General Maxima Discussion This a general area for Maxima discussions for all years. For more specific questions, visit one of the generation-specific forums.

Knock Sensor Installed (OUCH)

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 08-25-2002, 10:18 PM
  #1  
Donating Maxima.org Member
Thread Starter
 
dashingMax's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,402
Knock Sensor Installed (OUCH)

With some pointers from Brian (BriGuyMax) and some excellent online instructions, I was able to install the Knock Sensor on my car.

My hand was pretty badly cut up (as expected), but the effort was well worth it.


I got a P0325 ECU code using an OBD-II scan. After installing the Knock Sensor, I didn't feel anything different until after I reset the ECU. The code will not go away by itself. The biggest difference is on the low end at partial throttle. There is a lot more 'OOMPH' below 3000 rpms. I cannot tell the difference past 3500 rpms for my supercharger kicks in.

I am not going ga-ga over this unlike some other folks on the .org, however I am definitely pleased with the much better partial throttle performance.

Cheers!
dashingMax is offline  
Old 08-25-2002, 10:41 PM
  #2  
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (3)
 
MaximaRider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,944
Ouch that loox like it hurt, as long as your car is running well again its all worth it.
MaximaRider is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 01:02 AM
  #3  
Senior Member
 
korupter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 302
gaaah, i hate the damn knock sensor. I tried for the weekend and i still didn't crack that puppy lose. I tried using the instruction on skippynet, but my socket keeps getting lose off the bolt. gaah, im mad
korupter is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 03:37 AM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
sammy32lee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 107
I installed mine yesterday. Took a about 10 minutes to get the dang bolt loose but after that my hand did the magic~~ Total time, like 15 minutes. My hands were made to change out knock sensors~~ Anyways I would help, but I'm located Upstate NY(Fort Drum) and in Queens twice a month every month. If anyone needs a hand just holla~~ We can talk about the cover charge later~
sammy32lee is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 06:20 AM
  #5  
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (11)
 
SonicDust187's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 3,951
Hey man I need to change my knock sensor also. To take it off do you need to turn the bolt left or right. I tried to turn it left yesterday and it wouldn't budge. Or should I give it all I got? Also did you use a torque wrench or a ratchet to tighten the bolt? Thanks.
SonicDust187 is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 06:49 AM
  #6  
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (38)
 
JAY25's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Near Archer High School, Ga
Posts: 6,451
you guys need to invest in mechanix gloves therefor you dont end up scraping your hands like that. Specially if you have thick hands!!!I dont use them but will be purchasing a set really soon, a super charger install will scrape up my hands in a certain area!!
JAY25 is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 07:39 AM
  #7  
Donating Maxima.org Member
Thread Starter
 
dashingMax's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,402
Originally posted by SonicDust187
Hey man I need to change my knock sensor also. To take it off do you need to turn the bolt left or right. I tried to turn it left yesterday and it wouldn't budge. Or should I give it all I got? Also did you use a torque wrench or a ratchet to tighten the bolt? Thanks.
To take the sensor off, you need to turn the bolt counterclockwise...turn left. Using a simple rachet connected to a 12mm socket will not do anything, unless you have some mighty muscles. Make sure you use the angular socket with atleast 14" extention. It did take me a few tries before I could get it off.

Total time was a good hour, but I wanted to make sure I do it right the first time. BTW, the dealer wanted $264 to install it
dashingMax is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 07:44 AM
  #8  
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (11)
 
SonicDust187's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 3,951
I only have a ratchet with 14" extention and a 12mm socket. Ill give it all I have.
SonicDust187 is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 07:55 AM
  #9  
dko
duck and cover
iTrader: (7)
 
dko's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,163
weren't you gonna go to brian's guy? oh yeah, any noticible improvement?

hopefully you'll take a risk and go past 5000rpm now
dko is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 07:59 AM
  #10  
Donating Maxima.org Member
Thread Starter
 
dashingMax's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,402
Originally posted by dko
weren't you gonna go to brian's guy? oh yeah, any noticible improvement?
hopefully you'll take a risk and go past 5000rpm now
I was but, you know, patience is virtue...that I don't have

past 5000 rpms...don't really need to, 99.99% of the time. The car is surprisingly fast and more than enough powerful below 5k
dashingMax is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 09:08 AM
  #11  
Senior Member
 
