Well, the engine light came on and took the 2000 Mercury Sable to the auto store. Once they plugged it in the CrankSensor is bad.
Here is the thing, the crank sensor they tried to sell me is different looking than the one in the car. Is this legit?
On a scale of 1-10 I am like a .25 when it comes to cars but I am not afraid to learn and change parts myself. However I wasn't sure if parts can change in style?

The part is the CrankShaft sensor for the 2000 Sable 6cyl. It is not a DOHC.

Also I believe the sensor is located on the passenger side below the belts on the crankshaft. Can anyone confirm on a 2000 Sable? Some on the internet said it is on the drivers side so I am more confused.

Thanks all!!!

 

The crankshaft sensor is the one you suspect. The ont they are talking about is the camshaft sensor. What code do you have? Is it a P0340? If it is, it is the camshaft positioning sensor. I could not find a code for the crank sensor. Usually a bad crank sensor will not allow the vehicle to start.

 

Good point - Someone told me the Crank and CamSensors were the same but apparently not. I will have to wait for the dang engine light to come on again. Seems the engine light comes on and shuts off when it feels. Same as the stalling. The car stalls when at idle but once or twice a week.
What I HAVE been noticing is when I start it in the morning the RPM's bounce up and down for about 10 seconds then the idle is normal. Odd.

 

The crank sensor on your vehicle is on the passenger side just behind the crank pulley.
The cam sensor is located under the intake in the valley on the driver's side where the distributor used to be.
When you lose the crank signal the engine will stall as "way 2 old" explained because the PCM sees no signal and assumes the engine isn't turning over. When that happens the PCM also cuts off fuel from the injectors. Therefore the stall.
Why do I get that feeling of ,"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull....." Some defective crank sensors will open when they get hot and the signal is momentarily gone causing the stall and also loss of engine RPM signal.
Sounds impressive huh? Let's hope that's all there is to your vehicle's problem.

 

Thanks for the reply! Actually found out the issue was the CamSensor. For those with a 2000 Sable, the sensor is located behind the distributor sitting alongside the mainfold. Kind of tucked away as there are a group of wires laying ontop of the sensor that kinda hide it.

Anyway, replaced it and it hasn't stalled!
Thanks again all!!

 

Thanks for sharing the fix with us .