i have a brand new knock sensor taken from an 06 altima engine, will this knock sensor work in my 97 max?

 

2.5 or 3.5? What's the part number?

 

from a 2.5, im not sure the part number.. i checked the nissan computer, the voltage from the 97 maxima knock sensor is 2-3 volts, the voltage on the altima sensor is 2.5 volts, its the same exact size, fits right in the harness

 

Nissan OEM parts catalog reads 1995-2005 Altima. is the same knock sensor for 1982-2005 Maxima. I'm guessing the catalog has not been updated for 2006.

 

thanks, thats what i needed to know.. i know for sure the 02 - 06 altimas have the same knock sensor, so if those are the same then it should work out.

 

Well you should make sure they are the same before you put it in the car.

 

see the thing is, i was told by my parts department that they are different, but told by the master tech they were the same, so i dont know who to believe, but either way its worth a try.. i dont think it can do any harm if its wrong.

 

The new knock sensor is different. Let me try to explain how.

The original sensor uses the metal base as a grounding point from the engine block. The wiring harness contains a floating ground that terminates before connecting to the sensor.

The new style sensor does not use the base as the grounding point, so if it is used on the older car there will be no signal because there is no ground. In the proper application (02-06 Altima) it will have a dedicated ground wire in the harness.

You can verify it like this:

Using an ohmmeter, check for continuity from the RH terminal of the old style sensor to the metal base. Continuity should exist.

Now do the same check for the new style sensor. No continuity. But there still will be approximately 560K ohms between the two connector terminals on either sensor. So the new style will not work properly even though it will plug up to the harness.

I hope that explanation is not too rambling or confusing. Bottom line is the two are not interchangeable.