Cam and Crank sensor question

[B3M2W5]

This might sound a little dumb, but how would one tell the diff. between the Cam sensor and Crank sensor on an M50tu(Vanos) motor. I have a motor I have been piecing back together. It was sold to me by a friend that used it for an ODB1 swap and im just missing a few small things i need to get.
I would like to know how to physicaly tell the diff between the two. I am also having trouble finding out where they go. I have one sensor that i had gotten when i worked at Oreillys. The computer said it was the Crank sensor i believe. Yet I dont trust the red neck system there, It didnt even know there was a diff. from the >09/92 and <09/92 motors for the M50.
Any help would be great thanks.

[B3M2W5]

Top... can somebody help me out?

[e30_kid89]

Crank sensor = male plug.

Cam sesnor = female plug.



Hope that helps.

[surebimmer]

Crank sensor on a early OBD 1 car is on the front of the crank pulley. Cam sensor up on the head by the vanos solenoid.

[Beej '86 325es]

cam sensor is all plastic
crank sensor is metal

[matt]

cam sensor is all plastic
crank sensor is metal

Not always.

[B3M2W5]

Ok helps, but the sensor i have is plastic and has a little round hole in the middle wich i would assume is magnetic and has to deal with the crank. Yet i am being retarded or somthing and cant figure out how it goes on. So now i just have to find a cam sensor and figure out where that goes on it.

[BigD]

realoem.com and 1 minute later:

EDIT: as you can see, they will only fit into their respective place (in addition to the plug being male/female)

Cam (mine does NOT look like that, mine's plastic as was said earlier):



Crank:

[B3M2W5]

Thanks

Hey man thanks i must have just not looked hard enought when i was looking at realoem.com maybe im just not looking at it in the right angle on the motor....
So the cam sensor is all plastic

[BigD]

Hey man thanks i must have just not looked hard enought when i was looking at realoem.com maybe im just not looking at it in the right angle on the motor....
So the cam sensor is all plastic

Mine was yeah. My crank sensor is as pictured. One reason you may not have seen it is you have to remove the vanos solenoid to get to it.

[B3M2W5]

Oh gay you have to take the Vanos off to get to it or at least the the Sel.
that could be why i havent seen it.
The only other thing is i hope im putting the right part where it goes i bought what i think is crank sensor from Oreillys when i worked there but not sure if it is what the computer says it is cuz its almost all plastic but has a small little round dot in the middle. So could that be the Cam then tho.
But beeing from Oreillys im sure its probly not factory standard wich i dont mind as long as it work.
I only have a rocket and its getting cold out fast.

[BigD]

No no, not Vanos, just the solenoid, it screws into the vanos unit. Just the sensor won't slide out of the head with it in place (not enough clearance), you'll see - unscrew the solenoid and you'll see a big hole underneath it with a hole for a setscrew (assuming the p/o pulled that sensor)

[B3M2W5]

Ya thats what i meant not the whole unit, but i just have to find some time to get in there and get'er dun. So thanks guys

[PeaveyBassist]

Vanos solenoid is a 32mm. It unscrews. Make sure you unplug it first. Pull that out, then the allen for the cam sensor is a 5mm. If you cant get a normal allen socket in there, try taking off the lid for the oil filter housing. That works on the ones with the plastic top, so I dont know how well it will work for the m50. If that doesnt help, you'll have to use a 5mm swivel allen socket (if you have one. not the socket PLUS a swivel...a real swivel socket) or just use a standard allen wrench and that will take forever.

Will