Crankshaft Position Sensor Removal / Engine removal (?)
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 214
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From: East Idaho
2014 GL450, 2006 S500, 2003 ML350, 1996 C280 (Prev 1995 C220, 2002 CLK320, 1980 300SD Turbo)
Crankshaft Position Sensor Removal / Engine removal (?)
1996 C280 - m104 engine.
I lost my crankshaft position sensor in the middle of traffic after doing three errands (or so I think) - which is weird because it's only thirty years old! Thankfully folks around here are nice enough to push you out of traffic pretty quick.
This thing is an absolutely annoying location on the m104. I have changed these on m112's - and you can feel it or see it but not both, which is fine. This one is in a weird place over the starter and under the oil filter housing. Only thing I haven't tried is having someone drop down a big extended alan wrench socket from above while I guide it from below, but I feel like it would be a pain to put it back in.
I was hoping you guys could help me choose from the following options:
1) Just pull the whole engine with the tranny attached - there is likely a rear main seal leak (minor), cleanup work needed on the camshaft magnet piece in front/gasket rebuild (I forgot the name, but that circular guy) and I could just tackle a bunch of stuff on it before winter. (famous last words)
2) Remove the intake manifold. It's not super hard, probably an hour but I am disconnecting a bunch of cables like fuel injectors and don't want to break those since they are old.
3) something creative like disconnect the engine mounts and drive shaft and inch the engine forward a bit to free up just a little window where a human being could work. Not a lot of space on the inline six so fan and maybe radiator would have to be removed.
1 is obviously the most upfront work and I get thorough on it.
2 is probably the least work
3 is probably not that much less work than half of 1.
Any opinions or tricks would be appreciated.
I lost my crankshaft position sensor in the middle of traffic after doing three errands (or so I think) - which is weird because it's only thirty years old! Thankfully folks around here are nice enough to push you out of traffic pretty quick.
This thing is an absolutely annoying location on the m104. I have changed these on m112's - and you can feel it or see it but not both, which is fine. This one is in a weird place over the starter and under the oil filter housing. Only thing I haven't tried is having someone drop down a big extended alan wrench socket from above while I guide it from below, but I feel like it would be a pain to put it back in.
I was hoping you guys could help me choose from the following options:
1) Just pull the whole engine with the tranny attached - there is likely a rear main seal leak (minor), cleanup work needed on the camshaft magnet piece in front/gasket rebuild (I forgot the name, but that circular guy) and I could just tackle a bunch of stuff on it before winter. (famous last words)
2) Remove the intake manifold. It's not super hard, probably an hour but I am disconnecting a bunch of cables like fuel injectors and don't want to break those since they are old.
3) something creative like disconnect the engine mounts and drive shaft and inch the engine forward a bit to free up just a little window where a human being could work. Not a lot of space on the inline six so fan and maybe radiator would have to be removed.
1 is obviously the most upfront work and I get thorough on it.
2 is probably the least work
3 is probably not that much less work than half of 1.
Any opinions or tricks would be appreciated.
