Did you recently rush to buy a new vehicle before tariff-related price hikes? A reporter is looking to speak with shoppers who felt pressure to act quickly due to expected cost increases; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com for more details by 4/24.

2005 PT Cruiser GT misfiring and bucking

maiajoimaiajoi Member Posts: 4
edited July 2015 in Chrysler
I have a 2005 PT GT dream cruiser edition 4, today i was cruisin along at a normal speed and all of a sudden it started bucking and sputtering (this being the misfiring im told) so i pull over and turn it off. it wouldnt start back up right away, just kinda sputtered. i waited a few minutes and cranked it again and it fired right up, however the check engine light was now on. anyway it seemed to be driving fine so i drove off, but every time i got up to about 2.3 or 2.5 RPM it would buck around and misfire again. i took it to radio shack and they gave me a code reading for a cam shaft sensor. well i cranked it and drove off and it was completely normal. no bucking even at 3 and 4 RPM. i drove home, (which was a 45 minute drive) i got 5 minutes from home and it started doing it again! i have looked for the previous posts on this and it seems they have been removed. can someone tell me if this has happened to you? and if so what do i need to make sure the dealer does to it, my warranty is up very soon. thanks!

See Also
PT Cruiser Misfire Troubleshooting
Tagged:

Comments

  • jpfjpf Member Posts: 496
    What's the mileage? What maintenance have you done on it (tune up including plugs and wires)?
  • maiajoimaiajoi Member Posts: 4
    well its at 58,000 and since i just got it a month or so ago i havent had th chance to do the maintenance (i thought it had been done since it was close to time for it and i would just think te dealer would make suer it was done before selling me the car). i called the chrysler place and they said i probably need a tune up. the check engine code said cam shaft, it threw the same code twice. i took it to the garage and they said i need a cam shaft positioning sensor AND a crank shaft sensor for $270. my husband changed the cam shaft sensor and all the problems have so far gone away. the guy at the parts store told him that the cruisers go thru cam shaft sensors like crazy, said he has one customer that has to replace his every 18 months or so! tune up is next, in a week or so since the dealer said they are due at 60,000.
  • herb50herb50 Member Posts: 1
    My wife bought her 2006 PT Cruiser in Dec.2009. It has a 2.4 engine and has plenty of power. The problem of recent is driving at around 75 mph,it suddenly flutters and loses power. if you let up on the accelerator, it will sometimes clear itself up. It had 19000 original miles when she purchased it. It now has just 30000 miles. It has had no repairs to our knowledge. I put in some fuel injection cleaner and filled the tank with Premium. It ran great for about 300 miles and started again. What is puzzling is that their is NO engine codes or idiot lights when this happens. It is now becoming more regular. It will be purring along great and out of nowhere BAM it'll do it for a mile or so and almost quit and then perks up and runs fine like there never was a problem. Does anyone feel my pain?
  • tlinjalatlinjala Member Posts: 1
    try changing your fuel filter. tlinjala
  • ptcruiserntmreptcruiserntmre Member Posts: 1
    I purchased a 03 Pt Cruiser with a manual transmission in July 10, Well in Oct 10 the Timing belt had to be replaced along with the water pump. 700.00. In Feb 11 the fuel purge sensor had to be replaces 200.00, Mar 11 the clutch and pressure plate 900.00. Now I took it in for a oil change and fuel injector cleaning and approx 50 mi after that the engine light comes on and I take it to get the code read and it tells me its "running lean"now it's stalling and sputtering . I am so fed up with this POS anyone else having the same nightmares that I have been having ?????? :lemon: :mad:
  • maiajoimaiajoi Member Posts: 4
    Possible an oxygen sensor. Or cam shaft positioning sensor but if you change the cam shaft sensor make sure you also change the crank shaft positioning sensor or you will need to change your cam shaft sensor again in a year.
  • tammiterrelltammiterrell Member Posts: 3
    Hello,

    Just wondering if the changing the cam shaft sensor helped to stop the misfiring and bucking. I have the same PT Cruiser that you have and the same problem is happening. I've had the cam shaft sensor replaced once and then the timing belt went out. Got it fixed and now that car is continuing to misfire and buck. I am desperate to figure out what I must to due to fix this issue. Please advise. Thanks! :)
  • maiajoimaiajoi Member Posts: 4
    have to replace the cam shaft sensor AND the crank shaft positioning sensor. mine stopped the bucking except every once ina. while. also you may have to replace them about every year and half (but the parts not expensive)

    Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide
  • sllackeysllackey Member Posts: 3
    We have a 2005 PT Cruiser with aprox 116,000 miles on it. Recently it starting having the same issues everyone else is having with it bucking, sputtering at low speed until i can pump the gas enough to get it past the issue and up to a better speed. It does this off and on and the engine light is on when it happens. We have replaced the spark plugs, the spark plug wires, the cam shaft sensor, the ignition coil and the gas cap twice. all these items are what come up the the little check engine light gadget is attached to the engine for a possible fix. It help for a little while and goes right back to doing it all over. sometimes i take the gas cap off and it get to where i need to go but it starts happening again. Yesterday we had a shop tell us it was the wiring harness and it will cost a years worth of car payments to fix it. The problem is that Chrysler has so many of them on back order they cannot not even tell us when we can get one. I am so depressed with this car right now, i also have a senior parent living with us who i need to be able to take places and this car is not dependable right now.
  • tammiterrelltammiterrell Member Posts: 3
    Im sorry to hear that you are having similiar issues with your PT that I had with mine. I wouldn't wish this on an enemy. With that said, I replaced the cam shaft sensor along with the crank shaft sensore and I have had no problems for 3 weeks (knock on wood). Try that and see if it works.
  • oemautosoundoemautosound Member Posts: 1
    pt cruiser gt 2005 55k miles same problem misfire check engine light on the next day is OK
    3 day later check engine light is on again i turn on and off the ignition 3 times to get the computer codes and i got two misfire cylinder 1 and camshaft sensor
    i purchase one form the auto parts and replace it my self problem solve for 3 months
    doing the same again this time i purchase the sensor from the dealer is been 4 months

    normal problem in our vehicles camshaft and crank shat sensors buy mopar only from the Chrysler dealer
    don't lose money like i did
  • sllackeysllackey Member Posts: 3
    Even after replacing our cam shaft sensor with a Morpar brand, it started again. This time we took it back and found out the timing belt had skipped a tooth and was causing all the issues. Sometimes it would run and sometimes not. Could only go about 10 miles before it would act up, now it seems i can drive forever, no problems so far. I have heard that it is a PT problem that hits about 100k miles, we made it to 116k.
    Good luck,
  • babyfer73babyfer73 Member Posts: 1
    I have had the same problem and was told that it was the cam shaft sensor. The light comes on and stays on. Last night though it did something different. The car was cold (only 20 degrees outside) and it started up rough (no check engine light) and then the check engine light flashed 4 times and then went out. What worries me is that then the thermostat went up to the halfway mark (usually runs @the 1/4-1/3 mark when warmed up). There is no way the car was warmed up that quick. It was still blowing cold air out the vents too. Anyone else have this problem?
  • ptloser1ptloser1 Member Posts: 1
    two days ago i was afraid to drive car because of performance. last night the temp got down to about 25 degrees here in tampa area. this morning check engine light was off and car ran perfectly seemed to have more power than ever. i noticed this last year when temp went down. maybe someone can use this info.
  • pt_gt_315000kpt_gt_315000k Member Posts: 1
    This problem drove me nuts for almost 2 years the warmer the weather the worse it got. No one could figure it out! Lots of money wasted.
    The solution was to apply conductive cream to the spark plug wire connections at the coil and the spark plugs.
    I now do this at every oil change as the cream dries over time .
    Never saw the problem again.
  • delchar34delchar34 Member Posts: 1
    I have PT Cruiser 2005 GT.. w/85k ..getting code P171, have replace TIP , MAP, both Oxygen sensors, fuel line, thermostat, spark plugs and wires. Ran BG44K also replace upper and lower
    intake manifold gaskets. took to dealer they not sure either . Was told might need a valve job
    but not sure. Does anyone have any ideas or thoughts. with all replaced and money spent not
    getting any where.. could it be the turbo ?? thanks for any help
  • sllackeysllackey Member Posts: 3
    After we replaced most of the same stuff you did and it was still doing it, we took it to an auto electrics specialist. It turned out to be the timing belt. Looking back on several of the diagnostics printout, it was listed at the bottem of the list as a possible. It was a little expensive but the problem has gone away.
  • grewgrew Member Posts: 1
    We noticed that the check engine light stayed on and we had it checked out and they said the number 4 cyl was miss firing. We changed the plugs and checked the wires and that did not fix it so we took the car to the dealer and they said the problem was in the heads, possible cracked some placed. we have less then 100,00 on this car, why would the head crack with such less miles. Are there any recalls for this.
  • tammiterrelltammiterrell Member Posts: 3
    No recalls that I can find but this car is known for electrical problems. I brought my car in 2009 and I have had to replace the cam shaft and crank shaft 3 times due to the car misfiring when pushed to 2rpm. I still owe $5,500+ on the car. It is just not worth it anymore. I am ready to surrender the car to my finance company if I cant find a dealership to take it. I hate this car!~
  • ptlover45ptlover45 Member Posts: 3
    MY 2007 PT non-turbo did the same thing at about 18K miles. It was the camshaft positioning sensor. It is a $65 part. I had it replaced under warranty. Knowing what it looks like and how easy it is to replace, I will replace it myself next time. It involved removing two screws and an electrical lead- no biggie. Do not buy after market replacements. From what I have read online, owners who have done that, got poor results. Get the part from the dealer- It is one of the cheapest and simplest fixes you can do to your PT. Good luck.
  • pbergeronpbergeron Member Posts: 1
    I think most of you are right. It is the Camshaft Position Sensor. The reason if fails again after 3 to 4 months isn't related to it being aftermarket vs mopar auto parts.

    There are two sensors the measure the position of the camshaft and crankshaft (they are not the same thing).

