I have an 01 D2 with ~170k on the clock. I just purchased the truck recently and have been catching up on the major service items and was wondering whether I should go ahead and replace the crankshaft position sensor. From what I can gather, it's not a repair that you can realistically make roadside, due to the high temps among other factors.

I don't know how long the part typically lasts but it seems like it's an inevitable point of failure - presumably it's been replaced at some point, but I can't be sure. It's only like $40 for the part, so it seems like cheap insurance.

I did some searching but couldn't find much on the general consensus here - do you guys recommend replacing it proactively or taking a "if it's not broke don't fix it" approach? How long do the parts typically last?

 

I wouldn’t usually if it fails while driving you would wait until it cools down and some have poured water to cool it down
if anything have a spare on hand and the right tools small ratchet etc

 

Not because of the unknown sensor duration, but for the action of getting hands and tools in there with the risk of dislodging/damaging some wire/connector that can be for something else; I would not touch something that works fine. Prefer the approach "if it works, do not touch it"

 

There are no other wires around it, and there's nothing else that be damaged there.
It's just in a tight spot, but not a big deal to replace.

 

In 200,000 miles of ownership I have yet to have the CPS fail. Knock on wood. It's not a doom and gloom thing like your cooling system which you are good to proactively maintain.

 

I have changed mine on the side of a road situation. Had a replacement with me. And with enough time to let things cool- it’s not impossible.

 

Mine failed at 110K miles. I carry a spare one because I off-road frequently in some remote areas.

 

No harm in proactively replacing, keep the old one as a spare. Getting the CPS undone is 10 minutes. The damm wiring connector is a bastard though 10 to 20 depending on your luck to disconnect and reconnect.

 

To the OP, Lucky8 has a YouTube video which I used. Great set on instructions.

 

Failure cause is heat soak from the exhaust manifolds, LR put a cover over it and painted the cover silver to help. It does help a bit but not as much as is needed. I wrap my covers in aluminum foil and/or put an aluminum heat shield between the cps and exhaust manifold, helps tremendously. I had one going out, would not start hot. Put the heat shield on it and now she works fine for the last 30k.