brucemac64

I just completed the replacement of the darn oil pressure sensor on my C5. After reading everything on the forum I chose to do the "cut the hole" method and it went very well. Took a little less than an hour (not including going to store to buy cutting blade for the drill) Just cranked her up and have proper oil pressure and no leaks!!!
Thanks guys this forum is soooo informative!!!

Mr.Bill

Glad you got it done.
Not sure why people are worried to remove the intake and do it the correct way without cutting up the car, With the tools you can have the intake off in less than 15 minutes, That's about what it took for me the first time, It was a piece of cake. I then installed a relocation kit I made for the future. Now if it fails maybe a 5 minute job.

richard emmanuel

If I remember correctly a few years back relocationg the oil sending unit was not a good idea due to when it let you know when the oil level was low and the engine damage that it would cause by the time you knew. There was a good valid reason why GM put it on top of the engine not on the side of the block. I will do more research and see if I can find this article.
Richard

Mr.Bill

Never heard of such a thing, My relocation isn't on the side of the block, Mine is off the stock location.

richard emmanuel

We have been getting many of the same questions over and over again, so I figured I would make it a bit easier for you guys by posting FAQ and answers about this kit:

Other than the oil distribution block, what is the difference between the original relocation kit and this new one?

The oil pressure sensor is relocated to the oil pan so that the oil pressure reading is taken after the filter rather than before it. It is also easier to relocate as you do not have to take out the plug on the side of the engine block.

Does the manifold have to be removed when installing this kit?

Yes, because you must remove the old sensor as well as plug our relocation harness into the factory harness. However, one of the members has posted a way that they installed this kit without removing the manifold.

Do I have to remove the old sensor, or can I leave it is as a plug?

We do not recommend leaving the old sensor in as a plug. The plug can begin to leak and cause problems. We include a plug in all of our kits.

Which is better, the aluminum or the brass sensor?

Honestly, it is a matter of opinion. The aluminum sensor is what comes from the factory, but many people prefer the brass. The cost and warranties are the same.

What is the warranty on the sensor?

You have a 1 year replacement warranty for your oil pressure sensor, whether ou choose the aluminum or the brass.


I hope this has helped answer some of your questions. If I missed any please let me know.

As always, we have numerous kits in stock and ready to ship

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Last edited by Jennifer @ TPE; 05-11-2010 at 03:54 PM.

0Mike Yeager@Eastcoast Performance

I would like to point a few things out to your DIY guys, especially the guy who did the you-tube video who thinks he has everything covered..I'm not bashing here just pointing out things...

BTW, for you DIY guys, its not that hard to R&R the intake manifold, it just takes time and patients...Id love to time the guy who claims he can do it in 10mins(just removal) What if you have a Supercharger Installed..??

1. You have to have all those right tools..
2. You get lucky fidling with trying to get the connector off.
3. You take the chance on pull on the wires of pulling them out of the connector.
4. That only really works if your sender STOP working.
5. If it has been leaking their is a mess back behind the intake manifold.
6. I hope he does not drop the sender out of the socket
7. How does he torque it back down with out the possibilty of Cracking the Sender.
8. YOU DO NOT EVER NEVER USE TEFLON TAPE ON ANYTHING FUEL OR OIL related.
9. If the tinitest amount of tape gets caught up in the the Oil Passage if will certainly take the sender out again and or the gauge will NOT read properly.

PLUS, you should NEVER EVER cut a hole in the cowl bc fresh air is pulled from that area, ask anyone who really knows anything about these cars...

Mr.Bill

I agree on all counts.

jackthelad

Just did this on my '98 - used the hole method. This is not as easy as advertised. My 2 cents:

BTW, there is no way I could have got to the sensor without cutting a hole. There's a steel bracket in the way. I have slim fingers, but I could not get near the sensor or even see where it might be.

1. The wiper arms would not come off. I have a wiper arm puller, but it could not get under the driver's side arm as the plastic molding leaves that arm pretty much in a valley. Bought a battery terminal puller from NAPA, and tried that. Even wound up hard, nothing was moving, so I sprayed WD40 onto the threads until there was a mini lake in each arm. Took 2 days for seepage to occur. Tried the puller again and each came off with an almighty "crack". Chevy used a heavily tapered spline, and the spindle part had rusted. BTW I had a layer of strong padding on the windshield at the time, just in case. Still, they had been on there for 16 years, so I should not b**** too much.

2. The molding around the wipers is a fiddle to get out as it has tabs that fit up under the windshield. Be careful.

3. Cutting the hole was the simplest part, apart from the fact that the plastic consumed rotary saw blades to the extent of using up 5 of them. You can watch them shrink as you cut. Even with a hole there so I could see, there is no way on earth I could even have got my fingers onto the connector to remove it, let alone get a socket in there.

