P0320: Ignition/Distributor Engine Speed Input Circuit
Do not keep driving
Expect stalling or a no-start. Have it diagnosed rather than driven, since sudden cut-outs in traffic are the failure mode.
What this code means
A fault in the engine speed signal arriving from the ignition or distributor system. On older distributor-equipped engines this signal, rather than a crankshaft sensor, is what tells the module how fast the engine is turning — and without engine speed there is no spark timing and no injection timing. Losing it entirely means a no-start; losing it intermittently means a car that cuts out without warning.
Likely causes
Start here
- Faulty ignition module or pickup · moderate
- Open circuit in sensor wiring · moderate
- Corroded or loose connector · easy
Less common
- Worn distributor shaft or bearings · moderate
Rare
- Failed control module · specialist
Symptoms
Components involved
Information, not instruction
CarGeek is a reference, not a service manual. Its pages are written from public sources and from what other people have found, never from a manufacturer's own service information, so they can be wrong or incomplete for your particular vehicle. Some of what they describe carries real risk: high voltage, fuel under pressure, stored energy, hot and moving parts.
Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
Community experience
Be the first to write this up
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What makes one worth reading:
- The car — make, model, year and engine. The same fault behaves differently on each.
- What you measured, not only what you replaced.
- What actually fixed it — or that nothing did, which is worth knowing too.
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