I have a 98 maxima and I am getting a check engine light due to my knock sensor. I tested everything the knock sensor has the correct amount of resistance. Also the wire tested positive for continuity to the ECU. I then found out the wire going to the knock sensor itself has an extra 1.9 volts going to it. It is suppose to be receiving 2-3 volts and it is getting 4.9. Could this be what is causing the code to be present. Also what could be the reason for this? Should I just throw in a a resistor to correct this problem? Thanks

 

Resistor trick is a bit dangerous....u must run premium fuel at all times with a resistor and even then if ur engine "knocks", and u dont pick up on it, the ecu wont retard time to correct said knock....

Many different opinions on the org as to using a resistor for a ks.

Also, iirc, the ks alone wont throw a cel. I have the ks ghost code and no matter what i cant clear it....no cel tho.

 

Exactly
..ghost code...meaning something else is wrong causing it to throw that code...search...theres plenty of writeups and questions...

 

I realize that, its been my quest for a little while now. My point was that the ks alone wont throw a cel. That is all.

 

Op, what other codes do you have? KS alone will NOT illuminate the cel. In the presence of other codes, the KS code is generally false.

 

KS Will absolutely throw a code if it is bad enough...happened to me see my thread http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...-question.html

OP, why not just spend $10 on ebay, buy a new one and spend 30 minutes of your time replacing it?

 

Fixid it for you. I twill generally not set a cell, but has proven possible.

 

never found a KS for $10

 

Replacing the KS is not what I would call easy lol. Im not going to risk doing it again on a $10 sensor. OP, If you do replace it get a decent one but like others have said before, likely something else is causing the CEL. The KS is your ONLY code? Might get a good diagnostic done to make sure. Cheap obdII's wont pick up on that many codes

 

Thanks I should have said "it absolutely CAN throw a code by itself" bad working on my part.

Here's the one I bought and have had.zero problems http://www.ebay.com/itm/NISSAN-KA24D...abf694&vxp=mtr

It's not real hard, just need to use some ingenuity to get it done imo. It was certainly easier than a lot of other things. Lol. Sometimes I think people over think things which makes the whole process 10 times harder than it really is.

 

Ok im wondering if were talking about the same thing....it will definitely throw a code, however threads ive read have said that the p0325 code alone will not illuminate the cel. plz correct me if im wrong.

and as for the job being a pita? i can have it done in less than 15 min with a plain old wrench and my fat *** hands on my 95....with more proper tools it would be even easier.

 

Mine threw a CEL all by itself. (read my thread I linked in the above post) Basically, CEL went on, checked code and ONLY ks code was there, changed ks, reset code/light and it has not come back on. So yeah, we were talking about the same thing. My wording was just not the most accurate. I'll take my .org beating now and yes, it does not take long to change out...if you have small hands you are better off but it still can be done pretty easily without removing the intake manifold.

 

You sir are correct.

 

Apparently this will be a never ending debate...a bad ks DID trigger MY cel so it can happen.

 

I just replaced my KS and sub-harness due to KS codes and I'm still getting the codes. I cleaned the grounding points yesterday and left the battery unhooked overnight so we'll see if that made any difference today.

 

I replaced my Knock Sensor like a 1 month back. I didn't get the CEL. I randomly checked my codes using an OBDII reader. That was a major pain in my right hand. When I replaced it, I ended up removing it and placing the same new sensor back in again. These are the things I referenced...

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/max...sensor-4g.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2ntaxi7bXk

I paid $80 for a new OEM sub-harness and knock sensor. I know it was much but I didn't want to redo that job. I scratched the base of the knock sensor to make sure there wouldn't be a thin-polymer coating of any kind to act as in insulator. Make sure not to torque the sensor down too hard. Another thing I did was removed and cleaned the two grounding contacts on the front of the engine block. I always found it stupid that they used the self-grounding contact on the engine block for the knock sensor.

