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Good job! I've never been steady enough to try that fix, so I just bite the bullet and tear it down lol. Glad it worked for you

Hey Hotwheels, glad you got it in there "the easy way"

I just figured out how to pull codes yesterday, got it all set with a 41, and found your thread.
Could ya give me a few pointers on how you achieved this and what ya did?

I'm not 100% on what your picture is showing, is that a mirror?
Detail for detail I'm having the same issues you had.. happened after going WOT..

How long can I drive like this without causing harm to the engine?
I don't pound on it, I just chug along in it..

thanks!.

Chris, try this:

http://bellsouthpwp.net/p/a/padgett46/cammag.htm

It was written by one of our former Gearheads.

Thanks willwren, that clears up alot..

would you recommend factory or aftermarket fot the disruptor?
Can I drive the car how it is for say, a month or so till its warm enough outside to tackel this project?
Thanks again

I'd suggest an interrupter rather than a disruptor. (that's a joke, but I love your twisted terminology)

Any brand will do. It's a magnet in plastic. I have done the procedure myself (even though I don't own your generation, I did it on a neighbor's car) and it works well. You want to clean the oil well off the timing chain (Cam) sprocket especially in the hole the part goes into. I'd suggest following the guidelines on the JB Weld for temperature at least overnight to get proper curing in your climate.

If the car starts and runs, you'll suffer only decreased mileage until you do the work.

willwren wrote:
Any brand will do. It's a magnet in plastic. I have done the procedure myself (even though I don't own your generation, I did it on a neighbor's car) and it works well. You want to clean the oil well off the timing chain (Cam) sprocket especially in the hole the part goes into. I'd suggest following the guidelines on the JB Weld for temperature at least overnight to get proper curing in your climate.

If the car starts and runs, you'll suffer only decreased mileage until you do the work.

Sorry I took so long to get back on here - haven't really been online much over the weekend. Anyways, pretty much what he said is what you will need to do.

I removed the battery, coolant reservoir, and took off the drive belt for easier access. After that, you'll have to pull the cam position sensor, and once pulling that, you may have to use a mirror to look into the hole to see the existing interrupter. You'll also have to make sure you rotate the crank to line up where the interrupter sits with the hole.

Sorry the pic wasn't more clear - but, the mirror is showing what's inside the oily hole you see at the top right of the pic. If you look at the mirror, you'll see the interrupter - the black, squarish plastic piece centered in the hole.

Mine was broken inside the hole, and I had to spend 1-2 hours fishing out the pieces working in reverse with dental tools and a small mirror. Btw, the interrupter I used was just a generic aftermarket part I picked up from Napa - it's been working great ever since. One important note is that depending on what yours is like, you may need to *carefully* grind some of the plastic flanges off of the new interrupter, as it is made to be installed from the back side, and the flanges can prevent it from going in backwards (which is basically what we're trying to do here). I did that, and like stated above, made sure everything was as clean as possible on the inside so that the JB Weld would hold as best as possible. It may take a couple tries to get it seated right (since this is rather difficult to get in there when you're using small tools and a mirror!), but once it feels solid, just let it sit overnight, if possible, and you *should* be good to go.

That's pretty much the extent of what I did, and after that, put everything back together. Between doing this and a full tune up with new filters, Autolite plugs, and a TB & MAP sensor cleaning, went from 23.5 MPG hwy to 28.9 MPG hwy. Very pleased!

Hope your repair is going well - let us know how it goes!

Thanks for the pointers..

Got one more question....
Do I want this sensor flush with the gear?

Thanks

Chris, please don't hit SUBMIT twice. I've been deleting duplicate posts by you yesterday and today.

The sensor's depth in the housing is fixed. It bolts in.
The interruptor assembly with the magnet in it has it's depth set by the two spring tab locks in the 'nose'.

You have no control over the gap between these two items, nor do you need any. If you read the procedure in the link I provided above, it clearly explains how this works.

willwren wrote:Chris, please don't hit SUBMIT twice. I've been deleting duplicate posts by you yesterday and today.

The sensor's depth in the housing is fixed. It bolts in.
The interruptor assembly with the magnet in it has it's depth set by the two spring tab locks in the 'nose'.

You have no control over the gap between these two items, nor do you need any. If you read the procedure in the link I provided above, it clearly explains how this works.

Sorry if im sending double posts, I cant help it if it happens and tried to delete
them but till I get my laptop back, im stuck with my phone for now..

I read the site but was unsure if after cutting the brim off the top hat section off would effect the spacing.. Im more of a visual hands on person ..

Thanks again and sorry for the doubles

update on my journey.

So this morning I hit the autostart button, few minutes later I round the corner and the Buick is missing pretty bad..
I have something at work I absolutely can't be late for and go against what I call "driving it into the ground"

The car is struggling to go anywhere and by the time I hit 60mph the car feels like it wants to fall apart (violent shaking)
Yesterday the car ran fine with its jerky little stumbles then the next morning...whammo.. runs like complete garbage..