JR_Anders's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 196
I changed mine this weekend too. Car feels much better. I used a 12mm socket with a flex adapter, and a 14" extension. I don't know how you could do it without the flex adapter I scraped my hands up pretty good but not that bad.
JR_Anders is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 09:15 AM
  #12  
dko
duck and cover
iTrader: (7)
 
dko's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,163
Originally posted by dashingMax
past 5000 rpms...don't really need to, 99.99% of the time. The car is surprisingly fast and more than enough powerful below 5k
even more reason not to let the wifey drive it right?
dko is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 05:57 PM
  #13  
Senior Member
 
jerzeeMax's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 146
I just did mine a couple weeks ago too. Took me less than 30 mins total to unscrew and rescrew it back on. Surprised me, I thought it would take much longer, my hands are not small. But I barely squeezed one in there, and I had just enough room to pull out the bolt and sensor. Here's a way that worked really well for me to loosen that bolt: Use an open wrench. It would take an amazing amount of crazy muscle power to do this by hand, so I just stuck an open wrench on it and pryed it loose by wedging my socket wrench in between the block and the open wrench. After a turn or two it gets really loose, so you can just turn the rest of it off by hand.
jerzeeMax is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 08:24 PM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
DaddyMac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 631
use gloves next time

it was a PITA to reach the KS, but not THAT bad

DaddyMac is offline  
Old 08-26-2002, 10:46 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
iTrader: (2)
 
Menasor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: So Cal. (951,909)
Posts: 1,257
Why did you guys change the Knock sensor? I mean I understand if it was because you got a trouble code, but was that the case for all of you that changed it? What if you don't get a code what would lead me to believe that it would be time to change the knock sensor? Thanks in advance.
Menasor is offline  
Old 08-27-2002, 01:31 AM
  #16  
Senior Member
 
korupter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 302
Originally posted by Menacer
Why did you guys change the Knock sensor? I mean I understand if it was because you got a trouble code, but was that the case for all of you that changed it? What if you don't get a code what would lead me to believe that it would be time to change the knock sensor? Thanks in advance.
poor gas mileage and sluggish performance. Your car would basically have the same mileage as a mustang gt and the performance of an older accord.
korupter is offline  
Old 08-27-2002, 08:15 AM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
2KxSEx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 456
I think it's impossible to get to the knock sensor without taking off the intake manifold on a cali-spec engine because of the swirl valve. I've looked around under the hood of my max.
2KxSEx is offline  
Old 08-27-2002, 07:39 PM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
korupter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 302
Originally posted by 2KxSEx
I think it's impossible to get to the knock sensor without taking off the intake manifold on a cali-spec engine because of the swirl valve. I've looked around under the hood of my max.
cali-spec engine, swirly valve?? enlighten me some more.
korupter is offline  
Old 08-27-2002, 08:49 PM
  #19  
Senior Member
 
jerzeeMax's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 146
I could totally see that... any more obstructions in the way and it would really be impossible. There's a plug in front of mine to a wire that I dunno what does, if anyone else with a '98 has the same thing I would like to know what that plug is for. I just unplugged it when I changed the sensor and plugged in back in after. You can barely fit any tools in there as it is, and even when you do, there is no room for movement - hence my prying open wrench method.

And btw that gas guzzling mustang / slow a$$ accord is a good analogy - difference between good/bad KS was like night and day, after I swapped I finally had the joy of feeling my mods with good acceleration. And as you should, I took care of all other codes before even buying a new KS. I can't believe that little thing costs > $100.
jerzeeMax is offline  
Old 08-27-2002, 08:51 PM
  #20  
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (11)
 
