Dakota Durango Forum banner

Removing crank shaft position sensor

40K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  cmatheny1 
#1 ·
Any tips on removing this? It is a pain so far, and I cracked the first one trying to get it out. Thanks.
 
#2 ·
I mangled mine when I went to check it... LOL ... So needless to say after I was done looking at it I needed to buy a new one. Sometimes they come out with some constant pulling.

There is a rubber O-Ring that sets in pretty good. You need something that can grip it and pull with constant pressure... If you let off the pressure it just snaps back into place. I tried to use a screw driver on the one in my truck and that just bent the tab for the bolt that holds it.

They come out... just a PITA sometimes.


SPEED SAFE, AIR RAM
 
#3 ·
pull the fender liner... easier to get to. gotta lift it straight up or it is a PITA to pull out.
 
#4 ·
On my jeep I had to take the starter loose to even have a chance. It was very tight, but some cursing and constant arm contorted pulling freeed mine unharmed.
 
#5 ·
not a problem on the Dakota.... starter is on the drivers side. tho it is still a PITA cuz of the clearance and the AC drain is also there.
 
#7 ·
Mine was froze in to the point that I had to use a screwdriver and hammer to chisel it away.....completely. Mine was a bitch. Cleaned the hole out good with a wire brush and still had to drive the new one in with a block of wood and a hammer. I have had to drive them in before and remove the oil pan to retrieve them.
 
#11 ·
I twisted the sensor clockwise, then looped a long and strong shoestring around the sensor and underneath the metal arm. I wrapped the free ends of the shoestring around a wrench and then yanked on the wrench, each time pulling a bit harder. The sensor popped right out, after a few strong yanks. I did NOT take off the fender liner. Also, when installing the new sensor, I used a block of wood and hammer (as mentioned by frmBoyBuck), which worked quite easily.
 
#12 ·
Bumping...just removed (what I think was) the original sensor from a 2001 Dakota. Mine eventually came out in a 100 pieces. I tried every method suggested on the internet, would not so much as budge. Took me a full week to get the d#&n thing out using a few hours in the evenings each night:

Prep: Jack up truck, remove passenger tire, remove wheel well cover. Sensor is accessible directly from the passenger wheel well. Spray liberal mounts of PB blaster, let it sit, spray some more.

a) Wiggle it back and forth with two screwdrivers (lmao....uh, yeah right, no movement at all)

Spray liberal amounts of PB blaster.

b) Grabbing with channel locks, prying hard by hand. (no movement, not even close)
c) Wrapping a cord around it, tie the other end to a heavy object, and yanking (i.e. a slide hammer). Nope, no movement, not even close.

Now I'm cursing....and spraying liberal amounts of PB blaster.

d) Grab it with bigger channel locks again, prying harder this time with the expectation it either comes out or it breaks.

It broke off flush with the engine block...no movement at all.

More cursing....

e) Go to store, buy some long drill bits (in this particular case, size matters), drill a pilot hole, insert a heavy duty concrete anchor screw, wrap some steel wire around it, wrap the other end around a crow bar, rest the crow bar on the truck frame for good leverage, put full weight on the crow bar to pry it out.

SNAP! Wire broke.

MORE CURSING....

f) Using a drimel, clean up the outer edge of the hole in the block, then go to store, get heavier wire. Rinse and repeat,

SNAP! That wire broke too.

No movement at all from the sensor. Now I'm getting pissed, and looking for someone other than myself to blame for this insanity (Chrysler perhaps?)

Spray liberal amounts of PB blaster....I'm getting good at aiming the can.

g) Using the long bit, drill little holes around the outside of the sensor.

Crow bar and wire trick round 3. SNAP! Wire breaks again.

SERIOUSLY!?!?!?

h) Ok, time to switch tactics....turn on the compressor, hook up the air hammer, and pound away. Voila! About 2 hits by the air hammer and the sensor MOVES!....in the wrong direction of course, into the block.

But not all the way, so I think to myself, it moved, so this booger is coming out!

Spray liberal amounts of PB blaster.

i) Using the drimel again, now I have much more of the hole exposed and give it a good few rounds of drimel care...this hole is now clean and smooth. Crow bar and wire trick round 4. SNAP! Wire breaks again. Now I'm thinking, what the, this thing just moved, it can't still be stuck! But alas, it was indeed....more pulling and yanking and prying. No movement.

Spray liberal amounts of PB blaster.

j) Go to store, get a bigger long drill bit. Drill most of the inside of the sensor completely out (but not all the way through otherwise you push pieces of sensor inside your engine block). Run a vacuum cleaner over the hole to keep it clean of debris (again, junk in the engine block = bad).

Note: At this point, little remained of the actual sensor as I had little holes drilled around the outside as well as a large chunk of the center drilled out.

Spray liberal amounts of PB blaster.

k) Crow bar and wire trick round 5. SNAP! But not the wire, this time out comes the screw, and half of the sensor with it (which had now split in 2).

Now I'm both rejoicing and worrying as to whether any pieces fell into the block....I run the vacuum cleaner again and pick up pieces and parts from the hole.

Spray liberal amounts of PB blaster.

l) Run vacuum over the hole (worth repeating....hard loose objects inside engine block = bad), use a hammer and long flathead screwdriver, chisel the remaining half off the side of the hole, grab it with needle nose, pull hard, and VOILA!, out came the rest, and I now had an open sensor hole.

j) Run drimel to clean the hole, insert new sensor, put everything back on, and...here comes the best part:

It didn't fix my problem!!!!

Roll eyes, curse uncontrollably, throw tools, binge drink, kick the dog.....before,

l) Calming down, ordering a PCM/ECU off e-bay, installing it in 5 minutes, and fixing the actual problem.


My random stalling and no start problem was the PCM/ECU, not the crank (or cam) sensors. Food for thought for anyone contemplating a 15 year old crank sensor as a DIY fix.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top