'96 Cutlass, 3100 stalled, and won't start... CPS is OUT! Pg. 7 Pics

[mra32]

would a soldering iron work to melt the thing out?

[nebojsa_o]

That's an interesting idea, that I will damn well consider. I'm not sure if it will work out or not, because my old man tried heating the sensor up with a torch, and the fucking thing was glowing, but wouldn't even soften up to stick anything into it. I'm telling ya boys, this one's straight from hell.

[AWeb80]

Must've Been Made In Canada. ZING!

[nebojsa_o]

You bitch! Nah, it was made in the US... Man, my motivation level went down the toilet today. I came back from work, ate, and just had a nice 3 hour nap, I think I'll have to leave the Cutlass until tomorrow.

[nebojsa_o]

UPDATE:

 

Ok. Just came from the garage, and I've given up. That sensor is not coming out. So instead of having a 3400 lbs paperweight, what are my options. NOTE: It has to get fixed, not selling, or trading...

 

I'm thinking of dropping the oil pan. Big job, bigger than I'd like to do, but might be the only option. Once I take apart all the shit that's in the way, and drop the damn pan, how much does that help me? Will it make it a piece of cake to push the sensor out from underneath, or am I still gonna have minimal room to work with, and possibly no luck getting it out?

 

If I just push the sensor into the block, what's going to happen on the way down? Can that magnet catch onto something and cause a lot of trouble? What's all in it's way, I've never seen the oil pan removed before, and have no clue what I'm looking at inside... If it falls all the way to the bottom of the pan, can it restrict oil flow, or block the pump partially, or anything like that? Would the sensor deteriorate after a while, and could chunks of it end up blocking any oil passages at some time?

 

Give me input on this, and please be somewhat detailed, so I have an idea of what we're talking about.

 

Should I make a separate topic about this as a separate project/pan removal? I'm out of ideas, and will, but something has to be done...

[Bake82]

I can tell you dropping the oil pan is a PAIN IN THE FUCKING ASS!

 

You need to remove the subframe to remove the pan. Good luck my friend! I would be doing everything else but dropping the pan..I've heard of ppl drilling something into the sensor and using the screw to pull it out!

[ManicMechanic]

Push it into the pan if you can, not going to do any damage.

[nebojsa_o]

As far as I know I've done just about everything else. I've had multiple screws in it, tried drilling the sensor apart, tried with a torch, the talk about pulling on it with pliers is out of the question because it's not really sticking out, and it just ends up breaking. The thing is in there TIGHT, now fucking way to even move it anymore. Soaked it with all sorts of shit, I'm really lost here... Would it be easier to pull the engine, and separate from tranny than taking the frame apart?

[nebojsa_o]

Push it into the pan if you can, not going to do any damage.

 

Do we know anyone who's done this? I really hope you're right. As soon as I push it through the hole it's in right now, will it fall into the pan, or will it get stuck on soemthing on the way down?

[ManicMechanic]

It will fall into the pa, there shouldn't be anything to get in the way as I don't believe the 3100 used a windage tray or anything.

[nebojsa_o]

It will fall into the pa, there shouldn't be anything to get in the way as I don't believe the 3100 used a windage tray or anything.

 

How close to the crank would it be once it's in there, won't get stuck against anything, won't slow down the oil movement, or starve the engine of oil? I plan on driving this car, not "fix" and sell. Not trying to be a dick or anything, I'm just really worried about this. Your help is appreciated.

[ManicMechanic]

No, it won't hurt anything, but maybe someone should chime in and see if there's a windage tray on a 3100 before you do it...Then you can drive it until you get a chance to have it down long enough to drop the pan - which you should be able to do if you so desire...Just get an engine crane, put the front of the car on jackstands but not under the subframe, use the crane to keep the engine in position while you unbolt the subframe and drop it, pull the pan, get the sensor out and put it all back together!

[nebojsa_o]

Well, I have 11 days off now, so now would probably be the most down time I'll have until next year. If it would be alright in there forever, I think I'd probably leave it there... I don't like the idea of something being in there though, but I don't know what else to do other than drop the pan...

[Brian P]

there is a windage tray in 3x00's. Out of curiosity did you try specifically a red hot DRYWALL screw? What if you were to stick something in there (like a punch or small chisel) and break it into many pieces?

