1st Gen "How To" Crank Sensor Seal Replacement

Great info!!! i just wanted to make sure i didnt want to put too much stress on the upper mounts while replacing the crank sensor.

i def wont drive it i just dont want to fork over the 1300 the dealership wants for this...

 

Cough "Stealership" Cough

 

I just finished replacing my crank censor o-ring using the ratchet strap method described here so I wanted to chime in to add some information.

A while back I replaced the oil pan gasket after my dealer pointed out it was leaking. Of course, I had to put the car in service mode for the job and I REALLY wish I knew about the crank censor o-ring at that time since the leak was still there after replacing the gasket. It would take all of 5 minutes to replace the o-ring when the car is in service mode.

The instructions here didn't mention that the underbody panel (Part No. 51757201782) also has to be removed. It's easy - two phillips-head fasteners toward the rear and loosen the four 10_mm bolts under the bumper. The panel then slides out toward the rear.

Strap Attachment Points
My first choice for the attachment points of the ratcheting strap hooks were not good. I attached a hook to one of the holes in the frame beams that run down both sides of the car, but that was distorting the sheet metal. The hook attached to the location where the dog bone attaches to the engine was also causing problems by hitting and potentially bending the bracket for the frame-side of the dog bone. I ended up threading the strap through the engine mount and tying a couple knots to hold it there, which worked well for the front. I hooked the other end to a hole on the right rear axle trailing arm (a thick and very strong piece of steel that extends toward the front of the car from the right rear wheel).

When ratcheting down the strap, I was tightening it about as tight as I possibly could without any additional leverage. It has to be tighter than you might expect just to be able to get your arm in the space where the work is done.

Removing the Electrical Connector
There's no mention of detaching the electrical connector from the sensor, but if you didn't, you'd have to replace the o-ring by feel with one hand. That would be a lot harder than taking off the connector and pulling out the sensor, if not impossible. Unfortunately, taking off the connector is not straight-forward. There's a red locking mechanism that must first be unlocked before you can squeeze the back of the connector and pull it off. Fortunately there's an identical connector on the ignition coil on top of the engine that you can practice on first (the box where all the spark plug wires attach to).

Conclusion
Although this ratcheting strap technique saved me a lot of time compared to putting the car in service mode, I wouldn't call the job easy by any means. The sensor is very difficult to access, even with the engine pulled back, and most of the work you do has to be done only by feel and with one hand. This method also makes it impossible to clean the mess that the leaking o-ring created. If you want to do it right, put your car in service mode. If you're lazy like me, use the ratcheting method. Being good with your hands is required and being a contortionist will make it easier.

 

Mine was super easy to do.
Called Helix
Scheduled Appointment
Paid a small bill for them to do it and my hands stayed clean. :lol:

Support you local independent MINI shops.

I support Helix with my business and Dragon food and homemade Christmas cookies.

If you think about it your mechanic has your life in their hands when they are working on your car because if something fails "at speed" you many not be around to long.

 

Does anybody know if the crank sensor replacement o-ring is better than the original, or am I going to be doing this again in a couple of years?

 

I think (ok hope) it's a one time fix because it was not installed correctly the first time. Then again I could be wrong.

Mine has not leaked again after I had the guys at Helix replace it for me a while ago.

 

Glad I found this thread. I'll be doing the same thing soon. Hopefully, it's the root cause of all the oil around my oil pan and I won't have to replace the oil pan seal...which I already ordered.

 

My 2005 R53 with 25000 miles did not leak until I started running 40 miles roundtrip commute at 60 MPH instead of 4 miles. The strap method worked great. The tip of experimenting with the ignition coil connector that is the same as the crank sensor was critical.

The only other repair I have had to perform on my MINI is putting hose clamps on the power steering reservoir hose.

 

Glad you ordered it, because it's a MINI, meaning that your oil pan gasket is also leaking. Unlike the Crank Sensor Seal, you will need to drain the oil to do the pan gasket, unless you are a BOSS (kidding. Boss or not, you'll get an oil shower if you try).

 

Like a Boss....

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