2002 Nissan Xterra Knock Sensor relocation WITHOUT cutting wires!

[@charlesclark6513]

You sir just saved me from not using my car this winter

[@Fjern32]

Worked great! Mine did not break off like his did but used a tiny screwdriver to snap the fitting on the top. You can see it with a well placed flashlight. Thanks👍

[@terrenceschuchard8223]

Thanks for the video! I was able to use the factory harness, and the check engine light has not returned (yet).

[@johnnydhillon70]

Thank you for your great help! I'm going to be doing this on a 2003 Xterra as soon as it comes in, had to do crankshaft sensor last week and messed up the wires for knock sensor unfortunately

[@A86140]

My hands were way too meaty to be able to do this and my frustration I gave it a big tug then, snapped clean off! I guess I'm lucky I got an Arizona X and the connector was brittle enough to do it, but all I had to do was pop off what was left off the old knock sensor, plug in my new one, then bolt it down! No code!

[@WoodrowfolloweroftheMessiah]

I like this method better! I will give it a try. Thanks! 👍🏻🙏🏻😀

[@drivefastandtakechances1112]

Captains log. 40 minutes in, my hand has undergone some serious conditioning and I’m just barely starting to feel the tippy tip of the knock sensor wiring connector. So close! Taking a lil break now. PSA- that coolant pipe you use as your landmark is friggin hot, my engines been off for two hours and it’s still burnin my hand

[@drivefastandtakechances1112]

…aight I’m done for the night, think I’ll go back at it next week with a mirror and something to press on the connector

[@SeismicSales]

@@drivefastandtakechances1112 Any luck? updates?

[@drivefastandtakechances1112]

@@SeismicSales 😂 After my hand and arm got cut up from hours of trying to get the stupid clip off I decided to just cut the wires and re wire it. Good luck! My forearm was to big, maybe you’ll have better luck🤷‍♂️

[@diycast6914]

Yes, i believe the knock sensor is in the same location on the SC model

[@allenskis]

@@diycast6914 this is probably an even riskier fix on the SC because boost increases the chance of detonation. I probably wouldn't risk it on the SC, but if you do you definitely don't want to mess up at the gas station and accidentally put the low octane stuff in there.

[@anthonysnyder4154]

How did you get you hand back there to unplug??????

[@ronniereed8153]

Thanks man I'll try this as soon as it warms up a bit 😎👊Great video brother

[@allenskis]

FYI to other viewers, this video seems to show the cylinder bank 1 knock sensor. (mine is bad, throwing code P0325) There is also a sensor for bank 2... So use caution and don't remove the wrong one. There are slightly different codes for bank 2. Bank one should be the side of the engine with cylinder 1 - the distributor will probably have labels but they might be hard to read. Thanks for the video... I wouldn't have necessarily tried this if I was forced to cut wires... But it turns out my wire had a previous repair that may have been at fault - lots of electrical tape and some corrosion. I wasn't able to remove the connector like in this video, but since my wire was already damaged i just broke the wire... Going to need to soldier on a new pigtail but i think it will work... I had to order that online so it will be a few days. Im guessing the outer part of the coax cable is - and the inside is + but i guess i will know soon enough. Update: It worked. No more code after doing this fix. I stacked a few copper washers I had laying around under the sensor so that I could mount it on top of the throttle cable bracket without it colliding with the bracket. It's been 500 miles at this point so I don't expect that the code will come back. I don't know if you need to disconnect the battery to clear the code or not, because I apparently had a 2nd unrelated issue that was making my service engine soon light come on.

[@solospoon7795]

Is this video showing the circuit high input bank one? Just clarifying

[@solospoon7795]

Cause I got a po328 code for mine

[@allenskis]

@@solospoon7795 IDK about the fix for your specific code, but the video definitely shows cylinder bank 1, as my code was for bank 1 and the code hasn't come back after doing the fix, clearing it, and driving 500 miles. I could also just barely read the 1 on the distributor and the wire from that was going to this side of the engine. As for the 'circuit high input' code you are seeing, I am not sure what the fix is. I don't know if that could come from a bad knock sensor or if that means that something else is wrong.

[@raiderman28]

I was able to disconnect mine from underneath the vehicle. You do have to have long arms. But mines fell apart, so i ended up putting connectors on the ends.

[@khonman1]

I looked underneath the vehicle but I can't get my hand through the gap. Would you mind explaining how you did it?

