struggling with a snapped crank sensor
 

OK so i tried penetrating oil first but it didnt work, so the sensor ended up separating into 2, with all of the metal casing and magnets / plastic all stuck in the hole.

I read lots online about having to break down all the plastic inside to be able to fold the metal casing inwards and then grabbing hold of it with pliers and pulling it upwards, easy i thought, however I was gently scratching and chipping away doing this for like 3 or 4 hours yesterday and have not succeeded, and if anything im scared that i am damaging the aluminum hole it sits in.

I reckon I have removed about halfway down the metal casing but there is nothing to grab into whatsoever and it wont budge. I think the metal casing has rotten and welded itself onto the aluminum.

my car is 2002 with 160K plus miles and i have owned it for most of its life and this crank sensor is likely the original.

So has anyone else had an experience as bad as this one? what did you do?

Thanks

You can take the timing covers off and push it out from the bottom. But you'd have to get the crank pulley off.

Remove alternator and carefully drill with a hover sucking swarf out.

Thanks for your replies. So, if it comes to having to take the crank pulley off is that a hard job? I have done this on other cars but tbh the crank on the boxer is in an awkward position with engine in the car!

i think i will try drilling it a bit more first, and some heat (although im not too keen on heating the engine tbh)

Surley others' crank sensors must be as bad as mine?

At 160k it may be prudent to fit a new oil pump. Eliminating future issues along with this one.

I have to ask what his oil pump has to do with the crank sensor ?
we have no idea at this point if the oil pump was changed with a cambelt change ?

Id be drilling down the centre with the smallest drill bits you have and then id use and ezi-it out or big screw to pull it out,
You could just drill the fecker out but after id be whipping the cambelt cover off the clear the swarfe thats gone behind the cover during this task.

Whip Cambelt cover off,crank pulley is easy to get off,lock the flywheel (10mm allen key through the gap) and a big bar on the crank pulley.

The crankshaft sensor sits in the oil pump housing. Valid point belt off change pump job done but honestly it can't be that hard to remove with a drill just watch you don't snap the mount on the oil pump and remove the timing covers to clean out the swarf.

The sensor sits within the oil pump housing. If it had been changed this sensor would not be corroded into it. Judging by the photo not much has been replaced in a while.

Oh right I see, so if i bugger up the hole that the sensor sits in, i can just fit a new oil pump. nice.

The oil pump is original, as is the crank sensor. timing belt has always been changed on time though. This car hasn't had much pampering over its life and its given very good service. The pulley with the blue colour is making quite a bit of noise though (when i listen with my stethoscope) so I wouldnt mind doing a cambelt job on it early, if need be.

The mission with this car is to get it to 200K with as little spending as poss! I will try drill it tomorrow and will report back.

Thanks

yep well i got it out by drilling all the insides out and then folding the metal sides in like everyone says to do. because mine was totally corroded into place it was a pig of a job.

If i had to do it again, i would just drill it straight away, its the quickest way to get all the guts out of the sensor.

i was lucky not to have hit the protruding bits on the crank though. if you drilled that, you might find yourself in a bit of a pickle. I was very careful not to drill too deep but i did go through the sensor both times! im very lucky to have got away with no damage.

the new sensor didn't even want to go in because the hole was so corroded so i had to scratch the bore clean and then dielectric grease the sensor casing a bit to prevent more corrosion in future.

not the best experience there!

Make sure you have no swarf etc down in the timing cover or it could be a very expensive short cut :thumb: