[General] [VS-VY] How to change Crank Angle Sensor (CAS) with PICS

[mudfish]

Hey Benmo,

The key is a small rectangular piece of steel that lives in a slot machined into the crankshaft snout (the bit that pokes out the front of the engine) If you look inside the bore of your hamonic balancer you will see another machined slot. In this case it goes the full length of the bore. When replacing the HB you need to line up the slot in the HB with the key in the crankshaft. The purpose of the key is to prevent the HB spinning on the crankshaft when it is all assembled.

good luck with it.

mudfish

 

[MADDNE33]

Awsome write up man!! swaped mine over for the first time lastnight. Took me about an hour and half including swapping the radiator over for a new one.
My bolt cracked 2nd shot using your method with the breaker bar wich i was happy about and the balancer just slid off with the tool i brought from supercheap ($40) Genuine CAS from covs was $60

 

[outlander]

Thanks madvk.
I'm pretty handy with computers and electronics, but I'm just starting out when it comes to cars and mechanical engines. Thanks to this guide, I've (hopefully) solved my stalling problem. Nothing like coming to a dead stop just as you're about to enter westgate freeway with a trailer in tow to give you the motivation to try and fix the car.

Getting the balancer off was a huge task in itself. Felt like it was welded on. I haven't done any work on cars, so all I have is the variety of tools my dad left behind. Didn't have a breaker bar, but I did have a 24mm socket generally used in plumbing, so I used that. First bar I used with it bent. Second bar I placed inside two RHS. The engine turned that into a tent peg. a 12mm round solid piece of steel, bent in the strongest part of the rod.

Using a chisel I widened the hole in the side of the socket to accomodate a 15mm steel rod. Then I put it inside the RHS like before, as if it bent I would be out of things to use. Last of all, I sprayed the bolt with wd40 and used a pipe welding torch to apply heat to it, just until it started to faintly smell of burning rubber.

That did the trick for me, and the bolt came off.

For any others trying this on a VS, you will need 1/4" bolts, not 1/2". I bought both. The washers are a good call. Minimum length of the bolts is 60mm, but up to 100mm should fit.
Also, when the guide says apply force to the pulley bolt in order to remove the belt, that does not mean you need to undo the bolt. I tried that, and obviosly it hasn't been removed in years, as it was really stuck. I tried harder, and the head sheared off.
Now I have to remove the bolt somehow, probably drilling into it and tapping another hole, and find a replacement.

As for the sensor, I was able to find one advertised as "genuine" on ebay from a guy who lives close by. $30
When putting it back on, it says to use silicon sealant. I'm guessing that is RTV Silicone Adhesive Sealant? Hope so

In more recent news, I called up holden, replacement tensioner bolt was $20. Went to Jolly Roger u pull it, and got a replacement cheaper. Removed the bolt stub by drilling a hole into it, sticking a smaller bolt into it and then arc welding them together. Then undoing it is a snap.

The fan belt diagram in the first post is not applicable to VS. Here is an image that i used

 

[funkyman]

Thanks for the how to guide.
I just completed it on my VT, 1st socket wrench bent, so I welded the 1/2" socket bit to some heavy steel rod, bolt came off easy then. Leverage on the chassis rail is absolutely key to getting it off.
I bought the Stanley harmonic balancer puller from Supercheap and the bolts from Autobahn. Supercheap here don't stock them any more, will think twice before shopping there again.
Got ripped with the crank angle sensor, $79 from Repco, should have postponed the RWC on Monday and got one off eBay instead, won't shop at Repco again either...
To reassemble I made another tool with 2 bolts as described, was able to tighten it up by myself without much hassle.
Highly recommend having the proper tools to crack the bolt and to tighten it back up.

 

[twinreverb32]

hi, thanks for the thread. it inspired me to think i could change my own.

since replacing it however i'm not game to leave the driveway. the engine tries to start but the idle is incredibly rough often cutting out and misfiring back through the air cleaner.

any ideas what i've overlooked? the new part came from ebay and cost me about $25.

thanks,

 

[twinreverb32]

replaced CAS, still no good!

hi, thanks for the thread. it inspired me to think i could change my own.

since replacing it however i'm not game to leave the driveway. the engine tries to start but the idle is incredibly rough often cutting out and misfiring back through the air cleaner.

any ideas what i've overlooked? the new part came from ebay and cost me about $25.

thanks,

 

[efwunut]

Hi. The post says you need half by two and a half unf bolts to remove the harmonic balancer and that picture provided shows quarter by two and a half bolts so I bought both to be safe as I live 20 ks from town . The quarter inch is too small and the half inch is too big. The latter won't even fit in the puller. Could anyone tell me what size and thread bolts I need for a vy series 2

 

[Ghost]

Just for anyone doing this if you buy the puller from super cheap auto that has the gold tip to add to the end don't add it on as it will lodge itself in side the pulley and you will end up having to drill it out this happened to me and what should have taken a couple of hours ended up taking 2 weeks an angle grinder and a chain to pull it off not to mention having to pull the car half apart and use another car to pull the harmonic balance off.

 

[scar]

thanks heaps now i now how to do the crank angle sensor this helped me heaps

 

[Don Graham]

hi guys. just puting my 2 cents in! firstly, thankyou shitloads to madvk308 for the write up! gave me the confidence to give this project a crack!

my HB on my 99 VT SII wagon needed to be changed, sdo i oredered a powerbond one from MACE.

just finished fitting it, no drama's.
just a couple of pointers that might help someone else.

firstly, in my VT i had heaps of room to work on the HB and CAS without having to remove the thermo fans. not sure if there is lees room on a VS, but i was fine.

i took the fuel pump relay out and started it a few times, to make sure it wouldn't run wheni put the breaker bar on the HB. so easy to crack the bolt!!

i bought a cheap puller kit from ebay, and the pointy little nub that goes on the end of the threaded push rod, was too big to pass throught the HB to the crankshaft. i found a 1/4 inch drive socket big enough to pass through the HB but not small enough to go into the crankshaft and damage the thread.

the dust cover behind the HB comes off easily enough, but i had to undo the wiring to the CAS to gt it off.( just in case you cant work out why it won't come off!)
to torgue the HB balancer to spec, i just threaded in two of the 1/4 UNC bolts used for te puller, into the HB and put reverse pressure on the HB with a tyre lever, and torqued it with a torque wrench.( this will reuire using two hands at the same time!lol)


all in all, pretty straight forward. took just over an hour, and now the annoying ticking noise is gone!!!!

woohoo!!