Absolutely. I wish he had shown a bit more detail on taking the burger off. I'm in process now and she's not going very well as I would have hoped for. Dam sure miss the older Vehicles when you had the room to get to everything..Geezers this piece of S@#t....
i did my timing belt and water pump and crankshaft seals on my 2000 Nissan frontier ( which is the same as this pretty much), and that was a shit load of work. this looks like a nightmare. i relocated my knock sensor on top, and one smog shop ( in california) didn't want to let it pass the visual inspection. a friend who is a mechanic, said that was BS, so he had me take it to his smog guy and he said it was fine, as long as your not throwing any codes. I was tempted to fix it like your doing, and replace the valve cover gaskets at the same time. i didn't realize you had to replace those other gaskets down there as well. Its alot of freaking work. good job.
This vid is one of the best I've seen on this knock sensor. Not because of the "how to" information - there are several available, It's your personal tips, tricks, and methods you employed during the process of the entire procedure that sets your video apart from the rest. These methods can take decades to accumulate in one's brain, and are learned thru "trial and error". I'm sure this video has helped quite a few people pull this off and resulted in the engine running without leaks and codes. Your camera work and the way you speak and deliver the content is to be commended. Keep up the good work, because you have a new subscriber. I was trained in the use of Permatex, and use it to this day, even with applications that "do not need" a swalant. Never had anything leak using Permatex, but is messy to use if u rush. I also get a plastic toothpick and use a little dielectric grease on electrical connections when assembling, since I'm in Louisiana and frequently have 100% humidity.
I genuinely appreciate the feedback. Good info about the dialelectric grease, I have used it in the past but not a whole lot due to living in such a dry climate. Good tip! Thank you!
@@agent6t8 It would be unnecessary to use the dielectric grease in California, with the weather patterns tending to be dry with low humidity. I've been to California twice, and can't wait to visit again (when all of this COVID 19 illness settles down). The dry coolish temperatures are a welcome change to someone like me, who must deal with "higher than normal" moisture in the Louisiana air, thanks to the Gulf of Mexico. And the way this moisture can invade and rot away machinery, tools, and wiring cannot be underestimated enough. Humidity has caused my non-plated hand tools (esp. pullers, suspension tools, pry bars-anything with paint missing made of iron or steel) to form surface rust while in the toolchest, and the only way to prevent this is to coat them with oil OR to bring the cabinets indoors where there is A/C. Anytime the ambient temp. falls below the dewpoint, the condensation rate on coolish metal surfaces intensifies and this includes the insides of engines and trannys, as well as invading any breach or weakness within the wiring harness weather gasket. Wiring close to the 12V battery is really at risk, esp. if the battery is chronically overcharged and allowed to leak and gas. I've had to deal with that green corrosion in wiring harnesses 2 feet from the battery, esp. in early 2000's Nissan Altimas.Some of the connecting hardware items will literally rot from the inside out, and eventually lose continuity. Switching to the heavy lead "squish connector" terminals is a necessary evil. Dielectric grease (or even Vaseline) will shield these areas with exposed wires and inside of harnesses and other connectors so that they stay dry. I prefer solder, heat shrink, and 3M electrical tape for applications such as rodent damage and trailer lights/tow system wiring, but without that final step, even the soldered repairs may eventually corrode, if dielectric isn't added. I've been trying these nifty little connectors with the heat shrink on both ends and low-temperature solder in the middle, and using a small butane torch to melt them into place. One can't melt it too fast or the plastic will ignite, and are more time-consuming to use. Only time will tell.
Absolutely brilliant video. The pace of the video was spot on and the detailed info & tips were so informative. The only thing is that wished you used my truck to make the video. Thanks so much for this
Same Here Brother. I have a 2003 Frontier with 103 Thousand miles on it and about to tear into her in a few day's. Mike did a great video on this even though I've done this before many year's ago I was just looking for extra knowledge about doing this and dam if this Video didn't bring back some memories from about 23 year's ago...well let's get busy!!
Outstanding mechanicking video. Thorough and well narrated. My 02 Xterra refused to start today (P0420, P0327 codes popped on it) and I'm viewing your video as research into possible culprits. Thanks.
Thanks for the feedback Blake. I was on the fence about making it in the first place. Corrosion is a big problem on these engines, especially on the intake manifold mating surface and thermostat housing. Good luck with your repair!
Hey Mike, I just replaced my knock sensor but I want to tell you how good of a job you did on your video. I'm dealing with a corroded thermostat housing, but I agree with not relocating the sensor, it's there for a reason. Thanks bud.
Wrong it's better to relocate the sensor. The reason they put it there is if you take your truck to Nissan it's going to be an EYE $$$$ to change a knock sensor.
