P2618
Crankshaft Position Signal Output Circuit Low
- Severity
- Medium
- Driving
- Drivable — book it in
A fault in the crankshaft position signal output circuit - a low reading, usually a short to earth or an open circuit. This is the wire by which the engine module passes engine speed and crankshaft position on to another module. The engine itself is unaffected; what fails is whatever was relying on being told.
Possible causes
- CommonWiring or connector fault on the output circuit
- CommonCorroded connector at either end
- PossibleFault in the module receiving the signal, loading the circuit
- PossibleChafed harness shorting against the body or engine
- PossibleAftermarket equipment spliced into the circuit
- RareFailed control module output driver
What you might notice
- The system relying on this signal not working
- Transmission shifting oddly in some cases
- Rev counter or gauges wrong
- Check engine light on
- Often no effect on how the car drives
What to check, in order
- Establish what actually uses this signal on the vehicle, then check whether that thing works. If it is fine, the fault is in the circuit rather than in what it feeds.
- Disconnect the receiving module and see whether the reading changes - that establishes which end of the circuit is at fault.
- Inspect the connectors at both ends for corrosion.
- Follow the wire looking for chafe damage.
- Ask whether aftermarket equipment - a tracker, a rev limiter, a performance gauge - has been spliced into this wire.
Read this code from your own car
Plug an ELM327 adapter into the OBD-II port under the dashboard. Pin16 reads every stored, pending and permanent code, explains each one like this page does — offline, with no account — and shows what the car recorded when the fault was set.
Where this code sits
P00xxP01xxP02xxP03xxP04xxP05xxP06xxP07xxP08xxP09xxP0AxxP0BxxP0CxxP0DxxP0ExxP0FxxP10xxP11xxP12xxP13xxP14xxP15xxP16xxP17xxP18xxP19xxP1AxxP1BxxP1CxxP1DxxP1ExxP1FxxP20xxP21xxP22xxP23xxP24xxP25xxP26xxP27xxP28xxP29xxP2AxxP2BxxP2CxxP2DxxP2ExxP2FxxP30xxP31xxP32xxP33xxP34xxP35xxP36xxP37xxP38xxP39xxP3AxxP3BxxP3CxxP3DxxP3ExxP3Fxx
Computer output circuits and control module
P2600P2601P2602P2603P2604P2605P2606P2607P2608P2609P2610P2611P2612P2613P2614P2615P2616P2617P2618P2619P2620P2621P2622P2623P2624P2625P2626P2627P2628P2629P2630P2631P2632P2633P2634P2635P2636P2637P2638P2639P2640P2641P2642P2643P2644P2645P2646P2647P2648P2649P2650P2651P2652P2653P2654P2655P2656P2657P2658P2659P2660P2661P2662P2663P2664P2665P2666P2667P2668P2669P2670P2671