was looking to do a preventative swap on this sensor. i found one on ebay for $75 made by standard motor products pn#pc518. does anybody have experience with this unit?

 

No experience, but when I was making a list of critical spares I found them at Rockauto for a bit less than that.

 

Having an extra CPS handy is a good idea. When these things fail ( and believe me they do fail) you are dead in the water.

I keep a spare in the trunk with the proper tool next to it just in case.

 

Can one of you describe how to diagnose a crank and/or camshaft sensor problem? My '93 VDP occasionally will turn the starter fine but will not fire at all after it has been driven and sat a while. Can then wait 15-20 minutes, and it will start right up. I figure it is likely be electrical, but has never happened at home when I can take the time to diagnose so wondered if this might be a sign of one of these sensors going bad based on this thread.