@@edvinneluis2635 the reason I was watching this video was so I could fix it myself so, 👌. Also sold this truck after I fixed it four YEARS ago so thanks for your long game trolling. Stick with the trash pitbull videos kid
mike, i'm in the middle of this right now. very tough to get the upper intake plenum because of various hoses. but it's off now. so, I'm getting ready to get to the sensor.
There is a hack you can easily do where you buy the sensor and harness at a dealer, then cut the existing harness and wire it to the new one, and bolt the new sensor to the block. It IS an option but I'd advise against it because chances are you're going to find other things that need replacing on a (now) 20 year old engine. Best of luck to you!
Thanks so much for the informative vid. I’m about to replace both valve cover gaskets and this beast has to come off. While I’m at it I’ll replace the knock sensor, spark plugs, gaskets, and necessary tubes. What was your parts list? Thanks man!
You can do Knock sensor with $20 part and wire harness you can make or purchase. Screw in on top manifold intake. Seems to work fine and 30 minute install, splice in correct location for wires. Info online works much better than resistor mod
I am wondering if it won't be easier to, chase the wiring for the knock sensor to the wire loom and wire from there to the intake ,rather than removing all that mess Nissan came up with. ?.
Bobby Tectalabyss Would be the easiest way. It leads to one of the two big connectors on top of the engine on the passenger side of the vehicle by the intake manifold.
Very well done. Love the way you explained very clearly. I have same exact truck with 70,000 original miles with knock sensor issue. This is above my pay grade. Will I have the engine driving with it on? I live in southeast alaska on an island
It should drive with an intermittent check engine light, but if you want to replace it without digging into the engine you can also cut the harness and wire another one in. If you go to a Nissan dealer, they have all the parts to do it, which is just the harness and the sensor.
Video is very well done, Thank You, could use your expertise here in Penna on similar issues. I have heard the Knock Sensor Trouble Code P0328 is sometimes traceable to a defective FPR feeding the Fuel injectors marginally.? Especially when, there is another Code 171 for a Lean Condition Condition Code P0171 ? Coincidentally, Are there Any Nissan ECU Board tuners available there for the 2003-2004 Frontiers whom you could recommend ?
This is a very helpful video but how did you get to that 8mm bolt that's under the thermostat hose. I got the hose off but can't feel how I can get a socket in there
Have you done the timing belt on this? I'm doing my 02 xterra right now, about to do the knock sensor as well, but I had a question about the timing belt cam sprockets. I sort of overturned the one on the left a bit when I was trying to remove them to check the seals and I'm concerned I might have damaged something. Any idea how much play you have with turning those sprockets before you risk doing serious damage? Thanks for the excellent video though. This is going to help me a lot since the engines are the same.
If you take a 10" 1/4" drive extension with a universal joint so you can remove and replace knock sensor without doing all that hoopla. Middle of engine back by firewall and straight down,. Dealer says he has to do all that shit to charge a lot of money when it only takes about an hour doing it with extensioon
Nice video. Nissans are great vehicles but they're not always maintenance friendly and can be a royal pain in the butt sometimes! I know, I've owned 3 of them.
DarthCuda YEAH, tell me a bout it! I think all these idiot engineers who design this maintenance unfriendly crap should be given a set of tools and be forced to take this shit apart and put it back together after the first motor has been built. Maybe then after they've busted their knuckles, cut themselves and said a plethora of curse words in the process perhaps they'll think about that next time and design engines that are more maintenance friendly!
Great video. What torque spec did you use for the lower intake manifold gasket? I used a metal OE gasket and torqued to the spec 7ftlbs and had a leak. I tried a FelPro with the same torque and have a bigger leak. I followed the tightening procedure and torque as specified in the manual.
I had a coolant leak using fel pro gaskets so I replaced them with another set of fel pros but I applied a razor thin layer of RTV to both sides of the gasket around the coolant ports only. The 7 foot pounds is probably as tight as you want to go on an engine thats 15 plus years old with such small bolts holding it in place. I have zero faith or confidence in o ring gaskets or anything with a printed seal surface, and this engine was the last straw on that. Best of luck!
Thanks Mike. The bolts are 8mm so they should be ok with well over 7ftlbs. It was leaking all over with no rtv and 7ftlbs. I may try a thin layer and torque them more. I don't want to have to do it a 4th time...
@@marcus05isu Its not the bolts that are the problem, its the aluminum heads, which would be a PAIN to helicoil if you needed to. Just be careful and maybe do the spiral a few times with 4, 7, then whatever you decide to go with. And rtv rtv rtv. Best of luck.
Another thing I noticed with the thicker Felpro gasket is that 7ftlbs didn't compress it enough to get the horizontal bolt in the front side through the timing belt cover. The manifold was too high. Did you notice this issue?
