Somehow it's been running (but roughly) for the past 2+ years or so, with all three wires to the CKPS missing molten/dryrotted insulation and intermittently shorting out.
I really don't know how his vehicle ran as long as it did with such a faulty part, like that's the sensor that tells the spark plugs when to fire and the fuel injectors when to spray..
Now it's running pretty smooth again, still a couple minor hiccups here and there, but nothing like it was.
Yep, I had a 2002 Kia Rio and the part looked familiar when I scrolled past! What I meant is that I assume the mechanical timing still permits the electrical timing to function without the sensor, it just isn't firing optimally. If it was completely dependent on the sensor for firing the plugs, I figured it would either not run at all, or worse, cause a bad enough misfire that could do some cylinder damage. Though maybe there isn't a bad enough misfire to do that? I don't know enough about them.
I also had a 2007 Sonata that blew up a few years ago when the timing chain broke, so some experience with failed mechanical timing too :) That was a great car I wish I'd tried to rebuild the engine on, but I just downsized to one car instead. Good luck with your Tucson! Good to see the older cars still ticking along.