How To Remove The Knock Sensor....

[blackshine007 24]

I know quite a few of ya'll hate doing the knock sensor because of the amount of time involved with doing it. I know I do. So this is what I came up with. You can actually remove the knock sensor without taking off the manifold. And you can actually have it done within an hour. This is all that you're gonna need for the job:

*17mm socket or wrench

*14mm socket

*12mm socket

*10 mm socket

*8mm allen socket

*a 3 inch and 6 inch extension

*an appropriate rachet(s)

*15/16 deep well socket

*A decent set of pliers

*Access to a band saw or a ziz wheel

*Safety glasses

*Coolant

*RTV

*An extra set of O-rings

The first thing to do is to drain the coolant system. Remove the air cleaner to get access to the back of the motor. Disconnect the knock and TPS sensors, the injector connectors and unplug the vaccum line to the fuel pressure regulator then with the 10mm, unbolt it. If you don't have girl hands like me, then you might wanna consider taking out the injectors There's gonna be 4 8mm allen bolts that you're gonna have to undue. You're gonna want to break out the 6 inch extension with that. When you remove those bolts, be aware of the 4 spacers below. Wiggle the injectors out to the right. Keep an eye out for those spacers when pulling them. If your hands are considerably small like mine, leave them in there.

Now for the fun part. There's 3 bolts (all 12mm) and 3 hoses (2 heater core and one throttle body coolant) that will need to be disconnected along with the lower radiator hose to thermostat housing pipe. Before removing those, on the atx models you must unclip the gear selector cable plus that harness next to it and set it off to the side. For all the rest, the first bolt holds the housing pipe. It sits just to the right of the distributor. After removing that bolt, pry the pipe out. The other 2 bolts are under the coolant pipe assembly. Now you can pry the assembly out. Here's where the bolts are with it sitting out of the vehicle:

If you're with me so far, with a better camera, you should being seeing this:

On some '92-'94 models, there's a cover and a plug in the center of the valley. You have to pull the plug up with a flathead screw driver. The rest don't have the cover so you take your 15/16 socket and before you try to put it on the knock sensor, you have to cut a slit in the side of the socket to clear the wire for it like so

Now that the slit is made onto the socket, you are now ready to remove the knock sensor. When you are ready to go back with it, now would be a good time to change out the rubber o rings. Your local parts store should have them. Installation is reverse of removal. Be sure to lube up the o rings before reinstalling it. The RTV glue is gonna come particularly in handy to keep the spacers for the injector harness from popping out while installing the injectors. This would be a good time now to add some RTV and put the spacers in now. If I left out anything, please feel free to comment on it. It is 3am in the morning and I'm slightly disoriented. Enjoy!

[NickR 49]

Well done blackshine! I thought it couldn't be done.

By the way, I have read that the reason they discontinued the cover on the knock sensor on later models is that the cover allowed resonance which created a false knock signal. So it is probably a good idea to not to replace that cover.

[blackshine007 24]

If you can get that cover off, go ahead. The only way that thing is coming out of there is if you take a pry bar and bend the plate. The head keeps it wedged in there. It will move a few mm's upward and sideways. The only way you can take that out without bending it would be to take out the other side of the coolant pipe, which requires taking off the timing belt, pullies and the plate. In other words, it's not very fun to get at.