[rufus]

After reading a few nightmarish descriptions of the knock sensor replacement procedure, I approached this job with some reluctance last night. Most people seem to think the front sensor is very easy to replace, and the rear one requires hours of patience and the fingers of a surgeon. This is not really the case.

Remove the belt cover, the alt/ps belt, and the a/c belt. Remove the alternator from the car. Now here's the trick: remove the engine lift bracket with the compressor still attached and move it off to the side. Do not disconnect the hoses. There is enough flex in the system to move the whole assembly well out of the way. I was able to carefully wedge it against one of the radiator supports, but a bungee set-up would probably be safer. If you pulled the battery, the whole thing would probably rest right in that spot nicely.

Now you have lots of room to work, and the "rear" knock sensor actually becomes the easiest one to do. Finding the connector is still a little tricky, but you can put your whole hand in and grab the wire to wiggle it around while watching from the outside.

The whole job took me about an hour and a half, much of which was spent cleaning a mouse nest out from under my intake manifold.

I hope this helps someone out in the future. My car runs smoother now than I ever remember, so I think the knock sensor must have been failing long before it ever starting throwing a code.