OBD-II trouble code
P0336: Crankshaft Position Sensor "A" Circuit Range/Performance
SAE J2012: Crankshaft Position Sensor "A" Circuit Range/Performance. The crank signal is present and the pattern is wrong. On a 2015 Chevrolet Spark 1.2L (RPO LL0) built before VIN breakpoint FC747743, GM PI1456A checks whether the sensor is seated. On other engines, use that engine's procedure.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Sensors / Timing
- Severity
- High severity
- Drivable
- No — stop driving until repaired
- Repair cost range
- $200 – $400 (crankshaft position sensor replacement)
- DIY difficulty
- Intermediate DIY
Browse every code in P0300–P0394, or start from the full code library.
What does P0336 mean?
The crankshaft position (CKP) sensor is the single most important timing input the engine has. It reads a toothed reluctor wheel on the crankshaft to tell the PCM exactly where the pistons are and how fast the engine is turning — the foundation for spark timing, fuel injection timing, and misfire detection. P0336 is the 'range/performance' member of the CKP-A family: the sensor is alive and sending pulses, but the pattern is wrong. A missing or extra pulse, erratic spacing, or an amplitude that drifts out of spec makes the PCM's crank-position math unreliable. That's distinct from P0335 (general circuit fault / no usable signal), P0337 (signal too low), and P0338 (signal too high) — here the signal exists but can't be trusted.
Because the complaint is a believable-but-corrupt waveform, the causes lean toward the mechanical interface between sensor and wheel rather than a broken wire. A reluctor/tone wheel with a damaged, worn, or debris-packed tooth is a classic offender — it produces a glitch at the same point in every revolution. A sensor that is not fully seated, a loose mounting bolt, or metal debris clinging to the tip distort the signal the same way, all by changing the gap between tip and teeth. Where the service information gives no air-gap adjustment, the gap is set by how the sensor seats. Check that nothing is holding it off its seat. Do not invent a clearance. The sensor itself can degrade and put out a weak or noisy waveform, and wiring problems — chafed insulation, a marginal connector, or electrical noise from a nearby component — can corrupt the pulse train. On engines that share crank and cam signals for sync, a correlation problem can also surface here.
For the driver, P0336 tends to be more disruptive than a typical sensor code because everything downstream depends on crank position. Intermittent stalling, hard or no starting, rough running, hesitation, and a flashing-then-clearing tach are common. The engine may run acceptably one minute and cut out the next as the signal momentarily goes implausible. Treat it as a do-not-rely-on-it condition: it can leave you stranded. Diagnosis centers on capturing the CKP waveform — ideally with a scope — to see the glitch, then inspecting the reluctor wheel, air gap, sensor, and wiring.
Common causes
- Damaged, worn, or debris-packed tooth on the crankshaft reluctor / tone wheel
- Sensor not fully seated, loose mounting bolt, or a missing or doubled-up O-ring or spacer holding the tip away from the teeth
- Metal debris on the sensor tip distorting the signal
- CKP sensor degrading and producing a weak or noisy waveform
- Chafed wiring, a marginal connector, or electrical noise corrupting the pulse train
- Timing chain or belt wear that has shifted crank-to-cam phase — look for a correlation code such as P0016 or P0017 before treating this as only a crank sensor
- Damage to the reluctor wheel after a previous repair or harmonic-balancer issue
Symptoms
- Check engine light with P0336 stored
- Intermittent stalling, sometimes while driving
- Hard starting or intermittent no-start
- Rough running, hesitation, or surging
- Tachometer that drops out or reads erratically
- Engine that runs fine one moment and cuts out the next
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Capture the CKP signal with a scope if possible — a range/performance fault shows up as a glitch, dropout, or irregular spacing in the waveform.
- 2.Read the waveform for a reluctor fault before trying to look at the wheel. On most engines the tone wheel sits on the crank snout behind the harmonic balancer or on the flexplate, so inspecting it directly means major disassembly — whereas a chipped, worn or debris-packed tooth announces itself on the scope as the same irregularity at the same point in every revolution. Save the teardown, or a borescope through the sensor bore, for when the waveform says the wheel is the problem.
- 3.GM Preliminary Information PI1456A, for the 2015 Chevrolet Spark 1.2L (RPO LL0) built before VIN FC747743, says P0336 can be the crankshaft position sensor not fully seated in the transmission case. On that vehicle the correct gap to the case is less than 0.35 mm (0.01378 in). At or above 0.35 mm, remove and reinstall the sensor and tighten the bolt to 10 Nm (89 lb in), then run the crankshaft position variation learn and a 4.8–8 km (3–5 mile) road test at operating temperature. That gap and that torque are for that Spark only. On other engines, seat the sensor with the fastener torque in its own service information. Do not invent a clearance. An aftermarket sensor with a different body length can change the gap even when the bolt is tight.
- 4.Look for metal debris on the sensor tip and clean or replace as needed.
- 5.Inspect the connector and wiring for chafing, corrosion, and proximity to noise sources.
- 6.On engines that cross-check crank and cam, verify correlation before condemning the sensor.
Repair cost
$200 – $400 (crankshaft position sensor replacement)
Crankshaft position sensor replacement, parts plus labor. This $200–$400 range is that sensor replacement. RepairPal's national average for the crankshaft position sensor is about $230–$335, and the vehicle examples on that page run about $205–$375. Wiring, a reluctor or tone ring, a flexplate, and a timing chain are discussed on this page and are not included in this range. Those jobs are quoted from the labor time in the service information.
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DIY vs shop
This is an intermediate DIY job. It usually involves diagnostic steps, specialty parts, and some careful work in tight spaces. If you have the tools and a service manual or trustworthy video for your specific vehicle, it is achievable in a weekend. Otherwise, a competent independent shop will be faster.