Yabo

Well, reference sensor is broken off inside the bracket so I need to get the bracket off. the allen head bolt for the bracket, at least one of them, is so stuck that of course the allen is beginning to turn.

Should I just pull the engine now or has anyone actually been successful getting them out with the engine in? (1986 951)

ausgeflippt951

Are you talking about at the bellhousing? The S & R sensors can easily be removed with the motor in the car...you don't even have to remove the intake, as a matter of fact...

Or am I not understanding you?

Yabo

i already had the intake and basically everything off, but its still tight and I got the allen in the bolt but its tight enough I need a pipe on the socket wrench to get it to move, and i'm pretty certain the allen is starting to strip (inside the bolt) so I just stopped. I'm probably going to remove heater valve and such to try to get vice grips on it maybe..

Yes its the reference/speed sensors I've been doing this a while it's definitely them

ausgeflippt951

Haha I didn't mean to sound disparaging, sorry!

The best way to do it is get yourself a set of allen sockets. I've never tried with a full allen wrench, and I can imagine they've gotta be hard to get in there.

Yabo

That's actually what I'm using. I had to use a pipe on the ratchet because with all my effort I couldn't break the bolt free. and that's when it just seemed to start stripping. If the bolt isn't completely stripped out I'll try to see if i can clear enough plastic stuff away to use some heat tomorrow.

eniac

I have removed about 5 of these in the past 2 weeks with the engine in the car. I got to them from underneath with an allen socket and a universal. This way is allows me to tap on the bolt with a hammer to help loosen it up prior to torqing on it. A lift helps here.

I have done these from the top also. It helps GREATLY to have one of these to get leverage in tight spaces:


Either way, try to tap on the bolts to wake them up a bit before stripping out the head. Sometimes you can hammer in the next larger torx socket but be very careful not to snap it off. The torx socket trick worked for me recently when helping a friend pull his motor apart and one of the intake bolts stripped out. I hammer in a slightly larger torx bit and it came right off.

Yabo

Hmm, didn't think I would have a chance from the bottom. I'll take a look.

eniac

I've had the exhaust out of the way anytime I did since I was often doing more then just the sensors so don't know if that would be in the way but I used a few long extensions connected together with the universal on the end.

PorscheDoc

Yup, you can do it from the bottom, or if the heads strip, you can break them loose with a hammer and a long chisel from up top.

KuHL 951

+10. I have a set of 1-piece cast allen sockets and they have worked twice getting that bracket off. Is it cramped? Hell yeah.

Yabo

How do you retrieve the rest of the bolt ? does it usually spin out easily afterwards?

PorscheDoc

You aren't knocking the head off, you are using the chisel to back the bolt out, just like you would use a wrench. A couple good whacks in a counter clockwise direction, and then you should be able to spin it out by hand or with the allen tool.

Yabo

Oh, alright. I'm going to try to find a thinner chisel while i'm buying a few things today. Thanks.

Yabo

I got it out. I think the chisel helped, thanks for the ideas.

Now I have another question. What is the third, smaller sensor that is on the bracket? one of the speed/reference sensors was broken off in the bracket (still sticking into the bellhousing and i had to break the bracket in order to get it off. It actually kind of messed up the block where it connects but it will still work. Just curious as to what that other sensor is.

Now I also need to find another sensor bracket, the sensors I already ordered.

Rock

I went through this with my first N/a. The speed sensor was hit by a piece of rubber clutch material, causing it to bend inside the bracket, making it impossible to get out. I ended up breaking the bracket off and i think a new sensor bracket was like 36 dollars from the dealership.

That 3rd sensor is for a sensor that is strictly for diagnostic purposes used by the dealerships. IIRC they hook up some sort of stethoscope to it or something. It doesnt need to be there.