[nebojsa_o]

What is a windage tray, and does that change the idea of pushing the sensor into the pan?

 

Yes, tried a red hot drywall screw, and it doesn't even go into the fucking sensor... I have no clue what's going on here, but the thing doesn't go in. I drilled a hole in it, and put a screw in there, and it's nice and tight, and I can pull on it, and pry on it, and it won't even budge. The screw is holding the sensor fine, no problem there, but the sensor doesn't wanna come out. I will try the hot screw again tomorrow, but I doubt it's going to work.

 

I'm gonna try breaking it into a bunch of small pieces, I just wasn't sure what to use to do so. And I was worried about those small pieces falling into the oil pan. Would they get sucked into something, or get stuck somewhere they shouldn't be? I'm thinking if I start beating on a chisel or punch to break it apart, I might end up pushing it in there.

 

Come on people, work with me here, time's a running out, I'm going out there tomorrow and beating on it until it breaks apart, and I get it out, or until it falls into the pan.

[mra32]

Like I said, use a soldering iron and carefully melt it into a couple pieces.

 

Or you could try going to a hardware store and seeing what kind of anchors they have that go into drywall that would fit in it. But I don't know the dimensions of this thing...so that might not work.

[rockfangd]

did yo utry a tap. I always have luck with taps

[nebojsa_o]

I'll use the soldering iron tomorrow as a part of the breaking procedure, or maybe even later tonight, it's early, and I'm not going anywhere.

 

What do you have in mind with taps? I'm not sure I understand what you would try with them. I can get screws screwed into the sensor, and they hold, I just can't pull it out.

 

Also, I can't drill a hole in the center of it right now, for some reason it doesn't wanna drill in there, I don't know if I'm drilling into the magnet there, or was something else wrong. I'll try a few more things before I push it in.

 

Thanks for the advice guys, keep it coming. Whatever kind of ideas you may have would be great.

[mra32]

an explosion in the crankcase. That would sooner push other things out than that sensor, it seems

[89GP_SE]

at this point i say park it outside and light the fucker on fire, let SGI take car of it LOL

[19Cutlass94]

I wouldnt try drilling to far into there cause you just might hit something important. Just drop the pan

[AWeb80]

Did You Soak The Piss out of it with a penetrating Oil?

[nebojsa_o]

LoL! @ the suggestions! Oh man, even though I'm sad/pissed, you guys make me laugh. I really don't wanna get into the whole dropping of the pan, but we'll see... I won't light it on fire, and I don't know how much further I could drill... There is just no room, and this is the CPS from hell, I don't know how to deal with it. I soaked the piss out of it with penetrating oil, and when I ran out of the oil, I pissed on it too (bad idea, it stinks now ). I like the idea of an explosion in the crankcase, but I'm not sure what would come out before the sensor.

 

If I do drop the pan, would that defenitly give me enough room to push it out? And once I put the frame back together, is there some special alignment or something I'd need to do?

 

And if I do push it into the oil pan, what's this windage tray that was mentioned earlier, is it still OK to push the bastard in? If I can even do that...

[joey b]

I fail to understand. If you are getting the screw anchored into the CPS then use that. Put a pipe next to it and instead of pulling, use some pliers and the pipe as a lever to pull it out. I'm really just seeing this to be a much larger complication than it should be.

[nebojsa_o]

I fail to understand. If you are getting the screw anchored into the CPS then use that. Put a pipe next to it and instead of pulling, use some pliers and the pipe as a lever to pull it out. I'm really just seeing this to be a much larger complication than it should be.

 

Thanks for trying to help, but do you really think I've been in the garage for 5 fucking days, and I haven't thought of that? I know it's more complicated than it should be, that's whats pissing me off... I managed to get past that o-ring which was a PITA too, but it actually came out. A screw in the sensor, and pulling on it like a mad man. Barely, but bit by bit, and it came out that far. Pliers didn't do any good since the start. It's stuck in there very tight, and pulling with pliers doesn't work out. I've already had all sorts of things in all sorts of places to act as a lever, but it can't just be pulled out... I don't know if it cracked down the middle somewhere, so the sensor spread a bit, and is now stuck or what, but something's not right...