[@raiderman28]

I have very long arm. Its above the transmission housing under lower plenum. I got my arm up there and barely was able to get my hand in there and it almost got stuck. The plug basically fell apart when i tugged on it.

[@khonman1]

@@raiderman28 lucky for you. I can't reach it from the bottom. I can barely reached the back end of the clip from the top with my left hand. After many hours of no success, I decide to create a tool to assist me. I posted a video below to help others kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmKlpIieabygq6M

[@unti419]

I'm going to try it this weekend if the parts arrive, seems simple enough. My 3.3 Nissan is stalling at stop signs and this is the only codes I am getting. Anyone know what the symptoms are for a bad knock sensor? I had the same codes an a 350 Chevy that kept going into reduced power. Change the sensor and it didn't fix it.

[@henryizzard4581]

I've got the exact same thing, runs perfect on gas though. (Dual fuel). Did you try this out?

[@zachphillips7898]

Do you have the link for the original video you mentioned

[@edwardbray534]

Great question!

[@DenNEE]

I was able to reach down from behind the engine with my long fingers and was able to disconnect it with no damage. Relocated it and done. 10 minutes. Lucky me.

[@NoticieroF]

tell me something, do they tell you well after putting the sensor in another place?

[@NoticieroF]

What did you remove to do it?

[@NoticieroF]

I changed it by disassembling everything but the problem always comes out ☹️

[@DenNEE]

@@NoticieroF The plug portion of the knock sensor. You have to have long nimble fingers.

[@monsehuertero8466]

It's was really helpful thank you so much

[@chadw6448]

I can easily do the splice like everybody else but now I'm trying to unplug it like you did and I honestly can't even touch it with my finger I saw it with my probe camera..... You got to be a ninja cuz I can't even get to the end of the wire to even touch the connector.... I'm going to try one more time to see if I can get in there I'd rather just unplug. But I got to be honest I might wind up having to cut my wires.

[@diycast6914]

Yea it is a tight squeeze and you will cut up your hand a bit..I was barely able to touch the end of the connector, but if u can do just that, then hopefully you can apply enough pressure to break off the connector like I did. If you can't, then try finding a pair of smaller hands 🤷‍♂️

[@jskyg68]

Just do a nice job splicing, it's not the end of the world. lol A little solder and heat shrink goes a long way.

[@joelopez633]

Thanks for the video going to try it before I take the car apart 👍👍

[@cowardlycoyote2864]

What are the results after replacing/relocating the knock sensor? Also I know you Bought an aftermarket knock sensor but was it stated to be for the 3.3? Some have used a knock sensor for a 4 cylinder maxima. If yours worked could you add a link for it in your description?

[@diycast6914]

It cleared my Check Engine Knock Sensor code. And yes it stated the the knock sensor fits the 3.3L VG33E engine. Here is the link for the one I got: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00P1DFWJK?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

[@raiderman28]

Can’t remember where i bought mines, but i did relocate it and it worked great. Check engine light never came back on. i did use one off of a Maxima as per a video i saw how to relocate the knock sensor.

[@Debosway77]

How does relocating the sensor pick up any knock if it’s not in the motor and is now sitting on top of the intake manifold?

[@diycast6914]

This is by far the quickest and most common location for relocating the knock sensor on the VG33E motor. It may not be ideal enough for detecting mild knocking but it will still detect severe knocking. It is also ideal enough to clear a knock sensor code which will set on your Check Engine light and prevent your car from passing smog. The other option is to pay a mechanic $500-$2,000 to replace the knock sensor in the original location which like I said is a very expensive time-consuming repair.

[@jskyg68]

@@TheBeardofReason I'd just listen for a ping (on an old vehicle anyways ) and retard the timing a couple degrees if I heard anything. Thankfully these still had adjustable timing.

[@jarrlan]

@@jskyg68 how would you retard the timing manually if ticking is detected??

[@jskyg68]

@@jarrlan loosen the distributor lock down bolt and rotate the distributor clockwise/counter clockwise slightly. I believe it's counter clockwise on the Nissan engine. (I could be wrong, check to make sure)

[@jeej333]

Damn man no way possible with my ape hands.

[@ronaldreagan388]

I went legit... my dad and I replaced it on its original spot, only thing that cost me was the knock sensor, fuel injector gaskets and the manifold gaskets

[@aaronwism]

It only took 6 hours also! 😂

[@raiderman28]

i wanted to replace my legit, but i was afraid that a bolt would break, or a screw would strip. but i think i might be going back to do it the right way, since i have to replace an injector, and might end up replacing all of them, plus the valve cover gaskets. i would be almost there to replace the knock sensor. time is my only issue at this point.

