98i30

I know that there are few “How to” on this site but seems like it’s for 95-96.
There is slight difference between 95, 96 and 98, 99.
Can anybody, who done that (replacement without removing intake manifold) on 98/99, post detailed step-by-step “How to” with exact tools, sockets sizes and so on?
Appreciate in advance.

thefed

dude, i have a 98 and its the same....use 9" worth of extensions and a 12mm socket,with a flex joint in between, . reach in there, seat the socket on the bolt, turn left, stick ur hand in there, finish unscrewing, carefully remove ks and bolt, disconnect ks from harness using shiny pin(u'll see it when u get it out), reverse process. have good light, a long magnet thing, and small hands and ur on ur way to a 30 minute job

simreal

I used a wrench to break the bolt loose, then a jointed socket to get it out. I didn't take off the manifold. I had my wife put the new KS & bolt back in finger tight then I tightened it with the open ended wrench.

98i30

The problem is that I can't stick my hand in. There is a sensor (EGR or something) on the way, even though I pulled out the harness. Did you remove it too?

simreal

The only thing I took off was the black plastic piece connected to the intake.

98BLKONBLKSE

Hey 98i30.
I just replaced my Knock Sensor last week. As mentioned above, get a 12mm swivel socket, 3/8 drive will do, and a 12 inch extension. You will also need an extendable magnet and flexible grabber thing. Taking it out takes 5 minutes, replacing it is a bit of a pain in the a$$, but I had my 15 year old son help me, he is little and he could get his hand all the way in there to mount the knock sensor and hand tighten the bolt. You may need a 12mm wrench to tighten it if you can't quite get the socket in there, this is where the little hands come in handy, plus a bit of cash to make him try harder. If you don't have a young one around, bribe some kid off the street, but make sure the engine is cold so he doesn't pull out his hand, minus the skin! Did you buy your knock sensor yet? I got mine through ebay from Yoshisakura. Cost me $94 U.S., plus $1 shipping, much cheaper than dealer, plus it is genuine Nissan, and brand new. Took about 1 week to arrive. If you feel like driving to Vancouver BC I will install it for you!! Good Luck.

MaxGordon7

iTrader: (36)

Yes getting the bolt and KS back in is hard work, need someone with smalls hands that can fit inside and get the bolt started. I had my little sister do it.

SlackR237

I had to unplug and temporarily move a few things to get at it with my hand when I replaced mine. It's a tight squeeze but I managed.

mansurxk

iTrader: (14)

make sure it a 12mm swivel socket. thers differences in the manufacturers for the universal swivel. so the angle differs beacuse of the swivel height, and youll wind up stripping the bolt. you can buy it at sears for $8 and youll crack the bolt loose in about 2 minutes.

98i30

OK, Thanks everyone for the help!
I replaced it. Actually my GF helped me removing and replacing, cause I couldn’t stick my hand in there. I tightened it, cleared the ECU code, and drove it for like 40min. But I can't see any improvements yet.

wayman

The swivel joint and extension are the absolute key pieces in doing this replacement without having to take the manifold off.

To assist me in getting my hand in there to hand-tighten the bolt after replacement, I took a file and filed down the sharp edge of the manifold that ends up scraping your hand. I then used a light coat of vaseline on my hand to help slide my paw in and out. It worked for me but then again I dont have particularly large hands.

TJ_Max

iTrader: (10)

removing the intake manifold is a pain in the butt?

stglock

I have a 99 California Spec. I just did last weekend. To remove it fairly easy. You need
to remove the intake pipe, battery and a few hoses.

To install it back is the really tough most especially for California spec'ed engines.
For cars that are not Californica Spec'ed, you just have to ask your girl friend/wife,
kid to put the new knock sensor with the harness and start the bolt a single turn
and you should be able to tighten it with the tools already mentioned. I did use an
18" 3/8 extension...

Good luck, it was worth it but it is something I would not want to do it again...

SlackR237

I didn't feel any difference right away either. It actually took about a week for me to feel like I got all that power back, but some people report it feels a lot stronger right away, I dunno, I guess it varies.

98i30

Thanks everyone for the help!

EricW95SE

...also related to the knock sensor how-to, it mentions to torque it to 15-20 ft/lbs or it will be too sensitive (tight) or not sensitive enough (loose). What symptoms would it exhibit if it's not torqued correctly?

I just replaced mine this weekend and I can definitely feel the extra power, but now it is hard to start when the engine is still warm...hot is OK, cold is OK, but warm it just cranks and cranks until I let off the key and crank again...then it starts right up. Anybody else had this?

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

You need a girlfriend with skinny wrists.

rj998

Due to this very helpful thread I was able to swap out my knock sensor yesterday. One detail that someone noticed above is that some cars (mine included) have the EGR valve assembly right in the way. I took the bolts out of the bracket that hold it and was able to get the sensor in/out without removing the intake manifold.

The bad news is, the knock sensor I took out had a different connector on it than then new one. (new one was oval-shaped, old one rectangular)..

I have the cable with 2 conductors on the top and 1 on the end with the sensor. To make this more confusing, measuring the knock sensor's connectors for resistance as described in the haynes manual showed 500k ohms on BOTH the new and old sensor..

So finally here's a question: if the sensor is ok, why was i getting the knock sensor code from the ECU? Do i suspect the cable? It seemed ok.

Since they measure the same, I'm worried that getting the one with the right connector from the dealer won't help.

Any ideas would be helpful,

thanks

rj998

98i30

Did you try to reset ECU when you first got the code and drive it till it's throws it again?
Cause it sometimes throws code when sensor feels sadden knock and resetting ECU solves the problem.

rj998

I did reset it a few times, it always comes back.

One new thing, I just got back from the dealer, and they had given me the worng part, this solves the mystery of the oval vs rectacngle connector.

Also, I read in the stickies that 'tapping' or bumping the KS as might happen with a socket while taking it out can temporarily make it show the expected 500kohms, and hopefully that explains the mystery of the old KS measuring the same as the new one. Now that I have one that can actually plug into the car, I'll install it and see if the code comes back.

If this is helpful to anyone, the KS with
oval-shaped connector is p/n:220607B000,

the rectangular connector KS is p/n: 2206030P00

Not sure where in 1999 the cutoff is for which part.

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

I think a big mistake a lot of people make (including myself) is that when they get a knock sensor code (0304 if I remember correct?) they think the problem is the knock sensor. That's not necessarily the case. I think if you look in the factory service manual, it does list the KS and KS harness as possibilities (I changed both because the harness was only $14). However, I think the 0304 code will be trigured for other reasons (ex. the knock sensor is doing its job and 'sensing' other things wrong). Also, I beleive that 0304 is a common piggy back code. Meaning, when something else is wrong, or you get a code for something else, the 0304 code also appears. For instance, when my O2 sensor code came on (forget the number right now), I also got an 0304 but all I did was address the O2 sesnor and both the codes went away. My friend received an 0304 about a month ago and low and behold, this week he got an O2 sensor code. My guess is if he replaces the O2, he'll get rid of both codes. Hope this helps.

rj998

Good tip..

I've pulled the code several times over the past few months... always 0304, never anything else.

DandyMax

iTrader: (7)

When mine failed, the resistance measured out ok (within spec) when it was relatively cool but once it got hot it got way out. My local Nissan service contact, who has many years of experience, told me that when the KS's go it is often heat related and that they'll appear to be fine under cooler conditions but won't stay in spec once the area gets heat soaked.

After learning this I replaced the KS anyway and it's been fine ever since. Oh, and it was the only code I kept throwing too, not related to anything else.

And my hands are average size (not that small), but I was able to get them in there and using only a 12mm socket and 1/4" ratchet I did the job in 15 min. Oh--I did temporarily unbolt the EGRC solenoid in the way to get better access too. A small 10mm wrench will do that. Using this method I've done it 3 times now pretty easily.

jblinga

iTrader: (1)

that is pretty funny,my girfriend assisted me w/mine the exact same way

Harmony

Where did you get the harness for $14 from? I would like ti replace mine as well, but when I called a junkyard, they told me about $60-$90.

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

Screw 'em. No way. I paid $14, brand new from Courtesy 2+ years ago for my '96 and my friend just bought one from Garrands Nissan (my new favorite Nissan dealer) for his '99 for the same price. Contact Dave:
http://www.garrands-nissan.com/New%20Website/parts.htm
and ask for part number 24079-31U01. You can tell him Josh Frohman sent you if you want just to insure a good deal (I just bought a LOT of stuff from him). He's a cool guy. Good luck.