Crank sensor reading inconsistent.
P0336 — also written PO336, P 0336, 0336 — is the OBD-II code for crankshaft position sensor range/performance. Same code, same fix: this page covers every spelling of it.
Crankshaft position sensor performance — the sensor is still reporting, but its signal pattern doesn't match what the ECU expects. Often a tone-ring (reluctor) issue rather than the sensor itself.
P0336 is a sensors fault code, typically costing £80–£500 to put right in a UK garage.
What P0336 actually feels like to drive
- Engine intermittently cuts out and restarts itself within a second
- Hesitation at specific RPM (often 2,000–2,500)
- Difficult hot starts
- Misfire codes alongside
- Engine warning light with no obvious symptoms
What causes P0336?
- Failing sensor
- Reluctor damage
UK vehicles that throw P0336 most often
- Vauxhall Astra / Zafira 1.6 / 1.8 petrol
- Ford Focus / Mondeo 1.8 / 2.0
- BMW N42 / N46 petrol
- Hyundai / Kia 1.4 / 1.6 petrol
- Citroën / Peugeot 1.6 VTi
How P0336 is fixed
- Sensor replacement
The P0336 misdiagnosis that wastes money
Sensor swap is the first thing every garage tries — usually rightly so, as it's the cheaper fix. But if symptoms persist with a new sensor, the tone ring on the crankshaft pulley or flywheel is the next suspect, and that's a transmission-out job on many engines.
What a UK garage should charge for P0336
Sensor replacement £45–£140 fitted, tone ring replacement £350–£900+ depending on where it's mounted (gearbox-out jobs are the expensive ones).
P0336 repair cost in the UK
Most P0336 repairs land between £80–£500 including parts and labour. The spread is wide because the cheap fix (a sensor, a hose, a leak) and the expensive fix (a major component) throw the same code — which is why a proper diagnosis before parts are bought saves the most money.
Bob's tip on P0336
Get the workshop to graph the crank signal on a scope alongside the cam signal — a glitch in the trace tells you immediately whether it's the sensor (clean noise but wrong) or the tone ring (one missing or extra tooth).
Can you drive with P0336?
May fail to start.
Urgency: high.