TX-Miner

After discovering that my sensor harness was chewed (for the second time), I decided to replace it trying the approach of removing the p/s pump. Long story short, the sensor broke when I was trying to remove what was left of the connector. Not totally unexpected, but disappointing.

The he first time I changed the harness I did remove the top intake, etc, and whilst it isn't hard, it is a bit time consuming. I have seen you tube videos of folks mounting a knock sensor in a place more easily reached and am wondering if anybody has suggestions for our car.

It wouldn't be ideal, but would be better than nothing, which is where I've been for the last 5+ years.

CurrentDraw

Install the harness and leave the knock sensor in the original location.
We use a rodent tape from Acura/Honda to solve this problem. You can pick it up from your local dealer and wrap the harness with the tape a few times to avoid future damage.

TX-Miner

That is not the preferred option, unless your shop is offering free labor / babysitting to replace the Knock sensor in the factory location.

thoiboi

Why wouldn't doing it the factory way be the preferred option? Like CurrentDraw suggested, Rodent resistant tape should help you out.

TX-Miner

It is a matter of time. Pulling the manifold is just more time than I have right now.

Skirmich

Why would anyone go against the OEM Location for the Knock Sensor?
Use the Rodent Tape and call it a day, Your mistake was not doing it right the first time... Now its your chance!

That is my 2c...

fsttyms1

Leave the knock sensor in its current location and wrap the wires with rodent tape. It will take less time and you wont have to worry about it working properly!

thoiboi

Has anyone suggested wrapping wire with rodent tape yet?

TX-Miner

Fellas,

I'd love nothing more than spending the better part of the day replacing the knock sensor in it's designed location. I am, unfortunately not in that position right now, and won't be for a few more months. I'm looking for suggestions / experience thinking out of the box for repairs.

At the risk of starting a "Holy War," the check engine light has been on due to the knock sensor since Apr of 2012. In the grand scheme, I've been driving this way for over 100,000 miles, and my car drives just fine, delivers me ~27 mpg, and had done this all on regular gas. Whilst not ideal, an alternate location that takes me only an hour or so would be better than the current situation, which again has been running just fine for many years.

As I quipped to Current Draw, if someone wants to offer free babysitting for a day, I'd be happy to replace the knock sensor in the factory location

CurrentDraw

Of course it is running fine, lack of knock sensor input signal sends the ignition/fuel maps into fail safe mode. Timing is pulled back which reduces combustion peak pressures to a minimum as to prevent any chance of detonation from happening. The plug is fired so late on the compression cycle that you can probably run kerosene in that thing and it will run just fine. In reality the combustion is running inefficient to decrease any stress on the engine so it doesn't self destruct.

Carburetors used to run just "fine" for a century until they discovered how inefficient they ran in comparison to a set of fuel injectors driven by a computer.

I have seen out of the box guys installing the knock sensor on the side of the cylinder head and even on the transmission housing and the thing was pinging like no tomorrow and eventually cracked a ringland or two. To them it ran great because it had no check engine light. At these locations the knock sensor could never pick up any usable frequency at which detonation is measured so as far the PCM was concerned the engine ran "great"
The reality is the manufacturers spend hundreds of hours of r&d to find the best location for the knock sensor to function at optimum level and you want to change the location because you have no time to take off the intake plenum. Might as well just let it be so the engine runs in fail safe all the time.

TX-Miner

Thanks, I understand all your comment and appreciate the info.
ll be sure to let everyone know what I do and how it works.

SuperGreg

I wouldn't move the knock sensor unless you have an engineering background and knowledge of the forces the sensor is measuring, how they propagate through the engine, and the threshold the computer is programmed to look for. But you can do what you want with your car

TX-Miner

f=ma

thoiboi

boom! you're educated! go right on ahead and excited to see where you end up putting it!

SuperGreg

Carry on