Isuzu Bighorn: Crankshaft position sensor failure — cuts out once it is hot, restarts once it cools
Crankshaft position sensor failure — cuts out once it is hot, restarts once it cools is a common electrical fault on the Isuzu Bighorn on the 1998–2002 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $250 to $900 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 12 documented faults on the Isuzu Bighorn.
- Vehicle
- Isuzu Bighorn
- Engine
- 3.0L
- Years
- 1998–2002
- Fuel
- diesel
- System
- Electrical
What you are looking at
No photograph available
What goes wrong
A failing crankshaft position sensor is a recurring 4JX1 complaint and it behaves in a way that sends owners on expensive wild goose chases. The sensor works fine cold, then as underbonnet temperature climbs it drops out and the engine simply stops — often around normal operating temperature. Left at the roadside for twenty minutes it will usually start again and drive home perfectly, which is why so many of these get diagnosed as fuel problems and have pumps and injectors thrown at them first. The part itself is not expensive; the diagnosis is what costs, so a car sold with an unexplained hot stall may have had a lot of money spent on the wrong thing already.
What you would notice
- Engine cuts out without warning once thoroughly warm, then restarts after cooling
- Stalls in traffic or on a long hill and is fine again later
- Intermittent no-start that comes and goes with no pattern the owner can explain
- History full of fuel-system parts fitted without fixing the problem
How to check it
Where to look. Crankshaft position sensor at the front of the engine near the crank pulley
This one hides from a short test drive, so make the drive long enough to get the engine thoroughly hot rather than merely warm — around the block proves nothing.
Drive it, stop, restart it hot, and drive again.
Ask the owner directly whether it has ever cut out while driving, and watch how they answer rather than only what they say.
Read the service history for a run of fuel-system parts fitted close together, which usually means somebody was chasing a stall they never found.
If the seller says it has an intermittent fault they have not got to the bottom of, treat the crank sensor as the likely answer and price it in rather than assuming the worst.
What it costs to put right
$250 to $900 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.
Ask the seller
- “Has it ever stalled or cut out while you were driving it?”
- “Has the crank angle sensor been replaced?”
- “What has been done to it in the last two years and why?”
Now check the Isuzu Bighorn you are actually looking at
Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.
Where this comes from
- JustAnswer Australia — Isuzu/Holden Jackaroo, Wizard, Trooper 4JX1 diagnostics
- Cars-Directory — 1998 Isuzu Bighorn 4JX1 engine problem reports
- Club Isuzu International — 4JX1 hot stall threads
Isuzu Bighorn buyer questions
Is crankshaft position sensor failure — cuts out once it is hot, restarts once it cools serious on a Isuzu Bighorn?
We rate it major and common on the Isuzu Bighorn. A failing crankshaft position sensor is a recurring 4JX1 complaint and it behaves in a way that sends owners on expensive wild goose chases. The sensor works fine cold, then as underbonnet temperature climbs it drops out and the engine simply stops — often around normal operating temperature. Left at the roadside for twenty minutes it will usually start again and drive home perfectly, which is why so many of these get diagnosed as fuel problems and have pumps and injectors thrown at them first. The part itself is not expensive; the diagnosis is what costs, so a car sold with an unexplained hot stall may have had a lot of money spent on the wrong thing already.
How much does it cost to fix on a Isuzu Bighorn?
$250 to $900 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.
Which Isuzu Bighorn years are affected?
Our research records this fault on the 1998–2002 Isuzu Bighorn. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.
How do I check for it before I buy?
This one hides from a short test drive, so make the drive long enough to get the engine thoroughly hot rather than merely warm — around the block proves nothing. Drive it, stop, restart it hot, and drive again. Ask the owner directly whether it has ever cut out while driving, and watch how they answer rather than only what they say. Read the service history for a run of fuel-system parts fitted close together, which usually means somebody was chasing a stall they never found. If the seller says it has an intermittent fault they have not got to the bottom of, treat the crank sensor as the likely answer and price it in rather than assuming the worst. Look here: Crankshaft position sensor at the front of the engine near the crank pulley