Why you should change your knock sensors
 

I attached 2 pics (one for each sensor)

After replacing the sensors and cleaning the throttlebody with Mercury Powertune my car idles smoother, a little higher (800rpm) and doesn't try to stall when I push in the clutch while decelerating.

One of the sensors was modified for dramatic effect :D

Explain what's wrong with them for us non-mechanical people. :o

Sounds like this should be one of my summer projects. :-)

Well the housings are both cracked and I figure they were reporting false knock symptoms and unnecessarily retarding the timing.

Changing is not exactly easy without removing the intake but it is possible and it really helps to have 2 people especially when changing the driver's side sensor.

Without removing the intake expect to take about an hour to change both sensors. This includes removing/replacing the alternator.

Knock, Knock

:D :D :rolleyes:

Who's there?

detonation! :eek:

Detonation who? :rolleyes:

Detonation go boom!!!!!!!! :eek: ;) :confused:

I suppose I should try again. I tried to no avail once before, but the only thing that was accomplished were bloody knuckles.

Did you remove the AC compressor to do the job? How did you get your hands in there to route the wire on the drivers side? I was able to remove the drivers side sensor, but couldn't get my hands in the right place to disconnect the old and connect the new.

Anyone want to help next weekend? ;)

If you drive up to CL, i'll help you out.. haha yeah i'm working on the eclipse, and going to try to change my spark plugs this weekend... We'll see how well that goes.

Might take you up on that Greg. It would be next weekend though, not this one.

Both of my sensors were cracked just like the two in the pics.

It's pretty tough to get the wire for the driver's side sensor back to the connector. I had to get on the passenger's side, reach in at an odd angle, and do everything blind. One advantage of being 6'5" is that it's almost easier to reach to the DS from the PS than it is from the DS just because I can stretch out over the engine a bit more and relieve low back stress.

Anyway, to get the DS sensor installed I put the bolt through the center of the sensor while I still had it out.
I then, more or less, jammed my right hand w/sensor back under the intake while using my fingertips to route the connector to just about the right spot at the back of the manifold.
I then moved to the back of the intake manifold to pull the connector from the new sensor through to the connector from the wiring harness (done blind, again...just have to feel for the connector) and get it hooked up.
Once that was done, I went under the intake with a ratcheting 12mm wrench(PRICELESS for this work!!) and put the ratcheting end over the still loose hex head.
I used the wrench to "grab" the bolt and sensor and twist and turn them until they were properly aligned with the hole.
Then I had to stuff enough of my left hand in under the manifold to hold the sensor in place while the right hand slowly (1 or 2 clicks at a time) ratcheted the bolt (simultaneously crushing the bones in my left hand).
Once the bolt got started, I took out the (crushed and mangled :))left hand and just continued to ratchet until almost tight.
Then I aligned the sensor in the same position as the original and tightened.

It's definitely not a quick job if you have big hands. Collin, if I remember, you have some BIG hands. Best of luck to ya! Just be patient when trying to use the bolt head to position the assembly. If the bolt comes out of the center of the sensor then you have to take the sensor out and start over, or you have to get the bolt back through the sesor in those confined spaces (I had to do this 2 or 3 times).

Hope I've helped. If you have questions, gimme a call.

Mat

Thanks for the advice Mat. If I can't get it again next weekend, you might be getting a phone call....

My fat bear paws are definitely not the best for tight places. Worst comes to worst, I will be in the market for some intake manifold gaskets.

We did not remove the A/C compresser when we changed the sensors. As for routing the wire for the driver side sensor we wrapped it with haywire and it was easy. The hardest part would have been lining up the bolt on that same sensor.

We did use a ratcheting wrench as well. The longer the wrench the better. In fact we taped another wrench to that wrench to give us the extra length we needed.