jjc508520

Use eye protection!

The cutter will throw dust - resign yourself to an engine wash.

Looking at the first pic I needed to go further back into the green area and I didn't need to cut away the red area.

At first I didn't see the sender and I thought - "**** - its a conspiracy to have suckers like me cut up their cars for no good reason!" But after moving some hoses I did see it.

There is a trick to getting the electrical connector off - you just can't yank on it with a pliers. There is a catch on the side that has to be sprung from underneath. This video tipped me off and I was able to use a piece of bent coat hangar to pop it loose.


Once the connector was removed it was a snap to remove the sender and put the new one in (using 2 turns of tape).

Getting the connector back on was tricky but I got it. Fired her up - no leaks - and 53 PSI.

My plan is to glue the 2 wiper tray pieces back together and put them back in with some silicone - I can cut through it with an xacto knife to redo when the time comes.

C6Z_LS7

I have to do this job soon on mine. This looks like a good option besides removing the intake.

What kind of cutter did you use?

guido7834

Did mine the same way, using a dremel. Patched it with thin sheet metal and covered with foil tape. Never looked back...

Vetteman Jack

Nice job accessing the OPS. And you're right, should it go out again it will be much easier to replace.

JR-01

How about a step by step showing us how you did it?

Jeff T.

There's a video on YouTube, search C5 oil sending.

I would never cut mine.

Voodoo13

It gets the job done, for sure. I would sooner take off the manifold and spend a few hours doing this if I couldn't get to it with a universal joint and extension. Cutting stuff just goes against my grain.

73Corvette

Because someone decides to "skin the cat" differently than you...
does not make him a hack or lazy! They may have had a specific reason for taking the wiper tray route. It's not a matter of right or wrong way... it's just another option. There are some legit reasons for doing the wiper tray method.

Voodoo13

Yeah I wouldnt use hack or lazy, some might judge me to be a hack or lazy in other circumstances but I am curious to know what the " legit" reasons are? I can't think of any other reason than not knowing another way to do it.

Choreo

It goes against my grain too, but cutting the hole and fabricating a removable "door" for my opening is what I decided on for me.

• First of all the "right way" makes no sense to remove so many bolts and connections just to perform this procedure - it opens up the possibility of creating other vacuum leaks, etc. just to perform what "should have been" a simple task.

• Since the OPS is a well documented "weak link" and prone to failing, it is very likely that the procedure may have to be repeated in the future.

• Coming in from the top directly make the procedure more reliable since you can easily reach, replace and torque everything as well as check for leaks.

Even doing the "relocation" procedure adds more potential leak locations.

The last time I replaced mine, two years later, mine developed a small leak (not reflected on the gauge). At first I thought it might be a main seal , but there was just a drop or two of oil on the floor every so often. I finally pulled the cowl, opened that door I made, and sure enough there was just a small amount of oil around the base of the OPS (even though it had been torqued to spec 2 years earlier). Quickly re-torqued, no problem since. If it fails again - 15 minutes to swap.

The "right way" would have been for GM to use a more reliable sensor in the first place AND put it in a location that could have been serviced without removing the top half of the engine instead of using a cheaply constructed sensor and then designing the whole car around it!

I REALLY did not want to cut my cowl, but it just made more logical sense in this case to me. If I really thought it might be a one-time thing, may have gone another route, but I am on my 3rd sensor.

crazystevex

I tryed to get mine off without removing the intake, got annoyed, then 20 mins later I had the intake off lol

Ludeaem

Wait, doesn't the cowl cover the hole once its cut?? If so, whats the big deal? You cut a hole in the precious plastic?

73Corvette

[QUOTE=Choreo;1589154300]It goes against my grain too, but cutting the hole and fabricating a removable "door" for my opening is what I decided on for me.

• First of all the "right way" makes no sense to remove so many bolts and connections just to perform this procedure - it opens up the possibility of creating other vacuum leaks, etc. just to perform what "should have been" a simple task.

