# 1999 GMC Suburban c1500 crankshaft sensor broke off **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** sensors\ **Created:** [April 7, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967 "2016-04-07T16:16:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robertbunthib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@robertbunthib](https://community.cartalk.com/u/robertbunthib)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/1 "2016-04-07T16:16:50Z")
My Crankshaft sensor has broken off in the hole for it and will not come out. Does the whole brass looking piece come out to be flush with the black or just the dome looking piece inside the brass. This crankshaft sensor is located at the 7 o’clock position behind the flywheel. What is the best way to remove it? ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/2 "2016-04-07T18:14:35Z")
Are you sure it’s supposed to come out? It looks like the sensor might fit _into_ that brass fitting: [http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/gmc,1999,c1500+suburban,5.7l+v8,1354913,ignition,crankshaft+position+sensor,7196](http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/gmc,1999,c1500+suburban,5.7l+v8,1354913,ignition,crankshaft+position+sensor,7196) ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/3 "2016-04-07T18:37:43Z")
That isn’t the flywheel, it is the harmonic balancer. I’d try adding a little heat while twisting the brass bit, or failing that, try drilling it out. Don’t drill too deep or you’ll damage the toothed wheel that gives it the signal. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/4 "2016-04-07T18:43:18Z")
That brass piece should have an o-ring down in the bore. I would try tapping as much around the circumference as possible to loosen it up. Maybe even drive the blade of a small screwdriver between it and the mounting block to try and free it up. B’laster PB is almost never a bad idea 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/5 "2016-04-07T18:57:57Z")
Before too much damage is done the Suburban needs to be towed to a good shop… Flywheel/harmonic balancer??? ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/6 "2016-04-08T01:00:51Z")
You don’t want to use heat. The metal part you can see is surrounded by plastic. And if you melt that plastic you’ll never get the sensor out. Here’s how I get those broken sensors out. Get a coarse thread bolt that’s slightly smaller than the broken sensor. Clean the inside of the sensor with brake parts cleaner. Place a flat washer on the bolt. Coat the threads of the bolt with JB Weld and stick into the broken sensor. Let the JB Weld cure for 24 hours. Once the JB Weld cures, you now have a way to twist the broken sensor back and forth while prying under the flat washer to extract the broken sensor. Tester ---
**Author:** ![robertbunthib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@robertbunthib](https://community.cartalk.com/u/robertbunthib)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 3:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/7 "2016-04-08T03:02:50Z")
Thanks for the information. On the right was the part that was removed,on the left is the replacement part. I have check auto part stores on line and the dealership they all say the part on the left is the correct replacement part. The part that contains the magnet is too big to go in the hole without removing some of the brass part in the other pic. Any ideas, money is tight on a fixed income. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/8 "2016-04-08T03:06:33Z")
^^ Odd that they’re so different. I found an image of one with a brass fitting: [![](http://chevythunder.com/CPI%20crank%20sensor.jpg) ](http://chevythunder.com/CPI%20crank%20sensor.jpg) @Tester has the best advice. ---
**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 4:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/9 "2016-04-08T04:41:13Z")
Good thought by @Tester. Another thought on that line is to glue in a nut and washer, say about 3/8 inch. Then screw in a bolt after the glue has dried to grab on to. Once you do get the thing out clean up the hole and use perhaps a light grease on the new O-ring for the next time this may happen. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/10 "2016-04-08T07:29:36Z")
If the part on the right in the photo above is what came out, then what’s left stuck inside? Was there a black plastic dome on top of the metal part, and that broke off and didn’t come out? Is it possible nothing at all got stuck inside, and that’s just what it looks like after you remove the sensor? One idea, surf over to [Rockauto.com](http://Rockauto.com) and type in your vehicle info, then search for crank position sensor. They’ll be a lot of photos you can look at, might help determine which sensor looks like the one that fits your engine. My guess is the brass part is not intended to be removed, the sensor just friction fits inside that brass fitting, with the aid of an o-ring and the metal prong. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/11 "2016-04-08T16:54:54Z")
This tool might get the sensor out. [http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/pliers.html?p=3](http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/pliers.html?p=3) I was refering to the 10" end nippers. Apparently I can’t cut and paste the individual tool. ---
**Author:** ![BillRussell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/billrussell/32/3179_2.png) [@BillRussell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BillRussell)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/12 "2016-04-08T17:01:49Z")
rod: does this help? ---
**Author:** ![robertbunthib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@robertbunthib](https://community.cartalk.com/u/robertbunthib)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 4:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/13 "2016-04-09T04:03:20Z")
We are going to try the bolt and jb weld method I will post how it turns out. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 6:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/14 "2016-04-09T06:28:36Z")
Somebody already linked the Rockauto part and it doesn’t look like the one on the right or the one that supposedly is the correct replacement. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 10:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/15 "2016-04-09T10:51:08Z")
A squirt of lubricant and a pliers should remove the rest of that sensor. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/16 "2016-04-09T16:34:51Z")
I wonder if the OP has removed the harmonic balancer to get at the sensor? ---
**Author:** ![robertbunthib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@robertbunthib](https://community.cartalk.com/u/robertbunthib)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/17 "2016-04-09T21:28:55Z")
We were able to get it out. What first come out was the inside of the sensor now we have the reset of it out. Thank You all for the help. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/18 "2016-04-09T22:39:51Z")
Outstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/19 "2016-04-10T01:16:15Z")
I’m glad you got it out! Although, you did go a little overboard with the JB Weld. Tester ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967/20 "2016-04-10T03:53:27Z")
JB Weld saves the day. Again. I’m impressed w/that stuff. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-gmc-suburban-c1500-crankshaft-sensor-broke-off/92967.md?page=2)