90 DeVille. Wire Cam-Pos sensor in distrib

[JimS]

I am working on a 1990 Cadillac DeVille 4.5 liter.

Inside the distributor there is a Cam Position Sensor,
aka Hall-Effect sensor. I need to know how to wire
this sensor.

The sensor has three terminals. It seems that you
are not supposed to need to know how to wire this
sensor. There should be three wires coming out of
a harness and going to a connector. That connector
should fit on the sensor in only one way; no problem
in theory.

When I started working on this car, there was no
connector, just three wires, each with its own
single connector.

Now, which wire goes to which terminal on the sensor?

The sensor has three terminals. The All-Data circuit
diagram shows three wires:
Pink = 12V when ignition on
Brown/white = signal
Black/red = ground

I have such wires with these colors.

At the parts counter at a Dealer, I saw a harness.
The connector had just two wires attached. The
rightmost was Black/red, and the middle was Brown/white.
The leftmost wire was NOT connected!!! This does
not seem right. It is physically impossible for a
Hall-effect sensor to work without some input voltage
(pink wire). It also contradicts the three-wire
arrangement in the circuit diagram. None of the
three terminals are connected to case ground, so
one cannot call it a two-wire sensor by eliminating
the ground wire.

(I am call the "right" terminal, the one on MY right
as I face the sensor.)

Does anyone have knowledge of which wire goes to which
terminal?

Jim S.

[NickySantoro]

Post by JimS
I am working on a 1990 Cadillac DeVille 4.5 liter.
Inside the distributor there is a Cam Position Sensor,
aka Hall-Effect sensor. I need to know how to wire
this sensor.
The sensor has three terminals. It seems that you
are not supposed to need to know how to wire this
sensor. There should be three wires coming out of
a harness and going to a connector. That connector
should fit on the sensor in only one way; no problem
in theory.
When I started working on this car, there was no
connector, just three wires, each with its own
single connector.
Now, which wire goes to which terminal on the sensor?
The sensor has three terminals. The All-Data circuit
Pink = 12V when ignition on
Brown/white = signal
Black/red = ground
I have such wires with these colors.
At the parts counter at a Dealer, I saw a harness.
The connector had just two wires attached. The
rightmost was Black/red, and the middle was Brown/white.
The leftmost wire was NOT connected!!! This does
not seem right. It is physically impossible for a
Hall-effect sensor to work without some input voltage
(pink wire). It also contradicts the three-wire
arrangement in the circuit diagram. None of the
three terminals are connected to case ground, so
one cannot call it a two-wire sensor by eliminating
the ground wire.
(I am call the "right" terminal, the one on MY right
as I face the sensor.)
Does anyone have knowledge of which wire goes to which
terminal?
Jim S.

From left to right as you look down on the switch from above.......
pink, brown/white, black/red

[Siggi]

Has the wiring that was replied worked out i.e.

top view left to right: pink, brown/white, black/red ???

What happens if b/w and b/r are swapped? Would that fry the sensor?

Help please.

Thanks -- Siggi

PS - Have similar issue on 91 Fleetwood

Post by JimS
I am working on a 1990 Cadillac DeVille 4.5 liter.
Inside the distributor there is a Cam Position Sensor,
aka Hall-Effect sensor. I need to know how to wire
this sensor.
The sensor has three terminals. It seems that you
are not supposed to need to know how to wire this
sensor. There should be three wires coming out of
a harness and going to a connector. That connector
should fit on the sensor in only one way; no problem
in theory.
When I started working on this car, there was no
connector, just three wires, each with its own
single connector.
Now, which wire goes to which terminal on the sensor?
The sensor has three terminals. The All-Data circuit
Pink = 12V when ignition on
Brown/white = signal
Black/red = ground
I have such wires with these colors.
At the parts counter at a Dealer, I saw a harness.
The connector had just two wires attached. The
rightmost was Black/red, and the middle was Brown/white.
The leftmost wire was NOT connected!!! This does
not seem right. It is physically impossible for a
Hall-effect sensor to work without some input voltage
(pink wire). It also contradicts the three-wire
arrangement in the circuit diagram. None of the
three terminals are connected to case ground, so
one cannot call it a two-wire sensor by eliminating
the ground wire.
(I am call the "right" terminal, the one on MY right
as I face the sensor.)
Does anyone have knowledge of which wire goes to which
terminal?
Jim S.

[richardmerkel]

Post by Siggi
Has the wiring that was replied worked out i.e.
top view left to right: pink, brown/white, black/red ???
What happens if b/w and b/r are swapped? Would that fry the sensor?
Help please.
Thanks -- Siggi
PS - Have similar issue on 91 Fleetwood
[quote:5f17a8f643="JimS"]I am working on a 1990 Cadillac DeVille

4.5

Post by Siggi
liter.
Inside the distributor there is a Cam Position Sensor,
aka Hall-Effect sensor. I need to know how to wire
this sensor.
The sensor has three terminals. It seems that you
are not supposed to need to know how to wire this
sensor. There should be three wires coming out of
a harness and going to a connector. That connector
should fit on the sensor in only one way; no problem
in theory.
When I started working on this car, there was no
connector, just three wires, each with its own
single connector.
Now, which wire goes to which terminal on the sensor?
The sensor has three terminals. The All-Data circuit
Pink = 12V when ignition on
Brown/white = signal
Black/red = ground
I have such wires with these colors.
At the parts counter at a Dealer, I saw a harness.
The connector had just two wires attached. The
rightmost was Black/red, and the middle was Brown/white.
The leftmost wire was NOT connected!!! This does
not seem right. It is physically impossible for a
Hall-effect sensor to work without some input voltage
(pink wire). It also contradicts the three-wire
arrangement in the circuit diagram. None of the
three terminals are connected to case ground, so
one cannot call it a two-wire sensor by eliminating
the ground wire.
(I am call the "right" terminal, the one on MY right
as I face the sensor.)
Does anyone have knowledge of which wire goes to which
terminal?
Jim S.

[/quote:5f17a8f643] :D

RichardMerkel
I am working on a 91 eldorado 4.9 with the same problem but a little
different. Looking down on the sensor with the three connections in
front of you the wires go from left to right: black & red pink
brown & white my problem is where do I attach the black & red
wire for the ground? Thanks Rich