wbzautocustomiz
Want my GN to go 11's one day
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- Feb 11, 2007
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- 468
crank sensor install anything special to look forward to? Is it pretty much R&R? or is this difficult to do but I do have lift to use to get a good look to work though.
crank sensor install
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87 national
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- Mar 31, 2010
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I found it easy you just have to make sure you space it right and it doesn't rub.
Here's a link
There are two things to note when installing a new crank sensor
Here's a link
There are two things to note when installing a new crank sensor
I pulled the old sensor last night and you can clearly see where it has been rubbing the reluctor wheel. I need to get a 28mm socket, so I can rotate it.
TurboTdr3.8
Well-Known Member
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Since we are on the subject of crank sensors and not to hijack this thread , my 87 T has never been changed and it has the original at 70,000 miles , I noticed it has the old style sensor , I looked at it and its not rubbing no where , the car runs fantastic with no problems what so ever , what is a normal crank sensor life and should I be thinking about a new sensor in the near future and change to the new style small sensor . But sometimes original stuff is hard to reproduce with OEM stuff you buy now .
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- Feb 18, 2006
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- 10,084
I have found the car to run smoother, specially at idle and cursing if the sensor is set to the low side of the spec. About .015.
Rick
Rick
Earl,
Thanks for this tidbit of information. I thought I was going to need to remove my Precision SLIC intercooler and turn the engine that way, so I can rotate and make sure that the reluctor doesn't rub against the sensor. Last night when I was the old bracket off I found the culprit. I had recently replaced my alternator during that time I loosened the IC bracket on the driver's side. What I didn't realize was that stud that the IC bracket mounts too also holds the crank sensor bracket in place. When I went to take off the crank sensor bracket that stud holding it on was loose. Loosen enough that I could just use my fingers to unbolt it. I didn't have an issue with engine stumbling until I put a brand new alternator in. It would only stumble at higher RPM. I'm sure that accidentally loosen the crank sensor bracket when I changed the alternator and that lead to the demise of my crank sensor. Hopefully I will have it back together here soon. I just need to clean of the sensor bracket bolt and stud. Does the bolt, that bolts the left side of the bracket, just bolt into the engine block. It has an awful lot of white stuff on it.
The factory bolt is a stud with a nut in the middle of it (or a bolt with a stud sticking out the top. It holds the crank sensor down. Then you add the intercooler bracket and then the ALT wire on top of that.
If the white stuff was powdery, it's probably galvanic corrosion from a steel bolt touching aluminum. If that's the case you're driver side valve cover doesn't leak enough oil
If the white stuff was powdery, it's probably galvanic corrosion from a steel bolt touching aluminum. If that's the case you're driver side valve cover doesn't leak enough oil
Wait, what is the ALT wire? Is that the wire that is in the plastic that bolts on or should have an o-ring terminal connected to a wire and it bolted on? Because I don't. The stuff wasn't powdery, it was a little runny. I was thinking of putting some high temp thread lock with PTFE on the bolt and factory stud, but with all the oil on the bolts and in the bolt holes it probably wouldn't cure.The factory bolt is a stud with a nut in the middle of it (or a bolt with a stud sticking out the top. It holds the crank sensor down. Then you add the intercooler bracket and then the ALT wire on top of that.
If the white stuff was powdery, it's probably galvanic corrosion from a steel bolt touching aluminum. If that's the case you're driver side valve cover doesn't leak enough oil
EDIT:
I know what ALT wire you're talking it about. It runs to the battery.
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The one in the grimy plastic conduit/holder. Easily recognize because the holes are trying to pull through from a crappy factory design on that bolt 
If you don't get it positioned correctly the spinny bits can cut into hot lead and make odd things happen.
If you don't get it positioned correctly the spinny bits can cut into hot lead and make odd things happen.
I will need to post a picture of my crank sensor install. Something doesn't look right. I mean, the reluctor's do not pass thru ridges on the sensor as shown in this picture. I have the BorgWarner CSS6 sensor. It looks like the one in the picture, but the reluctor barely doesn't even go into the valleys on the sensor. The reluctor wheel passes near the middle ridge and that was the only place I measure the air gap was a that tiny section they overlay. I can check at O'Rellys tomorrow and see if the sensor I have matches the BorgWarner sensor they sell for TRs.
EDIT: This picture is not my engine it is from the http://www.vortexbuicks-etc.com/cranksensor.htm page. I was just using it as reference.
EDIT: Here is a picture of the sensor I bought from Amazon.
Maybe my balancer is coming off.
EDIT: This picture is not my engine it is from the http://www.vortexbuicks-etc.com/cranksensor.htm page. I was just using it as reference.
EDIT: Here is a picture of the sensor I bought from Amazon.
Maybe my balancer is coming off.
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Earl, when you say loosen the bracket, you're not talking about the bracket that mounts to cover or block are you? If you mean sensor, I can loosen it and slide it parallel to the reluctor blade and balancer. However it just doesn't seem like the blade penetrates far enough between the two ridges of the sensor to interrupt the magnetic field. Below is a picture I took of my white board to illustrate what I am seeing. This is an actual representation of what mine looks like.
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No he means the bracket that bolts to the block
It just has to be deep enough to interrupt the magnetic field inside the sensor. The signal here is just a square wave to the ECM it only cares if there is voltage or not. It's hard to tell from the angle but your's looks OK to me.
It the reluctor ring isn't touching the sensor turn it over and see if it fires.
It just has to be deep enough to interrupt the magnetic field inside the sensor. The signal here is just a square wave to the ECM it only cares if there is voltage or not. It's hard to tell from the angle but your's looks OK to me.
It the reluctor ring isn't touching the sensor turn it over and see if it fires.
I get what you are saying now. If I loosen the bracket, I can move the sensor up and down. I didn't realize that the bracket had any play in it.
The picture of the posted above is not of my engine, I failed to mention that. It is the from the http://www.vortexbuicks-etc.com/cranksensor.htm page.
So you have a chinese timing cover? If it's thinner at the crank sensor mounting pad, that can cause your sensor to move away from the reluctor wheel.
