I don't know how many of you out there have ever replaced a crank sensor in a 6.5, but here's how it usually goes. The hold down just falls off and is useless to help you remove the sensor, so you pull on the wire and it breaks too, so your only option pretty much, that I've heard of anyway, is to drive a screw in the sensor and pry the sensor out.

I've done this successfully several times and never had much of a problem, so when a customer brought his truck in Thursday with a bad crank sensor, I said no problem. Well, it turned out to be a BIG problem. I drove the first screw in, quite a bit so I had a good place for leverage to pull on it, and as I was prying against it, it snapped about flush with the top of the sensor....hmmm, never had that happen before, I'll go get another screw. Same stinking thing happened. Soon after, I was to the point where I had 3 broken screws doing more to hold the sensor in place and realized I would never get it out this way.

So now, the only option I have to remove the whole timing cover for a stupid crank sensor. I got it all off this afternoon and I'm going to have to devote most of Monday to cleaning everything up and putting it all back together for the guy.

Has anyone else out there ever encountered a problem like this? Or know a 'better' method for removing the sensor?

While putting my new engine together I had already purchased a new crank position sensor, because I didn't want to pull the old one out of the old engine.

So, just for grins, I thought I'd try and pull the sensor out of the engine.

Just as most of you had said, what a pain in the butt it is, the metal tab breaks off, then the cord.

So, at that point, I reached around and patted myself on the back for already having the new sensor, instead of finding out last minute that the original sensor wasn't going to be re-usable because of removal.


So, what I found that helped remove the sensor is to take needle nose pliers (if you can get in there) and rotate the sensor before trying to remove it. That seemed to help get it out w/o removing the cover.

Bummer on removing the whole timing cover for that darn sensor though, I feel for ya man.

Heating the housing with a torch should expand the aluminium enough to loosen the sensor then pull out.

After I got the cover off, its easy to see that there was just no other way. The sensor protrudes over an inch inside the cover, and it was split/swollen so big there was no possible way to pull it out. I had to hammer and punch it all the way through to get it out.

New sensor is in place, gasket kit is in and I'm ready to start putting it all together in the morning. Hopefully the guy will let me change his waterpump while i'm here, he needs one and this is about the best opportunity he is going to get to do it.

I've seen plenty of cases where the sensor is damaged and "bubble gummed" back in which of course screws up the timing.

When built, it appears as though GM uses an anerobic sealer just like they do on the timing cover. I've found that the only effective way to remove these is with a mallet from inside...

what are the symptoms of a bad crank sensor?
how much does it cost?

I drilled a pilot hole in mine so the screw wouldnt expand the sides of the sensor.

Worked like a champ.

Caveat: Dont drill all the way through.

Tim

Got her all put back together this morning. I was hoping the guy would go for letting me replace the timing set or atleast his water pump while I was in there, but he didn't.

Now that I finally got it to start, I found out all the stuff it really needed, crank sensor, optic sensor, vacuum pump and fuel filter. I can't believe he drove it in like that. (Can of ether on the floorboard, never a good sign)

Runs like a champ now, even barked the tires a couple times on a 1-2 shift.