Cleaning crank angle sensor.

[commodoredave]

vt II v6 no turbo or scharge.
the crank angle position sensor is not giving a code but it looks oily and dirty around where the sensor is
so thought to to give it a clean. Dont want to damage a delicate sensor so am approaching with caution.
Has anyone cleaned the CAS before and how did it work out?

 

[Immortality]

Just clean the area with a can of engine degreaser. The sensor is sealed maybe just avoid spraying the sensor plug with high pressure water.

 

[RiffRaffMama]

Engine degreaser fixes everything that WD40, cable ties and duct tape can't.

 

[losh1971]

Replace your crank seal too as that's probably why you have oil around the CAS.

 

[boombaby]

Hi, Each!

Well, here's a thing. I've done both to my CAS (Crank Angle Sensor)
connector (ie without removing anything), blasted it with high pressure
soapy water & water, and also blasted it with Contact Cleaner spray.

Soapy water/water was used about 4/5 months ago. Although I had one
major stall some months after that (which I believe COULD be from other
reasons) there was no affect otherwise.

Yesterday I sprayed the CAS connector with Contact Cleaner, in the
belief that the stuff cleans ALL sensors properly. Afterwards I noticed
a couple of minor (almost-imperceptible surges) and a possible very brief
shudder. (At the time - dusk - I thought I might have hit a crappy dip in
the road - and I still am not sure about that.)

Over the next few days I will give my VT/V6 some further attention and
testing to check on the performance/drivability.

Now, however, I am having a vague recollection of reading somewhere that
the CAS is so delicate that Contact Cleaner is a no-no. (Sounds wrong
that such and important sensor is that exposed and "delicate", but I still have
a nagging memory about that.)

Should I do something about the recent spray, or leave it? (I am not
really set up to tear things apart to resolve this. That's just the
way it is, unfortunately.)

Given that this thread is about "cleaning the CAS" I decided to ask
herein (ie not considering this a thread hijack, but more an "addition"
to the earlier info).

Hope you don't mind, and can advise for clarity.

 

[Immortality]

You can't technically clean the actual sensor as that part of the sensor is fully encased in plastic, you are just cleaning the external surfaces of the sensor and the connection pins if you pop the connector out. The problem with some electrical contact cleaners is that they can degrade/attack certain plastics.

 

[Skylarking]

IIRC, the CAS on some Fords would gather iron filings on them which would upset the signal to the ECU and as a result the engine would miss. The fact that CAS can be mildly magnetic attracts metal that’s floating about so just spraying brake cleaner wasn’t enough as such would leave clean filings on the CAS…

Doubt the same occur our Holdens but I’ve not pulled a CAS so can’t say. However it’s always worth removing the CAS and wiping it clean before a light spray of brake cleaner to remove any remaining oil. And if the reluctor is oil soaked, fix the cause and clean up the mess aro7nd the crank. Really the reluctor ring and CAS need a clean and specific sized air gap to work at max efficiency and any oil and especially metallic particles just upset the way these sensors work.

 

[losh1971]

IIRC, the CAS on some Fords would gather iron filings on them which would upset the signal to the ECU and as a result the engine would miss. The fact that CAS can be mildly magnetic attracts metal that’s floating about so just spraying brake cleaner wasn’t enough as such would leave clean filings on the CAS…

Doubt the same occur our Holdens but I’ve not pulled a CAS so can’t say. However it’s always worth removing the CAS and wiping it clean before a light spray of brake cleaner to remove any remaining oil. And if the reluctor is oil soaked, fix the cause and clean up the mess aro7nd the crank. Really the reluctor ring and CAS need a clean and specific sized air gap to work at max efficiency and any oil and especially metallic particles just upset the way these sensors work.

Setting the air gap is only done on S1 VN.

 

[Skylarking]

Setting the air gap is only done on S1 VN.

I‘m not saying that one can set the gap as most cars have CAS with a fixed positions and thus a fixed air gap.

What I’m saying is that most CAS use magnetism that the reluctor wheel influences and the sensor won’t work well if iron filings change the sensitivity. A CAS needs a clean air gap.

So if the sensor is contaminated with iron filings (from some source) then that will impact magnetic lines of force created by the sensor that the reluctor can influence and the CAS picks up the iron filing impacted reluctor influenced field

The issue in this case is whether VT’s can even suffer such metallic contamination. I've got no idea