So I read the Motorvate how-to as well as the one in the Maintenance sticky thread before I attempted to replace the knock sensor.

I must be stupid or something because it is not as easy as the write-ups make it sound. It took forever for me to get the socket wrench on top of the bolt, but the bolt is so tight and there is very little area to move the wrench. I can't seem to loosen it.

Anyone have any tips? Note, all I have available to me is a socket wrench and a bunch of sockets (i'm using 12mm as mentioned in the write up). I don't have a flex-joint but I do have a few extensions but I don't think they will help.

The hardest part is the lack of space!

 

bro, you'll probably need at lease one wobble joint, I know I did. The hard part is re-installing it. I had to use my 9 year old daughter to get the bolt started back into the manifold/head. My big meat hooks couldn't find their way back in there.

 

Note I read this thread too: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....g+knock+sensor

What is a wobble joint?

 

i duno whats a wobble , but this is what i used



just be careful, take your time, and ideally use someone with small hands to help you..my mom helped me do this

 

hey I see your in TO. I'm in Oakville. I'm actually attempting this right now.

I do not have that 'u-joint' but I do have a 12mm socket wrench. I can get it to sit on the wrench, but there is no room for me to move the wrench.

 

If you are using an open ended wrench i dont see how this can be done because the turning radius is too large. with this socket set you can turn the wrench and not move your hand

i would really suggest this u-joint setup, but hey if you are right there then keep trying, you might get it...Also if the bolt is stuck, try tapping on the wrench wit ha hammer slightly

oakville is kinda far from me, but motorvade lives like right there

 

No i am using a socket wrench

 

It's fairly easy (30-45 min) if you have the right tools.

 

Well I guess the socket wrench is not enough. I got as far as having the socket wrench on top of the bolt, but I couldnt work it loose. Not enough room back there.

 

Did you move the swirl valve out of the way? Unbolt it and take off the vac lines to clear up some space. 99's do have a smaller opening than 95-98s tho for some reason....

 

wwll are you using the extensions that are showed in my picture ? or are you just sticking your hand in there with the wrench ?

PS: swirl walve is only on cali gens, he has a canadian model, why do the 99's have a smaller opening ?

all are the same except cali spec...just unplug the green connector thats in the way

 

using a swivel is the eaisest way to do this,"bloody right hands down"lol

 

I just changed mine today. I used a 1/2 inch drive flexible breaker bar to loosen the nut. I then squeezed my left hand in there with a small ratchet wrench to loosen the nut and then removed the nut with my fingers. I wore rubber latex gloves, so my hand didn't get cut up. It was very tight in. I also removed the air filter box and intake manifold. Cleaned my TB when I was done, too.

 

it's pretty easy I did it in like half an hour, witihout moving anything. Using a magnet and those universal joint (or watever theyre called) helps alot

 

I wasn't sure if he was a cali spec, as it seems more than 1/2 of 99's were. The 99's have a smaller opening because believe it or not, for some odd reason, the intake manifolds were cast with a different template, and show minor differences. May sound odd, but if I can remember before I do my 00vi, I will take pics of my 99 compared to another VQ30DE.

 

The cali spec has a larger lower intake manifold. Probably for the butterfly valves and swirl valve vaccume parts. Even without the swirl valve in the way there's a bit less room for your arm than a fed spec. I switched my cali for a fed a while back. I was able to get my knock sensor changed before the switch but it took a long time. You need many different types of extensions and universal joints and see which works best for you. The trickiest part for me was starting the bolt after. It probably would've taken about the time to take the manifold off and go in from the top...

 

I changed out my knock sensor with a socket wrench and I believe it was a 10 mm socket. I had a hard time getting anything to move that way so I duct taped a metal bar so it stuck strait up from the wrench and then used a hammer to bang the side of the tool to loosen up the bolt. It was pretty ghetto but it worked. One of those swivel sockets is probley a good investment though.

 

you can get a 12mm (which is what you need) 1/4 inch drive universal socket for about $7.50 at Sears. Use a long extension and your hands won't get cut up at all.

 

I just did this on my 99 Maxima a few weeks ago. I used a 12mm socket wrench like you are doing. I think I used my small 1/4 inch socket wrench. To get it to budge, I used a long screwdriver and placed it vertically straight down past the wrench handle until the tip rested against a crevice in the engine block. I then pushed on the screwdriver handle so the shaft pressed on the wrench handle and broke it loose. I tried to be careful with the tip of the screwdriver so as not to damage the engine block. Worked great.

Like M_in_KC who used his 9 year old daughter to get the bolt started on the new sensor, I used my 12 year old son. After getting it somewhat tight with the socket wrench, I used the screwdriver method again to snug it up.

Regards,

Mark

 

i did change mine and it took me like two hours to finally loosen that sucker

 

I did this a few years ago. If you have all the tools that the Motorvate site lays out, it's very easy. It took me a little more than an hour. Don't be cheap and skimp out on tools - good tools are always worth it.

By the way the "wobble" is called a universal joint.

 

Lack of space is the problem here. I find it as long, but easyer, to remove the IM, lower IM and the fuel rail out of the way. Take less than 2 hrs and you dont end up cutting your hands in this tiny rat nest.

 

word of advice, do this only when the engine is cold...
don't learn the hard way like I did ( 3 times too)

lol

 

It is much harder on '99s.

 

I used this guy right here, I didnt get much rotation on each spin but it worked just fine without removing anything..

 

hence the reason for me NOT doing this myself. pita job, and it has to be put on with just the right amount of pressure/torque. well spent 50.00 imo.

 

Everyone's different. I would pay $50 for a greese monkey to not touch my car.

 

Anyone have attempted to replace the knock sensor for the 2000 Maxima? Can't seem to find it and my apologies if there is a thread on this since I can not find one here.

 

you should ask this in the 5th generation Maxima section.

 

It is much harder on the 99s to put it in thats for sure, There is like vacuum valve thing in the way, I actually took mine off a 99 and it was easy going off cause I had a universal joint but it was a bastard putting it in on my 98... omg... It prob took me 45mins with a friend to put it in there.

 

i did mine the saturday. had to use 12mm socket with quarter inch drive with wobble joint. once broke i got my hand under the manifold. the hardest part of the whole ordeal finding a quarter inch drive 12mm socket. LOL
took about 30 min. but didnt take anything off. see it is good to have a CAI