Cam shaft position sensor issues.

[Biggunzilla]

I am really new to this Aveo life. Got our daughter an 07 and it was running great. 150k on it, but very well maintained by a family member. Our daughter was driving it last night and all the sudden she said it started making a loud noise and lost most engine power. The tick is very loud and upon first glance I was sure it was extremely low on oil. However it was not, and the oil on the stick was barely even dirty. Ran the codes and the only one popping up is the camshaft position sensor. I cleared it and made it pop back up multiple times. I tried to test drive it but it acts like it’s running on one cylinder. Lol. I have ordered the factory sensor and will install it this weekend. My main question here is, did it do any lasting damage? I have never heard a motor make such a horrid tick over a cam sensor. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[avguy]

I recommend that you remove the top timing belt cover and check to make sure the cam sensor didn't somehow come loose and is now making contact with the belt, BEFORE starting it up again.

[ChevyAveo2442]

Most likely the cam sensor has failed. That can make an engine run poorly, shake and make a lot of unsettling noises. Wouldn't be a bad idea to check the condition of your timing belt and make sure its timed right as well. Its extremely unlikely that the sensor became loose. Good luck!

[Biggunzilla]

Upon removal it is obvious that the sensor has been previously replaced. The clip was damaged and not secure. I still replaced the sensor and secured the broken clip with electrical tape so it would not wiggle free again. I installed new spark plugs and added some Lucas oil stabilizer. Code is gone and car is running much better, but there is still a horrible tick. This is more prominent at high RPM and lower speed. The oil looks to be in great shape and there is plenty in the motor.

[avguy]

If the noise is coming from the timing belt cover, then I'd suspect that something detached when the cam sensor loosened up, got lodged somewhere in the belt loop, and is what's causing the noise. I'd advise getting it resolved ASAP.

[Biggunzilla]

https://youtu.be/N9Rpu4PQVTA. Someone in this forum posted this video on Youtube. It stated the noise was the waterpump coming apart. This is the noise that we hear in ours. There was no follow up on the fix on YT, so I don't know if that was the actual issue.

[ChevyAveo2442]

Do you happen to know when the timing belt/water pump were last replaced?

[Biggunzilla]

I do not. They are about to be replaced though. The sound is exactly like that video I shared and apparently it is the bearing in the water pump. Where is the best place to get the timing belt kit and water pump?

[ChevyAveo2442]

Depending on how good your local auto parts stores are in your area maybe there. But a Gates brand set from Amazon would be good.

[roberco]

I am really new to this Aveo life. Got our daughter an 07 and it was running great. 150k on it, but very well maintained by a family member. Our daughter was driving it last night and all the sudden she said it started making a loud noise and lost most engine power. The tick is very loud and upon first glance I was sure it was extremely low on oil. However it was not, and the oil on the stick was barely even dirty. Ran the codes and the only one popping up is the camshaft position sensor. I cleared it and made it pop back up multiple times. I tried to test drive it but it acts like it’s running on one cylinder. Lol. I have ordered the factory sensor and will install it this weekend. My main question here is, did it do any lasting damage? I have never heard a motor make such a horrid tick over a cam sensor. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I would replace the water pump, timing belt, and tensioners. You can get the whole kit on ebay, amazon, or Rockauto