Using A 2 Post Lift

The image below show what it looks like inside the hole where the shaft goes on the new/wrong sensor I bought. You can just make out a square drive inside the hole that my original doesn't have. This square drive stops the gear shaft going fully up into the sensor where it needs to be (original shaft being used, one isn't supplied with new sensor).

I've bitten the bullet and going back to ramp place on Monday. I'm going to pull the old sensor and shaft out again, and put the new one in minus the gear shaft. Then I can have the old sensor and gear shaft to hand to compare and get a compatible one.

Phoned Fiat dealers and they can supply sensor for £130 plus Vodka And Tonic. But there's no guarantee this one won't be wrong like the Febi one I bought. Give me strength!!


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The lift part of the operation went without a hitch - thanks to all for advice about this. The owner positioned the arms. He did put the rubber pads on the ends of the sills, but it didn't seem to be a problem. Poss not ideal on a 20 year old vehicle though.

He showed me the lift controls. Drummed it into me to raise it then press a different button to drop it down slightly onto the locks. Said it's hydraulic, and if a hose suddenly goes and it's not sitting on the locks - I would never get out in time. Quite a sobering thought. :eek:

Remember seeing a video of cctv in a garage once. Roller up on a lift, mechanic standing under engine working on it. Lift came straight down suddenly without warning. Horrific!
 
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ReganAndCarter said:
The lift part of the operation went without a hitch - thanks to all for advice about this. The owner positioned the arms. He did put the rubber pads on the ends of the sills, but it didn't seem to be a problem. Poss not ideal on a 20 year old vehicle though.

He showed me the lift controls. Drummed it into me to raise it then press a different button to drop it down slightly onto the locks. Said it's hydraulic, and if a hose suddenly goes and it's not sitting on the locks - I would never get out in time. Quite a sobering thought. :eek:

Remember seeing a video of cctv in a garage once. Roller up on a lift, mechanic standing under engine working on it. Lift came straight down suddenly without warning. Horrific!
Click to expand...
They should have flow restrictors to prevent them going into freefall should there be a catostrophic failure.
 
This is the problem I have. If you look at the photo of the new one couple of posts above you can see the square drive. The photos below show there isn't a square hole in the end of the gear shaft. The other photo shows the hole in sensor, but it's not clear from photo that there isn't a square drive inside.

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carmanmemoranda said:
Probably a silly question.

But that isnt just a plastic dust protector sat inside your new one ?
Click to expand...

I did think that when I went to fit it. Gave it a slight tug with the long nose pliers, but it's supposed to be there.

This is the problem. The part numbers on the Fiat Eper system for my vehicle all appear as sensors with the square drive inside or square hole in the end of the shaft like this -

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Even searching without a part no, just vehicle details, everything comes back as squared shaft and drive in sensor.

Nowhere are there sensors like mine without the square drive or shafts without the square hole. It seems to be unique. I even cut my old sensor open thinking a bit may have broken off the end of shaft and be lodged up inside sensor. But alas, how the old shaft appears on here is how it was manufactured.

I was never going to be able to fit my old shaft into the new Febi sensor. I will now try to get a new shaft with square hole in the end to fit into the new Febi sensor. Hoping that because they're different to my parts they are correct dimensions and fit the diff. I need a lie down! Again!
 
Recently I ordered the correct shaft with gear on end that fits into the new speed sensor from company in Italy. It has the corrrect square hole in the end that fits the square drive up inside the new Febi sensor. Yesterday I went back for the third time to the rent a a ramp place in Cheltenham and fitted the new sensor and it's new shaft and topped up the gearbox oil with the same quantity that came out. Went without a hitch and that's how it could have gone on day one, if the manufacturers hadn't slightly altered a part that you don't find out about until you pull things apart and oil is draining out.

What gets me, is after extensive Googling, I can find no reference to there being any changes to this part or alternatives being available. But I suppose anyone in the motor trade is used to getting the runaround with spare parts.

What with the fiasco recently with the cv boot (I gave that a good inspection too while up on the ramp and can report that boot number 7 is still in place and fastened) which is quite a basic job, plus a seemingly routine sensor swap, this van has certainly tried my patience. Still, it's been completely reliable over my 17 years of ownership, so not bad overall.

As I was fitting the sensor, I still had the nagging doubt that after all this, it still might be something else at fault. However, as I drove away from the ramp garage, the speedo needle came to life to my great relief. For the first time since March, I now have a working speedo, odometer and trip meter. The slight hesitancy/jerkiness in low gears at lower speeds has now disappeared and engine runs perfectly as I assume the ECU is now getting some info from the working sensor that it needs. I'm hoping my MPG will now go back up a bit as it seemed to drop since the sensor went out.

Thanks to everyone for your help and advice. Until the next time.................
 
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