Head Temp Sensor Replacement Trouble 3.2
 

OK, I have done it now. :(

Decided the old 1 wire head temp sensor needed to be replaced along with the old speed and reference sensors for the 3.2 motor. The process was going along well, till the head temp sensor removal part. After cutting the wire off near the head, I used a quality deep socket and ratchet in an attempt to remove it. The sensor would hardly budge. Well, more torque is always a good thing until the hex head of the sensor broke off and the threaded part is still in the head. :eek:

Luckily, the motor is in my 914 and I have good access to the unit. The question is, has anyone been able to remove the threaded part with the motor in the car? I am hoping not to have to remove the head.

Thanks in advance. SmileWavy

Same with mine when I had the engine out of the car. Had to take the head to a shop to electrically burned it off.

Jim - send a PM to John Walker. I bet he has a suggestion.
Good luck,

i never broke an old one, but i did break a new one. they can't take much torque. i fixed it in the car, but it wasn't easy to get the right angle of attack in a carrera body, but at least the threads were not frozen. hmmm. well at least try to do a dead center pilot hole, and then drill it as large as possible, leaving the threads and a thin shell of the shank, before using one of those stubby spiral extractors.

Jim,

Snap-On makes left twist drill bits. Might try using one of these and hope that the old part comes out with the rotation of the drill bit.

JoeA

By the way, the thread is a standard pipe thread fitting. Go figure.

Thanks for all the help.

The old temp sensor would not come out w/an easy out. So, I drilled and tapped the hole (Yelcab1 was correct, it is 1/8 NPT). Since it is 1/8 NPT, the recommended drill size is 0.332 inches or referred to as 'Q' drill bit. Kind of hard to find on a Saturday. So, I tried a smaller size drill (21/64 [0.328]) bit. The sensor would not go in with the hole tapped since the sensor is not tapered and the tap is tapered. So a 22/64 [0.344] inch drill bit was used and the hole was re-tapped. Sensor screwed in to the hole and all is well. (Well, I still have to figure out why it will not start, but that is another story).

Thanks again.

I'm in the process of replacing my temperature sensor and noticed that the old one has some white stuff on the threads. Does anybody know what this might be, anti-seize?

Jim,

Blew us away as well! Lived in Germany for a long time and when we went to the hardware store (Bauhaus) the plumbing stuff was in US Pipe sizes!!

Go figure! Glad you got it worked out!

JoeA