F-150 DIY: How to Change a Crankshaft Position Sensor

Tackling replacement yourself can make your ride faster and safer while saving you a substantial amount of cash.

Changing a faulty crankshaft position sensor on a 2004 to 2015 Ford F-150 can heal a lot of the pickup truck’s problems. If your truck is sucking more fuel down than it should, is noticeably down on power, isn’t accelerating properly, or it is having trouble starting in cold weather, a crankshaft position sensor may be to blame.

The fix is moderately difficult and takes less than two hours to complete — but it is definitely a DIY project that you can handle without having to be a certified mechanic. Helping to make matters a helluva lot easier is a step-by-step video tutorial, “Ford F-150/F-250: How to Replace Crankshaft Position Sensor,” which is featured on our brother site, Ford Truck Enthusiasts.

One obvious aspect of tackling this DIY repair is that you’ll save yourself a lot of green. Going to a repair shop to get a crankshaft position sensor replaced may cost up to $450, but tackling the job yourself will see you spend somewhere between $60 and $125.

F-150 pickup trucks equipped with the 4.2-liter V6 engine have the sensor located directly above the crankshaft pulley on the timing chain cover and are a little easier to work on. On the 4.6-liter and 5.4-liter V8 engines, the sensor is harder to reach because it’s located behind the air conditioning compressor.

To get a better idea of how to tackle the job, and to use as a guide during the repair, check out the video below.