4. Unhooking the connector - I used a long thin screwdriver wiggled in next to the manifold under the plastic molding I had cut through. I hand to bend the blade to get to the clip. Then I could unhook the little clip, and use needle nose pliers to remove the connector - note to self, get some new pliers with even longer noses. Fiddly work.

5. I had a deep well 27mm (same as 1 1/16) socket - problem was it was 12 point and the corners on the sensor are rounded off, so a 12 point will slip round. Also, it was long enough that it was jamming up on the plastic molding before it went on the sensor. And the 6 pointer I had was an impact socket and just too big. Again NAPA came through with a 3/8 drive 1 1/16 sensor socket which is taller than a regular socket, but shorter than a deep well. Put the wobble bar and ratchet on and - nothing. Had to really heave ho to get it to move. Tip: once it is on the way, remove the socket and run some masking tape around the inside - this will retain the sensor once it comes out.

6. I had no leakage and had used a small brush to get rid of debris around the sensor before pulling it. The new one went in fairly easily (thanks to that duct tape holding it in the socket). The new one had sealer on the threads, so it's a matter of getting it started then steadily winding it in until it essentially stopped. Of course the clip ended up 180 off from where is had been so there was some fiddling twisting the cap around so that it lined up perfectly before pushing it on. I used a long plastic rod to gently push the connector on until I could see it was clipped. Did not want to risk nipping a wire.

7. The piece of plastic I cut out went back in with a bead of silicone adhesive round the perimeter and aluminum tape on top to wrap things up. And the wiper arms got a smear of grease before re-assembly. If I have to do this again, they should come off easier.

Now, I just need to let all the scratches I got on my hands from scraping the cut edges of the plastic heal up.

Dave concrete

Didn't realize these leak so often. Is there a way to notice if it is leaking? I assume it's not alot of oil.

brzemo

I've blown out two oil pressure sensors and both times lost about 1 quart of oil and made a nice mess under the hood to clean up. I'm looking for a more reliable sensor, currently using the NAPA

NateTermi

27mm socket is NOT the same as 1 1/16. If you don't believe me I can take a picture for you... I replaced mine about 2 weeks ago and have both 1 1/16 and 27mm deep sockets. 1 1/16 socket will not work, you need the 27mm.

209TIME!!!

thanks for that info I will be changing mine tomorrow and i need the correct socket...

NateTermi

No problem. Hope you take the intake off instead of cutting up the car.

Camjamsdad

Replaced mine. Cut the hole. No regrets. Cant see it. Easy to do except the wiper arms. Reinstalled with never seize. Sealed the hole. Nobody will ever no.

A few months later i swapped intakes to the slp zo6 model with new injectors. Yes simple to r&r but there are issues. First it can be unsafe cracking open your engine. I blew out all around the intake with air, washed it down with a hose. Blew it dry and there was still a lot of sand under the intake. Opening the engine for a simple sender swap isn't worth it to me. Second issue. I nicked one injector o ring and caught it. Ran to advance bought some. However I missed 1 on the drivers side. Found it the next day when I smelled gas. Potentially I could have burned the car up. So in my opinion the small hole I cut is safer, about the same work, and makes a future swap easier. No cutting, no fighting the wiper arms, no chance for sand in the intake ports, and no nicked injector o rings.

And its MY car. I can cut it, paint it any color, drive it in the rain, run any brand oil I want, run a 160° stat, or even run a wing if "I" choose to.

oldschoolvette

Good info here Good Luck

If you decide not to pull the intake just remember this

You are opening a hole into your engine and dirt is a leading cause of death for engines. Be very careful not to get dirt down the hole

jackthelad

27mm = 1.063 ins. 1 1/16 = 1.0625 ins. i.e. 5 thousandths of an inch difference. You won't see that by looking. Sockets are not even made that precisely.

The socket I used very successfully was a 1 1/16, which is what other people have posted as being the one to use.

jackthelad

Whether you pull the intake or not, you still end up with a hole into the oiling system. You just need to clean around the area before you pull the old sensor.

NateTermi

The 1 1/6 speciality socket I used to replace the oil pressure sending unit on a trans am ws6 I had 5 years ago didn't work for my c5z. I had to run to oreillys, and it ended up being a 27mm. A 12pt 1 1/16 socket may work, but the specialty socket made to fit the sender will not on a BWD unit.

1 1/16 on left. 27mm on right.

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad335/natews6_2010/C5%20z06/20130919_084320_zps3d92092b.jpg

jackthelad

All I can tell you is the one I used was a 1 1/16 6 point oil pressure sensor socket from NAPA. It worked on both the OEm and the new one just fine.They have them in different sizes. Looking at your pics, one of those sockets is not what you think it is. I compared my regular 27 mm and 1 1/16 sockets, and they are exactly the same size, like the math shows. And the fit of the old sensor is exactly the same in each.

RetiredSFC 97

I got one from oreilly and it worked fine.