Cliffs notes: I am a grey CPS hater now, and O'Rielly Auto Parts sells the black ones (BWD CSS1603) with a lifetime warranty for $30.

In late February I was working on buying this truck, and had the dealer in Wisconsin take it in for the crank sensor recall. So much for preventative maintenance.

Flash forward two months and barely 2000 miles later, to last night. The wife was driving us to our favorite local BBQ joint. There is a crest / hill into the parking lot, and after we went over it the truck died. We coasted into a parking spot and tried to re-start. It turned over fine but would not start. We decided to eat anyway and see if it would start after cooling down.

It didn't. She called her father to come get us, and O'Rielly to see if they stocked the CPS. Thank goodness I'd read enough about them here to suspect it. They had one in stock so we stopped by on the way home to get her car. While grabbing work clothes and tools I also printed out the instructions from Guzzle's site (great write up!)

Welcome to guzzle's CPS R&R Web Page<

We got back to the parking lot and it took me maybe 30 minutes. The bolt was very tight but I was able to use a 3/8" ratchet and get it off. They slathered all kinds of grease on the "old" one. With the new one installed the truck fired right up.

The part is BWD (Borg Warner) CSS1603. With tax the total was $29.21, and it comes with a lifetime warranty. It is all black, so I assume it's the older / better one. For that price I will be purchasing another as cheap insurance towards not getting stranded somewhere. I still cannot believe the new grey one lasted such a short amount of time.

 

FANTASTIC- glad you have hung around here to know what the problem was!! BUT you better go and get yourself one from Ford. Those Autozone and O'reilleys one arent supposed to last long. They are black but they arent the "black" ones.

 

Glad you got it fixed. Now since you done it once, it'll take you 10 minutes next time. just keep a 10mm 6 point socket, ratchet, short extension and a screwdriver in the glovebox with your spare. Quite honestly, this is the first thread I've seen that a grey CPS outright failed. Another reason I'm not wanting to have a grey one.

 

Good one.
I don't know what "improvements" were brought about by changing the color.

 

Dan I think the only improvement is they are cheaper!

 

Glad you did your homework and did some reading on here, saved yourself possibly a tow bill plus expenses, glad it worked out for you guys

 

Do we know who makes the black Ford part?

 

I was just wondering that myself. BW is reputable from what I have heard. Maybe Ed can find out who make them for Ford.

 

have no idea, I can only order by part number, Ford changed the part number when they updated it and then we started to get gray ones.


Ed

 

Maybe changed to gray due to an N.A.A.C.P. allegation

 

Is there a way to bench test the old / dead sensors?

I don't have an o-scope or anything, but am pretty handy with a multi-meter.

 

You mean the N.A.A...C.P.S