I've been hoping I can limp it by till it got warmer and just live with the slightly lessened fuel economy/sight stumble, but I suppose not..
I've got the new interrupter (just modded it today) and a new drive belt for the project that's ready to go,
I just wasn't expecting this to turn into an instant priority.

My garage has about 2 feet worth of snow in front of it for about 45 yards before the plowed area going past it..
Its iced up and I can't do much in the way of a shovel..

I really don't want to drive my project truck in the winter with its locker and summer radials, but I mite not have any other choice..
I have to wait for the property owners to plow me out because with the wind chill, I'm sitting at about -8 right now and ran out of steam..

all that aside, I had a few questions..

What would happen if pieces of the old interrupter fell out and down, isn't this going right into the engine oil?
Once I get all the pieces out and hit the area with some brakeleen,
how accurate do I have to be with this brake cleaner not to contaminate the engine oil?
Would a very slight amount not be too big of a deal?
How much jb weld do I need to apply to to the sensor?

I'm asking lots of questions till I'm feeling a little better about tackling it..
I'm almost there..

Thanks guys!

Chris D. wrote:
What would happen if pieces of the old interrupter fell out and down, isn't this going right into the engine oil?

This is what was most time consuming for me. I used dental pics and such to get the pieces out, and yes, some will fall into the crevice that surrounds the hole, but can be fished out with a lot of patience. I had a couple tiny fragments that disappeared, which concerned me, but haven't had any problems. I believe they probably just dropped right down into the pan, but maybe someone else has a better answer?

Chris D. wrote:
Once I get all the pieces out and hit the area with some brakeleen,
how accurate do I have to be with this brake cleaner not to contaminate the engine oil?
Would a very slight amount not be too big of a deal?

As far as brake cleaner, I only used it on the surface that I was mounting the interrupter directly on. I soaked the end of a cotton swab, then I wiped it off with a dry cotton swab - seemed to work pretty well. I wouldn't use a whole lot - just enough to get it clean, then wipe it off.

Chris D. wrote:
How much jb weld do I need to apply to to the sensor?

I used enough to evenly coat the entire side that mounts to the cam gear. Just use it like you would if you were gluing something together with Gorilla Glue - enough to firmly hold it in place, but not gobbing too much on. Be sure to only coat the surface that will be mounting against the cam gear, and don't bump any of the sides of the hole with it on the way in. You don't want to get any JB Weld except for exactly where you want the interrupter mounted. If you smudge some where it shouldn't be, just clean it up promptly with some paper towel scrap taped to the end of a small tool (you can dip it in brake cleaner if you want.)

Hope this helps a little bit! Sorry to hear your car is giving you such trouble - hopefully you can get this taken care of and get yourself back on the road as soon as you can. When mine happened, I got it repaired when it first started showing a slight hesitation, so I guess I never had to go through all of the herky-jerky stuff. Too bad I'm not a bit closer - I could give you a hand!

I dug it apart yesterday and fiddeled with it a little with no luck, but i had a better idea of what I had to deal with..

so today I get a strong mini magnet thinking that would help, nope, dental pick was the way to go..

but.. I think it popped out and fell down inside..
I wasn't very coordinated with the pick so I zigged when I should have zagged..

I'm not all too worried about it, I'm just not sure if I got it all..
I poke at it and see that I'm scratching the recessed area where interruptor once was that looks like metal,
but I'm not 100% sure of what I'm looking at..

when the sensor is removed, is there metal pretty much directly behind where the sensor once was?
if so, am I ready to roll, clean and jb weld? here are some crappy pics..

this is when there was still pieces of it in there..


this is where I "think" I've got it out and it fell downward.. oops..


I'm not sure how to tell what is what..
if you could help me out, that would be great..

also, found my water pump is leaking, mite as well do that while I'm in there..
Looks as tho I just unbolt it where it is and it pops out.. or is it?

Chris D. wrote:

In the deepest, smallest part of the hole, where the the interrupter is mounted on the bright looking metal in the pic, is where you want to "glue" your new one with JB Weld. You will probably have to carefully grind the flanges on the new interrupter to trim it so it will fit from this direction. Like I said before, just put some JB Weld on the bottom of the interrupter and try to put it straight in (as to not get any on the walls of the hole going in) and press it carefully but firmly on the surface, after cleaning it well. If it seems to have set securely and is not rocking back and forth, you're good to go, so just let it sit overnight to ensure a good curing of the JB Weld. Don't feel pressured to get it right the first time - it took 3 tries or so for me to get it in the right spot and get it to set right without wiggling around. If this happens, just pull it out right away, before anything hardens, clean everything up again, and give it another shot.

Any progress this weekend? Hopefully you'll get it back on the road soon.