• Since the OPS is a well documented "weak link" and prone to failing, it is very likely that the procedure may have to be repeated in the future.

• Coming in from the top directly make the procedure more reliable since you can easily reach, replace and torque everything as well as check for leaks.

Even doing the "relocation" procedure adds more potential leak locations.



The "right way" would have been for GM to use a more reliable sensor in the first place AND put it in a location that could have been serviced without removing the top half of the engine instead of using a cheaply constructed sensor and then designing the whole car around it!

Exactly... in the real world everyone should do the relocate...the sensor lives is a VERY hostile environment... moving it to a "safer" more accessible place should be the standard method. You probably could do the relocate without making a port in the wiper tray, but again even if it is not done to high standards...no one else will ever see it anyway.
With the relocate neither will you! Haven't heard a lot of feedback on the relocate, would like to know how many have had failures afterwards... I haven't read or heard of ONE!

jackthelad

If you have an early car, there is bracketry in the way that is not present on the later ones. I had watched the video, and got stymied immediately as I could not get my (slim) fingers anywhere near the sensor, or even see it from under the hood, so I did exactly when the OP here did.

Cutting a hole in a piece of plastic and re-attaching it afterwards is no biggie. You can glass it back together if you want. Or glue it in with silicone so it's easy next time around. If you are at all handy, it's much less of a hassle than pulling the manifold. Would have been nice if GM had put the sensor where you can easily get at it, but manufacturers by and large don't care about service/repair difficulties or costs past the end of the warranty period.

And why all the fuss about cutting a hole in a piece of non-visible, non-structural plastic anyway? It's only a car, and since we are talking C5's, an old and not very valuable one at that. It's not like the OP is advocating cutting a hole in the Cistine Chapel ceiling.

wxman1

when I did mine, I used a dremel to cut through the fiberglass cowl but

I couldn't get it out in one pcs. In fact, it came out in about four small piece cuts. When I went to close everything back up, I found a piece of stainless steel flashing line you use around doors or windows when constructing. { Easily found at Home Depot or Lowes} It cut easily whith a pair of heavy shears and then drilled 4 pilot holes in the flashing and fiberglass. I then put in 4 #6 half inch stainless steel screws to hold it in place and then finished the job with some silicone sealant all the way around. It will be easily accessible if it fails again.. Bruce

jjc508520

For those looking for more detail just search on "oil sender" - there are plenty of other links with additional pictures.

Regarding "cut or not to cut" - if it were some ultra-valuable/limited edition sure I'd think twice about cutting - but this is not one of those cars. And with my luck I'd probably drop something (trying to access from the front) that would go into a black hole to never be retrieved and make a rattling noise that would annoy me - so I cut.

What aggravates me is that with all the aftermarket suppliers out there no one sells the replacement seal that goes on the wiper cowl edge! I'm talking with Jim at Metro Moulded Parts - offered to snip off a piece of mine and send it to him - somewhere there has to be a match for this thing used in some different application - if I make any progress will post...

Jeff T.

Almost sounds like this is turning into the same as a black vs chrome wheel debate!

It's your car and you are certainly free to cut, trim, modify any part you want. If it works for you and you're happy with the results than nothing else matters.

Luckily I have daughters with smaller hands and arms than I that are able to help!! Did a friends car last summer in under an hour!

c5z06.O

I bought a cheap deep socket. Used a swivel,extension, and a torque wrench. I cut the cheap socket just enough to fit the new sender. In and out. A couple of beers and patience. Didn't make a hole or cut a chunk off the car. I was going that route but decided not to. Just the thought of the hole being there made me sick. Just my opinion.

73Corvette

Good for you! Well, done! Glad you took the time to fix it yourself and post it here....it can be very rewarding doing your repairs.

rrwirsi

I don't get it. The forum is full of mods that people do to their cars and most get raving reviews. Here is a person using his ingenuity to make the oil sender easier to remove for him and he gets trashed by some for doing it. If my sender unit ever needs replacing, I will consider doing what jjc did. The only change would be to design a “door” access for any future replacements.