I spent about 25 minutes yelling the 'f' word under my car... I think I raised some eyebrows in my neighborhood. Anyways, I am having a very hard time trying to take out my original CPS. I removed the 10mm bolt holding it onto the block, but then it only turns slighty up & down. Doesn't come out at all when I pull on it. Chiltons says to just remove it, so I'm guessing it should be a lot easier than it's actually becoming. Anyone have any "techniques" to get this little biotch off? I called a shop that I trust (expensive though) and they wanted to charge me $200 for 2 and 1/2 hours of labor! WTF?

I'm only fortunate to have started with the actual sensor, than cutting the original connector and splicing in the new one.

If you can spin it all the way around on it's axis, it should come right out. If you are replacing it, you might try *gently* getting a slotted screwdriver under the edge of it to get a bit more leverage, but I don't know that I would advise that.

Unless the crankshaft "self-clearanced" things severely, it should just pop right out. Try pulling it out while you twist it while wearing gloves or wrapping a rag around it so you can get a better grip on things.

Pull harder.

Originally posted by DarkOne
Pull harder.

x2. It can be a bitch sometimes, I've tried to remove them on cars at the junkyard before and had a hell of a time. Theres an o-ring on it that makes it a little tough. Keep twisting/rocking and pulling, it will come out.

Originally posted by DR1665
If you can spin it all the way around on it's axis, it should come right out. If you are replacing it, you might try *gently* getting a slotted screwdriver under the edge of it to get a bit more leverage, but I don't know that I would advise that. Unless the crankshaft "self-clearanced" things severely, it should just pop right out. Try pulling it out while you twist it while wearing gloves or wrapping a rag around it so you can get a better grip on things.

I think I'll try the glove thing tomorrow... although I honestly do not like being under a $20 Auto Zone jack and two emergency road-side jacks as jack-stands (the ones that come in the trunk). :( I could barely turn my head side to side without that damn splash gaurd under the alternator smacking me on the nose, or the oil filter hitting my forehead...

On a more serious note, when you say to spin the sensor all the way around on it's axis, does it have to already be out part of the way? Because I believe I felt some resistance when I made the sensor rotate clockwise (facing the sensor), as if it were hitting something; probably part of the block. I think it rotated about 1/4th of the way, and this is with the sensor being all the way in the block. I agree with not necessarily using a slotted screw driver for leverage, in fear of snapping a part of the plastic on the sensor... that'd suck. I'll give it another go when I get out of class tomorrow and let you know how it went.

Edit:
Woah! Saw everyone else's posts... I guess I'm a wuss. :shrug

Originally posted by saikou
I honestly do not like being under a $20 Auto Zone jack and two emergency road-side jacks as jack-stands (the ones that come in the trunk).

get.....safer.....jackstands

2 Jackstands at Walmart ~$15

Originally posted by 95_ESi_Person
2 Jackstands at Walmart ~$15

Really? I did not know this, Wal-Mart, here I come...

Got mine there a few years ago. Work like a charm. I strongly suggest not going under the car without stands. That is life or death.

I just used a flat head screw driver on mine and it popped right out without a problem.

Phew...

Managed to get that old crankshaft position sensor off... merely used a rag for better grip and popped that bad boy out of there. It was pretty much all downhill from there; placed the new sensor into the block and spliced in the new connector. However, it was a bit difficult having all the blood rushing down my arms and having very little room to work with, but it's do-able. Also invested in some jackstands. :thumbsup

Hopefully this will take care of the random Camshaft Position Sensor and Crankshaft Position Sensor codes that I get (Camshaft had already been replaced), as well as the car randomly shutting off.

Good call. Glad to hear it's out. I think it's a subconscious thing to use a glove or otherwise protect your hand when working in tight spaces like that. There's always the threat of a busted knuckle or two, but with gloves on, you're practically invincible.

(Hope you picked up those jack stands, too.) :thumbsup

UPDATE: (both sensor connectors(w/ harnesses) were purchased at AUTOZONE)

Although I have already replaced both the Camshaft Position sensor and Crankshaft Position sensor as stated, I'm going to update this thread for anyone having any problems with throwing Check Engine Lights for any of the two sensors. Hopefully this thread will be of importance to future problems other 2GNT members are having.

It's been one day since I replaced my sensor from a CEL I received the other week. Unfortunately, I am now getting CEL code #54 (Camshaft Position Sensor). I have also received code 11 numerous times before I even replaced the Crankshaft Position sensor. I have already replaced the Camshaft Position sensor weeks before and my car still bucks violantly with the RPM gauge going crazy. During this, code 54 appears during the keydance. To clear things up if you did not understand this... both my sensors are brand new and I still get code 54. My ECU will also reset the codes on it's on, without disconnecting the negative terminal or using a scantool to erase the code. When the ECU does this, the car will loose power for a split second and then return to normal. I'm not certain if my ECU is faulty or that possibly the harness for the Camshaft Position sensor is shorting out due to the removed EGR tube (a very common problem for those without a blocked EGR; the EGR pipe will occasionally become very hot and melt the harness, explosing the wires for the Camshaft Position sensor, possibly causing a short). I'll splice in some new wires to see if that fixes the problem. Also, I have a perfect idle of 750-800RPM.

From searching other threads, I have learnt that if you have a bad Crankshaft Position sensor and a good Camshaft Position sensor, that one or the other will make the other look bad... regardless if sensor A is good; a bad sensor B will make sensor A not function correctly and you may get a CEL from either one. I guess they rely on each other to have the car operate properly, correct me if I am wrong. I'm really just at a lose for words from why my car is still having problems. Would anyone like to enlighten me with some explanations?

ANOTHER UPDATE:
I finally fixed the problem after reading through this thread:
http://forums.2gnt.com/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=69595&mode=full

After checking out the harness and realizing that everything was alright, I unbolted the camshaft position sensor in order to clean the magnet. A little bit of oil immediately dripped out after removing the sensor, ah, the culprit perhaps...

You'll just need a torx bit to be able to remove the magnet. Use a slotted screwdriver to kind of wedge it out if it doesn't come out after removing the bolt. I used a lint free towel and wiped both the sensor and magnet clean of oil. Simply place the magnet back inside and bolt the sensor back into place. I haven't had any problems since then! :thumbsup

After about 30 miles of both highway and city driving, everything appeared to be in perfect order... and that's saying a lot for these cars. I should drive more just to make sure, but before cleaning the magnet, this car was a mess just leaving the driveway. She idled at a steady 800RPM and purred like a kitten. My CEL did pop back up though after the ECU relearned everything from the driving... fortunately, it was just because of the blocked EGR pipe (32).

Ummm....

You do realize that the magnet is constantly exposed to oil because it's inside the head and unsealed, right?

Right?

Then I wonder what the hell I did to fix it... :wary