If it helps, I used the fact that it would cost ~$400 at a shop to get it replaced to push myself through it and get it done.

Good luck.

 

You can reset the cel by turning the screw on the ecu located to the right of the gas pedal. If you want to do it...pull the plastic cover to the right of the gas pedal. Look for the screw on the ecu, insert a flat screw driver and then the screw clockwise until it stops. Wait 2 seconds and turn screw the other way until it stops then repeat that process 1 more time. That will reset it for you. You can Google 99 maxima reset cel and probably come up with this how to as well.

 

Ive tried this, leavin batt terminals off overnight, and resetting w my innova 3140. Code wont clear...just wont. Its not like it clears n comes back immediately, it just doesnt clear......ive replaced/tested ks, subharness, cleaned grounds, cleaned/tested/replaced various other components, only use premium.....no change....theres a few other things im going to try and parts r ordered.....

 

Did you test the resistance of the new knock sensor to make sure it wasn't defective? Did you loosen the knock sensor to see if it was tightened too much against the engine block?

 

Check, check.....also checked continuity of subharness and harness-ecu

 

Something else I did was I took a multimeter and checked the continuity of the grounding of the engine block to the negative terminal on the battery. I noticed while the car was off, there was continuity but when the car was on, in some places there was a resistance. I also placed the knock sensor on a known grounding spot still connected to the sub-harness. This allowed me to see if the code came back once cleared. It did not which told me it was a grounding issue. I recommend you run a wire from the knock sensor to a known ground spot. That's what I was going to do but the problem resolved itself before I attempted. I know my car has some poor grounding because my front driver's side light doesn't come on at first but will after a few tries.

 

Good thought....ill give it a shot even tho i have a grounding kit installed. But u never know lol...thx

 

I'm the one with a diffrent opinion. A resistor is the easiest way to diagnose a bad ks besides the cel(which will only tell you so much). the ignition maps on the a32 ecu are pretty conservitive as it is. And you should be running 91 92 anyways....

 

A resistor addition is easy but not correct. I believe that if the ECU needs more information to do a better job at providing you better fuel efficiency, you should give it that information. I use 93 Octane in my car all the time and I replaced my knock sensor properly. I also recently replaced my fuel filter. My car giving me more for my money with every change...

 

Just reporting: I replaced the KS on my '95 Maxima ( I have the bloody knuckles and hematomas on the back of my hand to prove it) and ---driveability has vastly improved. Don't know why but I've been living with surging and poor power at low rpm's for a year and the problem appears to be gone.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...-tutorial.html

10-15 minute job.

 

its not always that. on my 97 with my big *** hands, there was no ****in way i was going to get it done the "quick" way that is described on here. even my friend who was with me and isnt as tall as me, couldnt get his hand anywhere near the knock sensor, especially with any type of tool in our hands. so ive always done it the long way.

 

Ugg, you take everything apart? That sucks...at first i could not get my hand in there either so I took one of those extension magnet things, put the bolt on the end of it with the KS close to where it mounts. Then used some finesse to get a couple threads started by using the magnet to turn the bolt. It worked for me...for a minute, i thought I was going to have to remove the UIM to get it back in after I removed the old KS.

I wasn't trying to say EVERYONE can get their hand in there, and that certainly may be the case with some people. But i think like a lot of other things having to do with working on your car, people tend to overthink things which makes the job harder. It's like doing brakes on these and a lot of other cars, it's a fairly simple job, but people overthink it "because it's brakes" when in fact it's only 8 bolts to change your front or rear pads and rotors.

 

i dunno about getting it in, but getting the old one out is the problem for me. my arm is really long and theres just no way for me to bend it right to get my hand in there. even with all the R+Is. idc, i like doing simple engine work.

 

It's almost therapeutic to me

 

definitely. especially because my job is so hectic. when i can chill at home, drink a case, and pop a bolt off one by one while bull****tin with my friends. it doesnt get any better.