I managed to break the plastic insulator off the drivers side knock sensor during an intake manifold gasket job. D'ohhhhh! 22mm wrench turns the nut and innards of the sensor round and round but does not turn the housing that is threaded into the cylinder head. The housing itself is round and I can't see what to use on it except for maybe a pipe wrench.... if I can get one in there. Anyone have personal experience or perhaps a GM service manual that explains how to do this?

[IMG]local://upfiles/11219/E128487FC0374E388FADDEED23AFF88F.jpg[/IMG]

 

I would actually see if you could clamp down on the sides with a pair of vice grips or something similar to crimp the sides a bit harder, then try the hex again.

I have some more ideas if that doesn't work, but I'll have to make up some pictures to illustrate... It's difficult to explain.

 

That may be worth a try. But it looks like the darned things are installed with red thread locker so it'll take aome real torque. Not sure if any crimp will be up to that. Bt I'll give it a try tonight. Please let me know what your other ideas are. I have a few, also, but most may be more trouble than pulling the head. BTW, I have the intake and valve cover off sohead removal is doable... except for the seriously rusted exhaust manifold bolts that will no doubt break. I don't need an additional day of work because of that.

 

I prefer vise grips when I need serious holding power in a pair of pliers. I have clamped them so tight that I have bent the vise grips beyond any future use. However it did teh job. IT just take a ton of wrist strength.

 

Got that sucker! I tried the channel locks... not enough grip. The vise grips did the trick. No finesse, just brute strength. Sometimes that's the only way. :-)

 

Yes it is....
Glad to hear it. I too have a few other tricks, however they get progressively more destructive and more costly. [8D]

 

I think the next step would be somethng like drilling a 1/4 or 3/8" hole all the way through, and inserting a hardened metal rod to pull or hammer on. The casing on the sensor is thicker and toughr than I though so this approach might work. Glad I don't have to test that though. :-)