87 944 Turbo speed reference sensors

[Raulg]

My car is having a new clutch installed.
The mechanic notified me that the speed sensor connections (plug end) near the rear of the intake manifold are cracked and said he would have to use epoxy to put them back together.

He said that he had to install the sensor end on the "bell housing" before putting the bell housing on because there is no room to get to them. He is telling me that if I want to install new sensors he would have to disassemble the torque tube, bell housing , etc. $$$

I looked at Clark's Garage section IGN-02 and there is no mention of a great deal of difficulty in replacing the sensors.
I am planning on ordering the new sensors (2) however I don't want the car to be taken apart again.

Are these sensors that bad to get to them?
Please help.
Thank you for any advice you can provide.
Raulg

[Bradical]

There is no way to install the sensors into the bell housing before mounting it because they don't actually mount TO it, they mount to a bracket that stays in place and floats above the bell housing. If the bell housing isn't notched, then the sensors have to be removed to remove the housing.

It can be difficult to remove the "reference" sensor from later cars because they use an aluminum sleeve to protect against induced power from the starter motor. Installing them again onto the bracket with everything put back together is pretty easy unless you have a substantial beer belly that prevents you from laying over the engine to do it. Setting the bracket in place (he probably removed it) can be a bit of a pain in the ass and I suspect this is where he is right now.

[Raulg]

Bradical,
I just realized I posted in the wrong forum. Thank you for replying though.
There is no beer belly here so I will see what the mechanic has done that would keep him or me from replacing the sensors.

Do you think it can be done without removing the intake manifold?
I appreciate your taking the time to reply.
Thank you very much.
Raulg

[Bradical]

I have never done it on a 951, but on an NA the only thing between you and the reference sensors is the heater control valve and part of the engine wiring harness which can be zip-tied out of the way. You shouldnt have to remove anything unless the reference sensor in the front wont come out of the bracket.

As mentioned before, if you have the bellhousing notched out it makes it so where the bellhousing can be dismounted without touching the sensors or sensor bracket at all, which is convienent!

I am pretty sure he pulled the bracket off of the back of the motor instead of just removing the sensors and leaving the bracket in place and he is realizing the gravity of his mistake

[911tracker85]

951 is no different. pull and move the connectors and the HCV out of the way. and be careful if you try to disconnect the HCV, as you may spill coolant down the TDC hole onto your new clutch. just stuffing a piece of cloth or paper towel in that hole stops little bits but not fluid.

replied to your other post.

and yes, if he pulled the bracket and now has everything back in place......

if he made that mistake due to lack of experience with a 944 clutch job, he should eat the labor of fixing.

[DannoXYZ]

I recently pulled both my sensors to replace their plugs and the mating connector on the harness. Spray where they go into the bracket with PB-blaster, let sit overnight and they came right out.

No need to remove intake manifold. Also he shouldn't have removed the sensor bracket, no need when doing clutch job. Now he'll have to adjust the sensor-tip spacing to the trigger teeth and stud. Very easy to destroy a set of sensors when you mess with the bracket.

I listed part# and sources for the sensor plugs, socket housings and terminals here: DIY - harness connectors

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by Bradical

I am pretty sure he pulled the bracket off of the back of the motor instead of just removing the sensors and leaving the bracket in place and he is realizing the gravity of his mistake

It's not a major mistake. Once you have the PP installed, take the whole bracket and gap the sensors as a unit. Cut out the thin AL so you can instal the bracket. Actually a lot easier this way as the turbo is a cluster F of mess back there.

Note some flywheels are not perfectly round and will not gap normally (think egg shaped). If that's the case, gap the highest point with a credit card, and it will work like it should.

If he broke the sensor he tried prying them out. They are bitter, and will break. Easier just to not mess with getting them out and remove the whole bracket.


Not all mechanics are made the same. I can do a turbo clutch around 14 hours, and that's with messing with all the extra piping. Your guy will be lucky to get it around 30 hrs if he's having problems with that.

[DannoXYZ]

I've found on an NA car, it's faster to do the clutch by pulling the engine than by working forward from the rear.