[@ronaldreagan388]

@@raiderman28 yeah, the bolts that hold the manifold are the ones to be careful for, if you can't go to a junkyard and get you extra bolts and you get to see how they feel when taking them off. For the injectors make sure you don't loose the washers and spacers where the bolts are at.

[@NelsonTODDcom]

Will the check engine light turn off when you replace the knock sensor or do you have to hook up it to a diagnostic box? thanks

[@jarrlan]

If anything when you do replace it and the engine light doesn't go away.. there could be other problems. But if not you can just clear the code yourself or a shop can. And in theory if you did it righ, the light will never come back

[@diycast6914]

Luckily, my check engine might automatically turned off, but in some cases you may have to clear it with a scan tool or if you don't have one, you can disconnect the battery, put the key in the on position and press the horn a few times which will discharge any reserve eléctricity/memory stored in the ECU

[@ruiz212]

So the old sensor is left in its old location no need to remove it at all? Thanks

[@diycast6914]

Yup! No need to remove old sensor because it's now disconnected and non-functional.

[@christophersherlock8663]

FYI - this got rid of my code but smog shop said it’s an automatic fail with this knock sensor relocation. It’s considered an emissions system alteration. ☹️

[@diycast6914]

You must have gone to a very strict smog station and/or a place where they wanna sell you a repair job to undoing the knock sensor relocation. Most people get away with it because most shops don't consider this a direct modification which will increase harmful emissions. If you continue driving a car with an engine that's knocking bad enough to fail emissions, then no need to worry about it polluting the Earth cause it will die very soon.

[@angelr7216]

Are you located in cali ?

[@jarrlan]

I agree with the creator. This has to be just a strict state or shop. Most shops find ways to take your money anyways I would get another opinion on that!

[@chadw6448]

Did you use the actual knock sensor for the Xterra for your replacement or did you have to buy a different type of knock sensor

[@diycast6914]

I bought an aftermarket knock sensor compatible with the Xterra. If you buy the OEM knock sensor from the the dealer it will cost a whopping $280

[@Godisablebraketechnicianasecer]

Great joy

[@UNIVERSODACRIANÇA]

Has the feel sensor been placed below the collector for the print, putting on top of something change? or it works in the same way in the advance of the stitch.

[@ricdonato4328]

When capturing video always hold the camera horizontal. Every TV screen, monitor screen, computer screen, movie theater screen, are orientated horizontally. Your video the camera is vertical, thus the left one-third, and right one-third of the screen is cut off. Your video is a stick video, tall and narrow thus appears. Watching It is similar to looking through a tight keyhole or wearing horse blinders.

[@diycast6914]

Thanks for this advice🙏 I'm very new to all this

[@jaxsully1]

Why cant you just cut the wire to the sensor, and use a new sub harness to the new location?

[@diycast6914]

This is simply an alternate method to save time/effort and leave the original wire harness/connector intact if you don't wanna deal cutting/splicing/crimping

[@glebb215]

Does this work for the SC vehicle??

[@nicksalter2200]

Have you tried it yet ?

[@jarrlan]

@@nicksalter2200 its a fair question to ask before possibly destroying your vehicle

[@alecb8509]

Doing this "repair" is the same as pulling your check engine light bulb. If fixes the symptom but doesn't fix the problem.

[@diycast6914]

The only time I WOULDN'T recommend this is if you vehicle has a knocking problem...then the new relocation of the knock sensor won't be ideal. As for pulling the bulb 💡 for your check engine light, that is different cause most smog places will detect that and fail you. This relocation however will enable you to pass smog.

[@ayodelesunday4264]

Where does this knock sensor located in the xterra Nissan 2002

[@tietie1424]

Seriously. Watch the video. Pay attention

[@mr.skeptical3071]

I was told by a mechanic that there is a sub wire, so It must change that as well.!!!!

[@diycast6914]

What do you mean "sub wire"? My knock sensor code never came back on after this repair and I didn't have to change any wire....

[@mr.skeptical3071]

That's what he said

[@S7oryO4Life]

@@mr.skeptical3071 sounds like fraud

[@S7oryO4Life]

@@mr.skeptical3071 There is no such thing as a sub wire. However a mechanic should always only offer to replace this correctly. So stay off the DIY forums bub