:*
They checked my model and ordered me the part, but the part number was slightly wrong. The correct part is nearly identical, but has a longer wire:
*06A 906 433 C*










06A 906 433 L (incorrect part number for my car and the one they mistakenly ordered, this is for the AWP and has a much shorter wire)









They ordered the "L" and it arrived the next day. Tried to install it, too short. Returned it back and got the "C". Which they had in stock... Grrr.. Well, at least they had it... Price was $97 including tax. Not bad really for an OEM stamped VW/Audi Original part... www.1stvwparts.com has it for $87 before shipping and taxes, and they usually have the best price on the net, so it was a fair price indeed from AutoZone.

INTERESTING NOTE: When I took out my old one it had the same 06A 906 433 C part number. Meaning, it hasn't been updated or "superseded" by a new part number. Telling me that VW engineers didn't see the part as poorly designed or faulty and suggests it has a limited lifespan of 100K miles or so?

So that brings me to.....

*WHY IT DIED/STARTED FAILING:*

1. As stated above, it is old and needs to be replaced.
Parts like this which are electrical and mechanical (it has a magnet on the end of the sensor which I assume detects the crankshaft position somehow... hence it's name) and are located right on the engine are subjected to an extreme degree of temperatures, and all that hold/cold expands and contracts pieces over the years of service. I am thinking that the sensor just gets less accurate as it expands/contracts SEVERELY over time. It fails when it gets hot BTW. _(TECH NOTE: this is the same as your computer hard drive. If you ever have a really old HDD that dies due to mechanical failure, put it in a zip lock freezer bag, shove it in the freezer overnight, then in the morning re-attach it and start it up. You should have about 10 minutes or so to recover any of your personal data to another HDD before it reaches it's normal hot operating temperature and fails again as the heat expands and loses contact between the HD disc platters and your reading arms. Trust me it works like a charm!)_

2. Changes in season or weather? 
It's mid November and wetter and colder here. I've noticed that most of my car issues rise up during this time of the year, along with some in the late Spring, when it gets hotter. I think the change in weather has exacerbated the issue, brining on the sensors demise just an inch sooner. Btw, we have about 3-4 snow days a year and do not salt the roads, so for me I'm taking salting and freezing weather out of my sensors failure criteria.

3. I just did my routine 5,000 mile interval Mobile1 0W-40 European Formula Synthetic oil change about 1 week prior. When I took the old sensor out I could swear a very small puddle (approx 1 tablespoon) of oil came out with it. But it is hard to confirm as I sprayed a crapload of Engine Degreaser around the plug prior, to get all the oil buildup off of it. REGARDLESS, next oil change I am going to apply a lot of rags and duct tape around that sensor to eliminate the risk of ANY oil falling on it. Note: I have read some other reports of folks getting coolant and other liquids in there somehow which caused fault issues with it and some suggested cleaning it off worked for them, but it didn't work for me. Regardless, I would just replace it if you have more thank 100K miles logged.

*HOW SAFE IS IT STILL TO DRIVE?*

The cool thing is YES you can still drive it. Well for the most part...
THE THING THAT FAILS OR KILLS THE SENSOR IS HEAT!
Depending on where you live you might be ok for short drives of 30 mins max. Luckily here 
it is Fall and I just kept my errands and drive to work around 20 mins or less, while watching the engine temp and driving like a grandma. As soon as it got to the nominal engine operating temp I would pull over.

I also removed the OEM plastic guard "skid" plate out from below the engine to increase airflow.

One Vortex fellow posted he carried around a plastic spray bottle filled with water and would stop and cool the sensor down by spraying it from underneath.

*DIPSTICK TUBE.....*
First thing when doing research I kept reading "Easy with AWP, horrible with AWW/AWD"
It is so true.... Apparently with the AWP it is mere inches away from the sensor, while the AWW longer wire plug is squarely behind and below the dipstick tube, extending down the front face of the engine up back behind the oil filter requiring you to work on top of the engine first, then later below it. Grrr...

If you haven't dealt with the dipstick tube after 100,000 miles, you are in for a treat. Screw those who say "just pull it up and it'll pop right off. Super easy to do". Frak that! It's a pain and it is what made my entire 4 hour experience from setup to cleanup a nightmare.

First off, it is going to break, even if you have the hands of a neurosurgeon. The plastic is so crisp and brittle by this age that if you touch/push it horizontally, it will crumble.

Mine was just fine before surgery. Then after:











Given that, it is time to buy a new one:
*06A 103 63 B* Dealership is $13-15 with tax.









Btw, when I dipped my old dipstick in the new dipstick tube it was a tighter fit. When I pulled it up after, it cracked (remember same cheap plastic...) the handle on the dipstick itself right below the O-Ring handle. Sigh... Ok, well now I guess I'm getting a new dipstick tomorrow. Btw, this might not happen to you and is not as important.

