crank case sensor removal

Unfortunately there are no tricks that are sure to work. These sensors when in the engine for an extended time get the rubber seal melted to the case. This means they are stuck pretty good. The best thing I have found is you need to start by twisting the sensor so that you at least break the seal. At that point if you cannot wiggle it out then you will need to use a flat head screw driver to try and pry it up to get it started coming out.

I understand you don't want to break it but as long as you don't break it off flush to the case you should still be able to use some vise grips to grab a hold of it and pull it out. So that means you can crack the plastic and that is okay.

While it was not on this vehicle, I have had my fair share of fights with this issue and destroyed some sensors before finally getting them out.

Long story short, don't worry about being aggressive with it because you are not going to damage the engine only the sensor and you are replacing that.

Hopefully this helps.