Newbie here. Sorry if this is a stupid question. I am replacing a cam sensor and the old one was difficult to remove from the hole. I removed the retaining bolt first and then it was able to rotate in the hole, but wouldn't come out easily. Had to pry it out! Secondly the new one is really hard to "seat" back in position. Are these things hard to push in or should they be easy? I have pushed and pushed and tried even to "tap" back in with a screw driver. I can't seem to get it so fully seat.? Anyone have ideas?

Thanks.

I may be going through replacing the magnet as well. I didn't look to see if it was there the first time.

got everything buttoned up, replaced the sensor that plugs the hole while I was at it..
let it dry (jb weld on disruptor) for about 2 days (sorta cold) replaced the water pump,
put on a fresh drive belt and today I filled the coolant system up and its still running rough, codes 12 and 41..

I popped the exterior sensor out of the hole, rotated the crank and the new disruptor was still in place where I left it..
It's missing just like it was before.. I'm stumped on this one.

The sensor went in with a little force needed, I trimmed the brim off in a way with a slight taper so it would require
a little force to push into it.. It's sitting right on the ears (the 2 deals sticking out) and its rock solid..

I'm wondering, did I miss something? the outer sensor is plugged in.. belt is routed properly, coolant is filled..

I got nothing.

Hmm....I guess I didn't really encounter any major trouble when doing mine, so I don't really know what else to tell you at this point, without actually being there to see it

Maybe Jrs3800, willwren, or someone else has some words of wisdom?

either tomorrow or the next day I'll run the codes to see if they are the same just to double check.

Disconnect the battery for atleast 5 minutes to clear the codes and then try it again. Also, make sure the wiring between the sensor and ICM are not rubbing on the belt or anything else.

Icm?

Chris D. wrote:Icm?

ICM = Ignition Control Module
ECM = Engine Control Module
PCM = Power Train Module
UIM = Upper Intake Manifold
LIM = Lower Intake Manifold

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=1662

ABS- Antilock Brake System
ADTR- Angry Duck Tofu Racing
AFR- air fuel ratio Sometimes A/F ratio
AWD- All Wheel Drive
BCM- Body Control Module
CAI- Cold Air Induction
CEL- Check engine light
DIC- Driver Information Center
DIS- Distributorless Ignition System
DOHC- Dual Over head Cam
DP- Domestic Performance
DRL- Daytime running lights
EBCM- Electronic brake control module(ABS/TC)
ECM- Electronic Control Module
EFI- Electronic Fuel Injection
EGR- Exahust Gas Recirculation
FI- Forced induction (SC or NOS or Turbo)
FI- Fuel injected
FWD- Front Wheel Drive
HO2- Heated Oxygen Sensor
IAC- Idle Air Controller valve
IAT- Intake Air Temperature sensor
LSD- Limited Slip Differiential
MAF- Mass Air Flow sensor or screen
MAP- Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor
MPI- Multi Port Injection
NA- Normally aspirated, not SC
NA- Naturally Aspirated, not SC
O2- Oxygen Sensor
OHV- Over head Valves
PCM- Powertrain Control Module
RPM- revolutions per minute
SC- Supercharged
SES- Service engine soon
SFI- Sequential Fuel Injection
SIR- Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
SOHC- Single Over head Cam
SRS- Suplemental Restraint System (airbags)
TB- Throttle Body
TBI- Throttle Body Injected
TC- Traction Control
TCC- Torque Converter Clutch
TDC- Top Dead Center
TPI- Tuned Port Injection
TPS- Throttle Position Sensor
TWC- Three Way Catalyst
VSS- Vehicle Speed Sensor
WOT- Wide open throttle


Pontiac Bonneville Club- Pontiac Bonneville Club (http://www.Pontiacbonnevilleclub.com)

BFH- Big Hammer
BS- Bull stuff
BTW- By The Way
DIY- Do it yourself
FORD- F*$%#@ Only Runs Downhill
FORD- Form Of Rust Deposit
FORD- Fix Or Repair Daily
FORD- Flip Over, read directions
FUBAR- F*#&^$ up beyond all recognition
FUSOGIB- Forgetting Us Series 1 Guys Is Bad
FYI- For your information
GLHS- Goes Like H*** Stock
IMHO- In My Honest Opinion
IMO- In My Opinion
Jseabert- Next door idiot to willwren
LMAO- Laughing My A$$ Off
LMFAO- Laughing my F*$%&#@* A$$ off
LMK- Let Me Know
LOL- Laughing Out Loud
PITA- Pain in the A$$
POS- Piece of S*&@
RTFM- Read Sequential Fuel Injection
SIR- Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
SOHC- Single Over head Cam
SRS- Suplemental Restraint System (airbags)
TB- Throttle Body
TBI- Throttle Body Injected
TC- Traction Control
TCC- Torque Converter Clutch
TDC- Top Dead Center
TPI- Tuned Port Injection
TPS- Throttle Position Sensor
TWC- Three Way Catalyst
VSS- Vehicle Speed Sensor
WOT- Wide open throttle


Author : Willwren