Metal with Orange plastic Dipstick:
06A 115 611 B


















So, it normally cracks there, at the base. See this inside piece on the dipstick lower end? That is years of heat infused on the inside of the metal lower dipstick tubing connection you need to get out. I used tissue stuffed down below it and needle nosed pliers grab it out.

SEE THE INNER PIECE:









NOTE: APPARENTLY THERE IS A MESH SCREEN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DIPSTICK TUBE TO CATCH SUCH PARTICLES? I HOPE SO!!!

I also do think this is true, as hundreds have cracked and replaced their tube with pieces falling in yet I have not heard of one single report of folks engines seizing up. Anyone? 

This is how dipstick goes in:




























*GETTING TO THE SENSORS ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ON TOP:*

To access the sensor I took out the following 4 screws.









Pulled Apart:



























THESE ARE NOT IN ORDER, BUT YOU NEED A TOOL TO GET BEHIND AND GRAB AND UNPLUG THE ADAPTOR PIECE BEFORE LIFTING THE PIECE UP. SCREW YOU VW FOR MAKING THIS SO HARD.

TO DISCONNECT THE WIRE HARNESS YOU HAVE TO PULL THE ELECTRICAL PLUG BEFORE PULLING UP ON THE CONNECTED PIECE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!










YOU HAVE TO REACH BACK BEHIND THE UNIT TO DO IT









Another photo:










Last:


----------



## Slimjimmn (Apr 8, 2006)

FYI, at the vw dealer they only sell the "c" part. Its universal for aww, awd, agu, awp. 

I have an AWP and put in the 06a-906-433-c and it works fine. 
They both have the same resistance specs (750-1000ohm) the wire is just longer. You could have a 40 foot wire between the connector and the sensor magnet and it would still have 750-1000ohm spec. 

I bought my sensor at the local import parts store for $68


EDIT: oh and all that broken plastic dipstick stuff is now in your oil pump pickup screen lol.


----------



## Oly_Golf (May 20, 2006)

Hey, thanks for the response! sorry to write back so late...

I see, so they are all using the "C' piece now? That makes sense... Can't really fault AutoZone I guess... they can't know every weird thing VW does.

So, yeah, there are a few pieces in the mesh screen. Thanks for confirming, whew! Or, wait is that a bad thing??


----------



## jjbowden (Feb 11, 2008)

*Actual Name of Sensor*

I have the Bentley manual and according to that source, the sensor is the "Crankshaft Position Sensor" 

Many thanks for the DIY with all the photos. I've yet to get my sensor (Auto Parts Warehouse for $30 with a 5-year warranty) and was not looking forward to figuring out how to get my big hands into that small space.


----------



## Oly_Golf (May 20, 2006)

jjbowden said:


> I have the Bentley manual and according to that source, the sensor is the "Crankshaft Position Sensor"
> 
> Many thanks for the DIY with all the photos. I've yet to get my sensor (Auto Parts Warehouse for $30 with a 5-year warranty) and was not looking forward to figuring out how to get my big hands into that small space.


 It's not the most fun job... Let me know how it works out btw. Also, while you are in there you might want to replace your thermostat, if you haven't before. I should have done it when doing the timing belt, but I was too tired. Last week, the thermostat died, and is right behind the dipstick... Grrr... 

If you have a 100k on the car, seriously think about the thermostat also. So much easier when you are working on the sensor. 

2 Suggestions: 
-Disconnect the battery, you'll have fluid flowing around the electrical connections on the alternator. 
-Disconnect the small lower hard to get at hidden alternator grounding plug to reach the screw on the lower thermostat housing. MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE! 

IM if you need help! 

Here is a good guide: 
http://forums.audiworld.com/showthread.php?p=16925102


----------



## Oly_Golf (May 20, 2006)

"Hey there,

I'm about to do my CPS and thanks a lot for you diy. Where does the other end of the sensor go though? 

Did I miss something from your DIY? 

Once I get the top connector off, do I need to get under the care for the other side?

Thanks in advance!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The actual sensor piece bolts onto the front side of your engine, a bit hidden, a little bit below the oil filter (I suspect that is why it dies so fast, from oil change drippings..nice job VW German Engineering!)

What I did was work first on the top part of the car through the hood to get the sensor;s electrical plug out. Put in the new one and snake it down where the old one went, with the bolt sensor end dangling free.

Then, jack up the car, and get underneath to unbolt the old one, and drop in the new one.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...-in-2.0L-engine&highlight=position+sensor+diy


----------



## 2dougs (Dec 19, 2013)

*EPC Light After Stall When Warm*

Yep, this is what happened to my 01' AWW automatic. It would stall at stoplights after warmed up. Then it would restart after 5 seconds and the EPC light would come on. $100 Bosch part and half hour of mechanics time and its all better.


----------

