Crankshaft Position Sensor access

[RoadReady]

Help! My '96 LT1 seems to have sprung a leak around the Crankshaft Position Sensor. The manual simply says to lift the car, loosen the bolt and remove the sensor. Yeah, right, I can barely see the thing much less touch it! There are two braces bolted to the crossmember and the side rails. Is is safe to remove one of these braces with the car on jackstands and, most important, will it give me access to the sensor?
Thanks for any help

 

[Ken]

To the top. Waitin' for an answer.

 

[jmccloud]

??Sensor

Are you sure there's a crankshaft position sensor? Where is it?
Or are you speaking of the oil level sensor in the driver's side of the oil pan?

 

[MagikDraggin]

Seems like this was posted a couple months ago. Anyway, don't mess with the crossmember bolts as I believe they are for the motor mounts.

Lift the car at least 18". Get an 8mm open end wrench or a 1/4" drive socket with a flexible extention. There is just enough clearance to get to the rascal from the rear of the crossmember.

If you remove the oil cooler, it can be accessed from the front, but it's a real pain, either way.

There's a little o-ring on the end of the thing that will leak if not put in just right. If you are changing this thing because you think it is leaking, maked damned sure the leak is not coming from the water pump or the opti-spark above and dripping down onto the crank position sensor as it was on my '96 LT1.

Get yourself a good flex handled mirror and a good light and make sure.

And for the other posters' benefit, the crank position sensor on a '96 is on the lower passenger side corner of the timing cover.

Good luck.

 

[jmccloud]

Crank Position Sensor

Thanks, MagikDraggin.
I've looked all over the component location views for my '95 LT-1 (VIN P) without success finding the crank sensor. Did find a crank sensor on a VIN J located just above the low oil sensor. Do you know whether it's used
in '95 VIN P?
I'll check the car when it's up in the air next time the oil is changed.
Learned something good today, thanks again.

 

[RoadReady]

Thanks for the info, Magik, but I took the path of least resistance. That looked like such a bear that I took the car to a mechanic. Cost: $27 labor and no skinned nuckles (for me... The mechanic cussed Corvette engineers a lot!) Don't believe I could have ever gotten it done on jack stands. FYI, I found a lot of difference in guarantees from a 30 day warranty at Auto Zone to a lifetime warranty at O'Reilly's with not much difference in price.
jmccloud, the reason you haven't found it is 'cause the #@&%$ thing is almost completely impossible to see!!!! From underneath, look on the passenger side of the timing gear cover directly above the crossmember. From above, push a few hoses aside and look down just in front of the power steering reservoir.

 

[MagikDraggin]

Thanks, MagikDraggin.
I've looked all over the component location views for my '95 LT-1 (VIN P) without success finding the crank sensor. Did find a crank sensor on a VIN J located just above the low oil sensor. Do you know whether it's used
in '95 VIN P?
I'll check the car when it's up in the air next time the oil is changed.
Learned something good today, thanks again.

If my memory still serves me right, the crank position sensor is only on the lower passenger side of the timing cover on a '96 vette.....I'm not sure if the 95's even have one. On the earlier C4's, it's in a different location. They Haynes manual I have isn't very clear on this.

 

[MagikDraggin]

If you got that done for 27 bucks labor, you got one helluva deal. I forget what they quoted me for that job around here in central Iowa but it was well over 100 bucks.

I hope it does the trick for you. As I said before, I found out later that the leak was actually coming from up above the sensor.

 

[RoadReady]

Yeah, you sure can tell it was an afterthought.... No body in their right mind would have put it there.

$27 was for labor only, the part was $60+. It was the sensor leaking. The water pump and Opti are still going strong.

 

[MagikDraggin]

Yeah, you sure can tell it was an afterthought.... No body in their right mind would have put it there.

Every automotive engineer/designer should be required to always have two uniforms on hand at all times at his "work station".

A white lab coat, nice and clean slacks for doing all the mental and pencil work he does to earn those big buck he brings in.....

And a set of shop overalls, so he can see if he can take the damned thing apart before they turn it loose on the unsuspecting public.

I'm glad to hear you got yours taken care of.