SonicDust187's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 3,951
Originally posted by jerzeeMax
I could totally see that... any more obstructions in the way and it would really be impossible. There's a plug in front of mine to a wire that I dunno what does, if anyone else with a '98 has the same thing I would like to know what that plug is for. I just unplugged it when I changed the sensor and plugged in back in after. You can barely fit any tools in there as it is, and even when you do, there is no room for movement - hence my prying open wrench method.
I just changed it with a 14" extention a ratchet and a flex thingy. How do you reset the ecu and how do you know that it is reset? Because everytime I do it the code starts to blink again. What am I doing wrong?
SonicDust187 is offline  
Old 08-27-2002, 09:08 PM
  #21  
Senior Member
 
jerzeeMax's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 146
Originally posted by SonicDust187
I just changed it with a 14" extention a ratchet and a flex thingy. How do you reset the edu and how do you know that it is reset? Because everytime I do it the code starts to blink again. WHat am I doing wrong?
Yeah but only a 1/4" drive with that length, maybe even 3/8" - the only thing I had that long with a flex joint was 1/2" drive, and there's no way in hell a socket of that size would even clear the height of that space.
You have to twist the screw back and forth, and again immediately a second time before the ecu will reset.
jerzeeMax is offline  
Old 08-27-2002, 09:11 PM
  #22  
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (11)
 
SonicDust187's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 3,951
Originally posted by jerzeeMax


Yeah but only a 1/4" drive with that length, maybe even 3/8" - the only thing I had that long with a flex joint was 1/2" drive, and there's no way in hell a socket of that size would even clear the height of that space.
You have to twist the screw back and forth, and again immediately a second time before the ecu will reset.
To reset the ecu I followed the instructions from the 4th gen post. When it starts to bling the code that means that it is reset or what?
SonicDust187 is offline  
Old 08-27-2002, 11:31 PM
  #23  
Senior Member
iTrader: (2)
 
Menasor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: So Cal. (951,909)
Posts: 1,257
Originally posted by korupter


poor gas mileage and sluggish performance. Your car would basically have the same mileage as a mustang gt and the performance of an older accord.
Thank you for explaining this to me Korupter. My 2000 Maxima has been getting bad gas mileage lately and the performance isn't what it used to be. I have the SES light on my car and took to Auto Zone so that they could read the codes. I got two codes. P0158 = Downstream O2 sensor circuit slow response and P0159 DownStream Oxygen sensor high voltage. Now I have no clue what they mean, but the oxygen on bank 2 is the one I need to test out and if it's not messes up I will checkt the knock sensor out. BTW do I need to replace sensor every so many miles like you do with spark plugs, air filters...those sorts of things?
Menasor is offline  
Old 08-28-2002, 12:16 AM
  #24  
Donating Maxima.org Member
 
Rutnick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 268
Re: Knock Sensor Installed (OUCH)

looks like we need to start giving medals out for people that change knock sensors.
Rutnick is offline  
Old 08-28-2002, 06:37 AM
  #25  
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (11)
 
SonicDust187's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 3,951
Re: Re: Knock Sensor Installed (OUCH)

Originally posted by Rutnick
looks like we need to start giving medals out for people that change knock sensors.
I shed blood for my car replacing the knock sensor yesterday. But it wasn't as bad as everyone else that that it would be. Only four some cuts on one finger that you don't even feel
SonicDust187 is offline  
Old 08-28-2002, 07:21 AM
  #26  
Donating Maxima.org Member
Thread Starter
 
dashingMax's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,402
Re: Re: Re: Knock Sensor Installed (OUCH)

Originally posted by SonicDust187
I shed blood for my car replacing the knock sensor yesterday. But it wasn't as bad as everyone else that that it would be. Only four some cuts on one finger that you don't even feel
You must be "ON" something...
I mean 'on' to some new method
dashingMax is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
kjlouis
4th Generation Maxima (1995-1999)
11
11-24-2018 06:09 AM
rbuswell
4th Generation Maxima (1995-1999)
7
11-12-2016 04:11 PM
maxinout93
Infiniti I30/I35
22
10-27-2015 01:29 PM
Slamrod
4th Generation Maxima (1995-1999)
6
09-03-2015 07:38 PM
maxinout93
5th Generation Maxima (2000-2003)
3
08-20-2015 02:17 AM



Quick Reply: Knock Sensor Installed (OUCH)



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:15 PM.