Ok guys. I have done TOO MUCH knock sensor searches, but can't find the answers that i am looking for. People say that if you look from the side of your car, you can see the knock sensor with a wire attached to it, but i don't see ANYTHING... I can't find the frikken knock sensor to even start replacing it. Is there anything that leads to the knock sensor? Any wire from the OUTSIDE that leads it to the INSIDE of the valley of the Intake Manifold to the Knock sensor? I put my hand in the valley a few days ago. I felt a wire that starts right from the beginning of the valley. I tried to follow it, but my hands were too big to go further. Is that the some harness or something? What did you guys do to even reach for the knock sensor? Thanks a lot for your advice!!

 

lol it's pretty easy... it's uhm...

you see where the top manifold thing is... those pipes leading down into the engine? well under there

you can reach in from the right side (when looking at the engine) you should be able to see it there...

 

Pictures
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/507

 

MY BUDDY JUST WENT THROUGH THIS CHECK IT OUT
Dallas Nissan Enthusiasts FORUMS

 

u need a 14'' extension, 12mm swivel socket, and a 1/4 inch drive socket wrench...magnetic pick up tools also pwn j00

 

I was just about to post about the Knock Sensor job I just finished today. All you need to do is go to www.skippynet.com. They have directions to replace the knock sensor. My advice to you is to make sure that you have a friend or family member around who has small hands if you don't have small hands. And remember that if you're Maxima is low on miles and the knock sensor has never been replaced. The bolt that keeps the knock sensor in place is going to be hard as hell to take off. My hands are pretty big, so I had to get my father(his hands are smaller than mine) to position the bolt back in place with the sensor. Don't use the magnet to position the bolt when installing the new Knock sensor. Only use the magnet when removing the old knock sensor and bolt. I'm not going to lie to you, it was a very frustrating job for me. But I go it it done wth out having to break down the entire manifold so I really can't complain. You can locate the knock sensor a lot easier if you looked at it from the driver's side front fender. Don't feel bad I had problems locating it at first as well. There are pics on the website as well. Good luck and remember to work from the side of the car rather than from the front!!!

 

Thanks everyone! Glad i can count on the org.

 

No problem. I'll be driving it for the first time with the new knock sensor today. So hopefully all goes well. I'll post results today. But so foar so good. I was able to start the car up and let it idle for about five minutes without a CEL but i'll do a complete check on the system after putting about 60 miles on it today while at work.

 

Pwn j00, that sounds like cs talk to me? You play counterstrike?

 

I try sometimes...Right now I have 56k, so I can't do much playing!

 

How was the drive?? Problem fixed?

 

I just replaced mine... and D*MN, what a difference!

The fuel mileage had suddenly fell off a few mpg, and the power was feeling a little soggy.... Plus, there was a little hesitation just over 2k rpm.

Now, the part throttle low end and midrange feels like a totally different car! I can't believe the difference. It runs WAY better all the way across the rpm range!

One trick I've heard is to mount the knock sensor to the firewall, where it won't feel any 'knock' and will never retard any timing. This would work great as long as premium fuel is used..... and is what I would probably do if I raced this car a lot.

Just a thought.

Oh, I purchased mine on ebay for $90 'buy it now' and $1 shipping.

It was removed/installed with a 1/4" drive 12mm socket and a good swivel.... and a long extension. My wife's small hands came in handy with the initial installation of the new unit. I then tightened it down.

BTW, my car's check engine light was not on, and it showed no codes. The fuel mileage and power just fell off.... and it had a bit of a hesitation, which led me to believe it was bad. If your car suffers from these symptoms, GET A NEW KNOCK SENSOR!

Good Luck!

 

why waste $90 on a new knock sensor if you just gonna disable it. Most people just create their own non functioning knock sensor out of resistors. They just have to run premium gas all the time.

 

Dang, Pal... Is the glass half empty or half full???

If the knock sensor is good, it's just a matter of removing it and mounting it to the firewall. No homemade resistor required.

BTW, I mounted mine in the engine... right where the bad one came from. (it's still fully functional) Take it or leave it, but don't get all 'high and mighty' on me. Geez...

Get some Dr. Scholls.... and 'gel' a bit.

 

No you slow kid. If you mount it on the firwall it won't detect knock. Knock kills your engine. No sensor to detect knock and we have a moron with a dead engine. What's the point of spending $90 for a KS if you did that? Should've just gotten a resistor and replace it with that...

 

The drive went well. The power that I lost from the bad sensor came back in a big way. Throughout the entire power band the car was pulling. I wasn't even trying to spin my tires off the line, but rather just get a quick start off the line and I was able to spin wheels. I haven't spun wheels on this car since I had a stock ehaust system with 15 inch steelies. I now have an exhaust system that is 2 1/2 inches straight through from the manifold and a hybrid intake. I'm now rolling on 00/01 SE rims which easily weigh 50lb's+. The car feels a lot smoother as well and the car is running richer as well. The car had been running lean for awhile. Across the board, the car feels fantastic. Now it's time to get the Valentine One for the Man.

 

Maybe you didn't read my first post in this thread (#12)

If the car is used primarily for racing, and premium fuel is always used, a good knock sensor can simply be relocated to be sure it does not retard the timing... and cause performance to suffer.

I've been racing (with nitrous) since before most of the people on here even had their drivers license. (see 66 mustang below) Significant doses of nitrous force you to have complete control of the timing curve. I use a timing retard box that's activated anytime the nitrous solonoids are powered.

The aggressive nature of nitrous probably activates the knock sensor, and is probably a good thing for you guys playing with nitrous on these cars... since the timing NEEDS to be retarded for 'bottle' use, and the coil pack type maxima ignitions aren't the easiest things to work with. But naturally aspirated, the sensor can cause inconsistency from run to run.

For the street, I highly recommend the knock sensor remain hooked up (mine is) but for a mostly 'strip' car, a good KS can simply be relocated to serve the same purpose as the 'resistor mod'... and the firewall is a stable (non vibrating) place to put it.

Good Luck!