    The upper sensor is the Camshaft Position Sensor and is located at the top of the engine beside the air intake box. The lower sensor is underneath the battery, battery mount and the starter. It is called the Crank Shaft Position Sensor if you don't want to take out the air box, battery, battery mount and starter to reach from the top, and if you have small enough hands, you should be able to reach it from the bottom of the car if you put it up on jack stands or ramps.

    Replacing 1 alone will get you just 3-4 months of good driving. If you replace both the upper (camshaft) and lower (crankshaft) sensors at the same time they will work fine and get you several years of service.

    It's the combination of the information delivered by these two sensors to the control module that helps control the fuel injection and firing of the pistons. So before you jump to an expensive fix like the timing belt. Since you can find each sensor from $25-$50 at the auto part store. Try replacing both sensors at the same time. If that doesn't work, then have the timing belt checked.

    Although it sounds complicated getting to the lower sensor. It's just removing several bolts to remove each of the battery, battery mount and starter to get them out of your way. Took me about 45 minutes to replace both sensors. So far they have been running great for 2 years. Went through 3 Camshaft Position Sensors before I found out you really should replace both at the same time. Having two new sensors allows them to sync their info together better for the control module.

    Hope this helps
  • kaykeiserkaykeiser Member Posts: 1
    2006 PT cruiser 2.4lt checked , had code for cyl 4 misfire found oil in spark plugs holes had good spark all cylinders replaced plugs wires and valve cover gasket with valve cover off found intake cam lobes on #4 cyl worn down replaced intake cam ran fine for 30 miles , misfire back on #4 rechecked vacuum,spark kv voltage, compression170to180 all cylinders, fuel pressure good, resyncked cam/crank and reset all adaptives still have misfire, Any ideas
  • mobile5mobile5 Member Posts: 2
    2 things my 05 Pt cruiser also had the oil in plug wells. Required replacement of valve cover gasket kit, the entire kit not just the valve cover gasket. Seems to have worked... Change plugs before completing....2. Engine idling and running poor at different times usually after running at freeway speeds for awhile. Initially thought it was the throttle position sensor, replaced that and found one of the three wires on the tps plug to be bad. That was the real issue.... it was giving code P 0123 for high voltage detected. Using a scan tool I could see voltage fluctuate when returning to idle... It should be 13.7 then raise as you increase throttle position and come back to that when you let off... Mine would vary up and down widely if getting high voltage reading code try wiggling the top wire on the plug of the throttle position sensor or any for that matter. Good uck
  • mobile5mobile5 Member Posts: 2
    my high revving and funky behavior also very common at or around 2000-2500 RPM
  • jozman32jozman32 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 05 2.4l pt cruiser the timing belt was just replaced pulled a pm o700 and a po499 code and car won't crank replaced camshaft and crankshaft sensors.
  • tane287548tane287548 Member Posts: 1
    Ok I have a theory  of what is causing this but no one is gonna like it. I have a 05 crusier touring and it started doing the same thing got the camshaft code and have changed it 3 timws and crankshaft sensor to, iha e spoke with people who have the problem and they have done EVERYTHING to fix it up to replacing computer with no success,I noticed mine started once the temp outside went up, and even in cold weather it would star once the engine temp got up.  I believe it's a design flaw with the car have ing put rhe computer in a place that is prone to colleCT all the engines heat . Causing it to act up tripping the CEL ,I dot believe anything is wrong with the car it's the check engine light  making the car go into limp mode and there fore not going over 2500 rpm . So my suggestion is unplug the battery clear the code and take it and trade it . 
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,840
    Camshaft,  crankshaft sync problems can be sensor as well as harness connection issues and are very repairable.  
  • wilfredo2wilfredo2 Member Posts: 2
    I too have had problems with my 2005 pt cruiser when reaching 25,000 rpm's it starts bucking. It turns out it was in fact the camshaft position sensor along with the knock sensor needing to be changed out. It had done this before and stopped for about 2 months and did it again just 2 days ago. I have 120,000 miles on it and I guess it was just due time for it to happen.
  • wilfredo2wilfredo2 Member Posts: 2
    Correction on the before mentioned rpm,s . . . it was when it reached 2,500 rpm's. LOL
  • PTPASTOPTPASTO Member Posts: 1
    I have had 5 PTs and have been working on these things for years... there is a list of things said here that are correct. Here is the break down of possible fix's
    1. Coil, Wires, and Plugs
    2. Cam/Crank shaft sensor (replace both at the same time)
    3. Timing Belt (but rare)
    4. This is the one that isnt touched on enough.... Bent Valve and its usually the 3rd cylinder which can be detected by doing a compression test.
    Problem 1,2 are the cheapest and most common but problem 4 is pretty much the root of all evil if it comes back after replacing 1,2.
    Note, if your problem is 4, replace the head gasket, water pump, timing belt and the timing belt tension-er, Value cover gasket and manifold gaskets, have the head resurfaced and the valve fixed of course. But they are hard to get to parts but no to expensive for the actual parts themselves but once this is done you car will run like a champ. Most PT's need all this done before 125k
    PT's are a fun and great car that do have there little quarks, great thing about them are they can run good on lots of miles as long as the upkeep is done on them. Hope this helps. Happy PT'ing
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles