- 01/27/2017
- 1 Min Read
- By: Alex Fiehl
How to Replace a Camshaft Position Sensor on a BMW 328is (E36)
The camshaft position sensor has influence on many very important parts on a BMW. In conjunction with the crankshaft position sensor, it communicates with the car’s DME and assists in the calculation of fuel + spark timing. If the camshaft position sensor is not working correctly, your car will run very erratically with poor fuel efficiency or possibly not run at all.
Parts needed:
- Oil change supplies
- 32mm crescent wrench
- 7-20 mm wrench set
- 5mm hex wrench
- Flashlight
- New camshaft position sensor -BMW-12141703221
- New o-ring - CRP-12141748398EC
- Safety glasses
The replacement is actually quite easy. When I did it, I timed the job to be when I was changing my oil to be able to remove the oil filter housing to reach the electrical connectors below the intake manifold. If you have large hands, you will have to remove the intake manifold, at which point I recommend replacing anything that you can while it is off, that is not something you want to be taking off over and over again.
First step is to follow the process of changing the vehicle's oil. Before you put the new filter in and fill the car up with oil, let the engine cool back down as not to burn yourself reaching around in the engine bay.
Remove the Vanos solenoid with a 32mm wrench, and a 15mm for the Vanos oil line. The oil line is in the way when trying to put a turn on the solenoid, and you will damage the line causing a leak if it is not out of the way.
Use a 5mm hex to remove the sensor from the cylinder head. There is an o-ring for the sensor, so be sure to use a new one to limit the chance of having a leak.
Next is the potential hard part and having small hands will be appreciated.
Easy route: With the oil filter housing off you should be able to trace the wiring of the sensor back to the connector. It is below about the middle of the intake manifold. When you find it, if you can reach it, route the new one right next to the old one before you unplug the old one, because it is very difficult to see this area so you don’t want to lose where the connector is, unplug the old and plug the new one in.
Hard route: If reaching back under the manifold is an impossible task due to bear-sized hands, you will need to remove the intake manifold, as described in our other guides.
Once the new sensor is plugged in, pull the old one out and start putting everything back together, making sure not to forget the new o-ring for the sensor.
Install the Vanos solenoid and put the oil line back on making sure not to damage any connections which could cause a dreaded oil leak.
After replacing my camshaft position sensor, the engine runs much better, and I gained 3 mpg after a week of normal driving along with a much smoother idle.
