I am wondering if there is a more descriptive removal procedure for the knock sensor besides the one in the sticky's?

 

theres not much to it if you know where the knock sensor is then it just a matter of getting the bolt loose try using a setup like a 12mm 1/4" swivel socket hooked up to like a 14-18" extension that worked for me and if the bolt seems stuck try spraying some pb blaster or something on it this is assuming you have a fed spec maxima good luck

 

i c...did you or anybody have to remove the egr? i think thats what its called.

 

no, dont remove the EGR. just follow what Benzmcs said to do. also a retractable magnet will help.

 

well i have a cali spec one...so the knock sensor is a little harder to get to. should i use the same method

 

im getting a knock sensor fault code thrown. checked it out, apparently a rat made a nest, and 'inadvertantly' chewed through the harness. Where and how much did you get your senor for? I have a '96 GLE, and discount says about 130

 

A RAT? WTF now I've heard it all! that sucks though...

 

man its one of the easiest jobs it takes me less then 5 minutes to replace

 

thats a little different.

 

Easy to get off but a pain to put back in. Lucky I have small hands and was able to reach deep inside and hand screw the bolt for the knock sensor then finished it off with the socket.

When people say it feels like razorblades in there it's no joke. Take your time and try not to move too much while you're in there.

 

Got to change one this weekend...should like stated not take more than 5-15min...depending on the size of your hand.

 

cali/fed dont matter. what year are you? if your a 99 then yeah there is a little difficulty.

 

Is there such a thing as a typical life expectancy of a knock sensor?

When do they normally require replacement?

80k

100k

120

140

160

180

200

 

i just replaced mine at 80k. its real easy to get to if you pull back the mud shield on your passenger tire. its held in by two bolts. my price was also about 120 their damn expensive. sometimes going 2 autozone or like a napa can get u a better price than online...

 

sorry i forgot... you might want to check that it needs replacing before you do so. when you pull it out it may be dirty so just wipe it off then put it back in and check it out

 

assuming his car is a 99.

 

A 99 is not that bad if you:

1. Have patience
2. Have the right tools
3. Know how to remove the swirl valve and a few vac lines that ordinarily are not there.
4. Have small hands

I regret saying that it took me and another orger 4 hours to do it on my cali spec

 

Can get it for under $55 including shipping on Ebay. Can't beat it!

 

I have a 99 Calif-spec. I purchased the knock sensor via ebay. Aspired to do it myself, but gave up when I found that the sensor was very hard to access with lots of tubes, etc. in the way. It was like a jungle.

I paid my mechanice $50 or so to put in the part I provided.

 

this might be a noob question but is there any possible way to test/check the sensors on say a car you're looking to buy?

 

Not without removing it....

 

just check to see if the cel is on or if there are any codes being thrown
read the stickies if you dont know how to do that

 

It's a great feeling to finally wrestle that little gizmo out of the Valley of Manifold and put the new one in and solve the KS CEL problem.

 

i have had a new ks and wire harness for 2 months. too scared to attempt it. CA spec pwns me

 

KS will not trip the SES light....you have other codes....

A 98 CA spec is the same as a 98 Fed spec, as far as getting to the KS. Only 99 CA specs are different and have swirl valves and other unnecessary stuff that restricts you.

 

I got one on eBay for $60 including shipping...OEM Nissan too, not some aftermarket or ripoff crap.

I haven't put mine in yet though...do you know if it's possible to reach it via the splashguard on a 97 fed spec? I don't know what's different about the 99. I'm 99.9% sure they're the same.

 

1 thing I suggest, make sure when you are changing your KS, that the engine has cooled down..

I myself changed the KS as well, quite easy, but easier if the Intake manifold was cold instead of hot.. lol

 

Bought my KS (OEM) off an Orger for $60. Classifieds, mang!
My ride has never had a CEL but when I bought my car, acceleration seemed to stumble anywhere after 3k rpm. Decided to check for codes just to see and sure enough, it was throwing a 0304 KS code. Btw, my car had 115k miles when I noticed the issue...been driving like that for 3k miles. lol. Finally gonna fix it next Sunday. I hope acceleration is smoooooth. I still have yet to experience that.

 

slicked up my hand and forearm with bees wax and 'calved' the engine's puzzy!

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....light=bees+wax

 

Ebay, $58.00 shipped. OEM replacment from Japan. I bought two...

 

I hope you have small hands too...I tried to change mine over the weekend with a friend and both our hands were too big.. unless I take off the intake manifold off, which would be a huge pain in the ***.

I'm waiting on some friends with smaller hands..

 

thats some funny stuff

 

Not funny at all... having big hands sucks. I spent the last two hours leaving blood (literally, there were blood spots) and parts of my skin under the manifold... and not being able to get the sensor off. It seems that who ever replaced it last overtightened it

thats what my hand looked like after i stuck my hand in there for the first time.

 

I used this:

http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/507

 

Ditto the e-bay route. I just got my KS & put it in. I guess mine's easier than a 99 but it was still tough. No big diff n the butt dyno but I'm gonna throw on new o2 sensors soon & clean out the throttle body soon too. We'll see.

 

Hey all...It won't let me post a new thread, but my problem relates to the author of this post. My " Service Engine soon" light came on and my mech told me that it was a knock sensor failure. Does this need to be replaced right away? What are the cons of keeping the bad knock sensor and still driving around?

 

this forum has made a monster out of the KS changing. i have attempted every maintaince item myself with no fear except the KS. to tell you the truth, it took me a whopping 15 minutes to swap the KS and the harness. BY far it has been the easiest maintaince item EVER. the right tools makes this job a piece of cake. you dont even need to use your hands.

this is what i used.

get a craftsman 3/8" rachet, a crafstman 3/8" extension (the longer the better), and a 12mm flex socket like this

without a flex socket, its impossible to remove the KS, with it, it takes 30 seconds to loosen the bolt. once you loosen it, use a long magnetic telescopic pointer to grab the bolt and take the whole thing out of the block. use the magnet again to guide the KS over the hole and bolt it back up. takes 5-15 minutes tops, including new harness

 

Wow...I think I love you... All the basic tools listed. Its all common sense haha. Thanks again.

 

But does anybody still know if its risky to drive with a worn out knock sensor?

 

Be advised...some flex sockets don't work at the acute angle you'll need to use it in... I bought an Ace brand flex socket from Ace Hardware and can't use it to remove the knock sensor. Flex sockets only work for a certain range of degrees, and the intake manifold is in the way... I guess you really have to find the right tools from the right manufacturer for this one.

Any suggestions on trying to get a better angle? I really don't see any way..