Are you one of the few that are afraid of scratching and cutting up your hands when you change that little bugger called the knock sensor? Or you just can't loosen that damn bolt?

I have found a solution. I couldn't loosen up the KS bolt, so i went to my uncle's shop to use his tools. Me and him could not unscrew that ish off. So, here's what we did:

We unplugged the wires out of the old sensor, and left that ***** screwed in. We put a bracket type thing that holds the sensor screwed in and mounted the bracket somewhere (anywhere would be fine really)and plugged the wires onto the new sensor. And yea, i could feel the difference. I could keep up with my friend's Mustang GT.

 

So basically you changed the location of the sensor. I hope your still on the engine block, and somewhere close to the original location, otherwise that sensor isn't going to be able to detect ping/knock. It's tuned to a certain frequency and I'm quite sure Nissan did a lot of research when developing that engine block and that sensors location to accurately detect that specific frequency.

Even more so, making a bracket of a different metal type will also greatly impact the transmission of sound frequencys transmitted to it.

You've probably caused that sensor to report a perfect running motor at all times. Chances are it cannot detect detonation anymore. You may do more harm to your engine then good.

 

Yeah, what he said. The original location is right on the engine block, and as designed it is able to easily transmit high frequency vibrations from engine knock directly to the knock sensor without much attenuation. If you made a bracket for the knock sensor, then the bracket is almost certainly a much more compliant structure and it will filter out high frequency vibrations that the knock sensor is designed to detect.

 

heh, you coulda saved a chunk of cash by buying a resistor to wire up as a dummy-KS instead of a new sensor, because that's probably the effectiveness of your KS right now.

After reading on the Spec-V forums about a lot of people re-locating their KS, and them getting minimal negative feedback (as far as people saying "Don't do this!"), I thought it sounded like an OK solution to try if you thought your KS was a little too sensitive for whatever reason.

However, since I learned that the KS is really 'feeling' and not 'listening' (thanks to tom and others), I can see the problems with this echoed above, and that the right way to de-sensitize is in-line resistors, which I'd like to try just for giggles sometime. Anyways, I suggest giving the original replacement another go when you have some time.

 

really.. i never really thought it would matter that much. We bracketed it next to the coolant house and the transmission fluid stick, and i thought that was alright since it was still connected to the bloc. Ah damnit, now i gotta buy a 1/4" drive extension and a flexi socket, godamn i hate my car, should have gotten a Z28.

 

Some guy in japan spent a long time figuring out where the Knock Sensor should go, not so you could rig some bootleg home depot bracket and zip tie a knock sensor to it.
Do yourself a favor and put it where it belongs. Go to Sears and buy a pivoting tool that you can attach to a ratchet and it will make the job a lot easier.

Kept up with a Moose-tang 5.slow ...bahahahahahaha
Your car must be fixed now.

Ant