cant remove coolant sensor

[jamaicanmecrazy]

cant remove the old coolant temp sensor and its driving me nuts ...i removed the clip and its not budging ..i dont want to f this up does anyone have tips

[omgwtfbbq!]

Did you remove the entire clip or did it shatter like mine did?

[jamaicanmecrazy]

its more the harness i want off first

[jamaicanmecrazy]

it broke but new came with clip and seal

[jamaicanmecrazy]

if i can get harness off i can use channel locks and grab sensor

[jamaicanmecrazy]

im going back for round three will be back hopefully not screaming to check thread

[jamaicanmecrazy]

know what? f this thing its getting dropped off tomorrow at mech ...i tried ....

[bgzs4]

Your gonna lose a quick $200. Make sure you don't have pieces of the old clips sitting in there. You also need to push down a bit on the sensor to get the clip to "click"

[mooseclap05]

pry harder but make sure the harness is safe from being bent or broken or what not, the harness could be brittle. the sensor is sometimes harder than you'd think to pry out

[Seerlah]

My friend came over with his B5 S4 and we did his a couple weeks ago. For some oddball reason, the B5 S4 is a major PIA to remove that sensor. Best thing I can say is just keep at it. Keep the reservoir cap off and keep at it. You will lose a fair amount of coolant, but meh. We lost like 2 quarts, but I had extra.

With the harness, spray some WD-40 on it to loosen that crud. Should make it easier to get the connector off. Push down on the connector (takes tension off the tab), pull the tab back, then pull the connector off.

[julex]

channel locks or something with super grab power or approach from the side and use a screwdriver to pry it out.

[somebody5788]

Grab pliers, pull and twist at the same time. It's just the rubber o ring that's holding it up.

[CtS4Driver]

I used a right angle pick tool to free the gunked up old coolant that was crusted around the edges of the sensor by scraping around the edge where it meets the holder. That plus a pair of channel locks and a lot of cursing an wiggling the sensor back and forth finally got it out, though I probably spent more than an hour messing with it before it finally came out.

[ReDLiTe]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrbHpSczF9M

^that'll let you know you're not alone.

My biggest tip would be to put on a good pair of gloves and try to rock the sensor left and right SLIGHTLY (don't break it) and it'll wiggle loose. Keep doing it for a while without losing hope. Push hard she'll come easy.

[ride1157]

I figured out the trick to getting these out EASY. BE GENTLE, get a flat head screw driver a short one if you have. where the clip goes in, slide the screw driver in there and push at the CTS at an upward angle "dig into" the CTS since its a more ductle metal than the screw driver you should be able to dig into it slightly to give you the grip u need to push it out. DO NOT scratch the pipe. you just need it to pop out a little and it will come right out. THe old oring expands and makes it really hard to pull them up and out.

[jamaicanmecrazy]

ok guys i will try tomorrow let you know ..thanks for the tips

[jamaicanmecrazy]

i will have better chance if i can get harness off wires are too brittle to hulk it

[zillarob]

I dont know what it is with those things! Either the oring gets petrified hard as stone, or melts into some kind of black goo (all from the dealer).
Sounds like you have the former.

[slow ride]

Or just spray it with a little wd40, etc and wiggle. It helps a lot on some of these old o-ring and hose fittings.

[julex]

pb blaster does wonders to any caked on rubber hoses, orings etc. Spray it, wiggle gently, spray, wiggle, until it let's go.

[Seerlah]

Not a fan of randomly spraying PB Blaster onto plastic. Says right on the can that it does not fare too well with some plastics.

[MLJS4]

Just keep wiggling it it'll come out make sure you release all the pressure first

[TipsyTurtle]

Its kind of a pain but this is how i do it at work. open coolant res, release pressure, squeeze a coolant hose and while squeezing*** put cap back on res. now the coolant wont come out everywhere when you pull the temp sensor. to undo the clip, push down on the clip towards the sensor, then push the release button and pull up, you can also shove a small flathead into the mechanism to help release it. you can pb blast the old sensor but i wouldnt suggest putting it on the harness/plug. when you put the new sensor in, lube the o ring with vaseline or something similar to help it seat. you can also try grabbing the old sensor with needle nose pliers. good luck, dont pay someone its a PITA but not difficult, just frustrating.

[mooseclap05]

I dont know what it is with those things! Either the oring gets petrified hard as stone, or melts into some kind of black goo (all from the dealer).
Sounds like you have the former.

thats what i thought but when i pulled mine out it was still an o-ring but had white coloration around it and in the pipe itself!! i wonder lol

[zillarob]

Its kind of a pain but this is how i do it at work. open coolant res, release pressure, squeeze a coolant hose and while squeezing*** put cap back on res. now the coolant wont come out everywhere when you pull the temp sensor. to undo the clip, push down on the clip towards the sensor, then push the release button and pull up, you can also shove a small flathead into the mechanism to help release it. you can pb blast the old sensor but i wouldnt suggest putting it on the harness/plug. when you put the new sensor in, lube the o ring with vaseline or something similar to help it seat. you can also try grabbing the old sensor with needle nose pliers. good luck, dont pay someone its a PITA but not difficult, just frustrating.

Nice! I usually use the airlift at ~5" or so.

[rockcandy]

Pb blaster as someone said. What plastic are you worried about? I've used it on plastic stuff as well. I have never had it cause an issue. If the plastic had a heavy petroleum base to it it might cause issues but in my experience, not an issue on an Audi so far. This should be a 5 minute or less job, every time.

[slow ride]

It's not like you are gong to soak it for the next few years. Use it, remove the part, clean up the area, lube the new o-ring, done.

If you guys don't want to drop fluids everywhere use a shop vac on the fill side of say oil, coolant, etc. It will pull air in once you open the system and not allow the fluids to drain out.