@@marcus05isu you know what, now that you mention it I did have that issue. I believe I loosened everything up on the front so I could line it all up and get the threads started, then torqued down the manifold first and the rest of the front afterwards.
Good video Had to remove all that crap to replace faulty fuel pressure regulator which are known for going bad. Truck would run and then die out after a few miles or not start at all this went on for weeks before the owner hit me up to diagnose. You'll think it the igntion system at first buts it not. May want to replace while you're there and save yourself future trouble. Found a Nissan oem on ebay $50 your searches may vary. Also Nissan club of America Website has many oem factory service manuals for free download and you dont have to register as a member of the site to download
Question for you Mike. What connects to the vacuum tube next to the two coolant tubes at the 7:25 mark of the video? I'm not for sure if its the fuel regulator connects to it or the other open vacuum tube to the right.
To keep from having to mess with the hard to reach coolant hoses behind the manifold or supercharge plate, could one just use a foot or foot and a half of coolant hose straight from the rear of the intake manifold to the coolant tubes going into the throttle body? Bypass the metal coolant tubes altogether? That way if the intake needed to come off, you could simply pull off the hoses at the throttle body. Would that be possible to do?
why would you go through all that to relocate the sensor?. that doesn't make sense. i had relocated mines and currently doing this same job, and i am putting sensor back in original spot. some smog guys will not visually pass your smog. the original intake seals on mines were metal, not that paper stuff. felpro is a good brand, but i didn't want to use paper seals, since the originals were metal.
Did you have any issues putting the upper plenum back on? The coolant piping in the back seems to get stuck on something and won't allow it to line up properly. Any advice helps.
Hi Mike, I am not mechanic or a do it yourself guy, but need this done on my 2003 desert runner xe, really enjoyed the detail and timing of your video. Thank you. If he were not your friend, what would you charge for a job like that?
I would have yes! It was a bit of a bear, but some people have told me it can be done without removing the intake manifold. Probably true but after all those years it's probably best to open it up and swap those gaskets out.
thanks for the video. It was awesome. Here's my plan of attack. I'm going to pull the distributor out and try to get a long screwdriver or bar and see if I can break the knock sensor off the 10 mm bolt. If I can do that, I'll stick it on top of the engine. Now if I can't, I'm tearing into the intake manifold. My engine went completely haywire and it was because of the knock sensor coming home from Oregon. I got to Sacramento and my transmission started shifting up-and-down and the engine would lose 500 RPMs then start back up. Got it home, parked it, and it was running perfect. The next day I started up, and it sound like every rod and piston was banging away. Checked the computer and I had a P0325 code. So I erased the code with my scanner pulled the batteries cables off waiting 20 minutes put them back on and everything started working. So Wednesday is the day
+J Borrelli No I could not get it done I had to remove the intake manifold and it turned into a gigantic job. After putting it back together it still didn't run right so I had to send it down to the garage and for $200 they found out the problem. I had two broken injector wires number three and five injectors. But when I got in there I changed out a lot of things gaskets fuel regulator and get 100,000 mile tuneup so everything is running great
+Keith LampoOh just one more thing my mechanic said the any knock sensor even if it shows bad doesn't mean you have to replace. That's a little puzzling but he is one of the best mechanics around I have used him for about 30 years.
Wow! Thanks for the quick response. I'm out in the garage with a flashlight trying to spot it under the plenum but can't seem to be able to so far. Thought that with the distributor cap off I could see it and give it a whack with long screwdriver and mallet.
+J Borrelli From the distributor back about three quarters the way you should see it.I would hit the knock sensor and then I'd put the meter back and delete the code and see if that works. Are you having any engine problems
Hey Mike, I have subscribed based on this very informative video alone. Although I may have found you one week too late. My VG33e Pathfinder is using coolant but not leaking out anywhere. I believed for a long time that it was a head gasket or crack allowing coolant into the cylinder. Last week for an unrelated issue, I recently stripped the motor down to clean out the Upper Plenum and pipes due to a loss of power (did not remove Lower Plenum) and it runs like a dream again. However, I am now back onto this coolant issue. After watching this video I have a question if you don't mind. Do you think I would get these same symptoms of disappearing coolant if the lower plenum gasket leaked internally ?
Coolant is always a hard one because it evaporates and doesn't leave a pot of evidence, and unfortunately Nissan loves to have little lines running all over. If you took the upper plenum off, there isn't much left besides the intake to head, heater, thermostat, and radiator. I know its not easy to pull a plug from each cylinder, but it could be worth your time to see if there is evidence of it burning. The obvious things like checking the oil notwithstanding, your best bet is to look for coolant residue on all joints and the radiator and evidence that its entering the combustion chamber. Best of luck, please let me know if/when you find it and what it is.
If you are using a pre-formed gasket you don't use RTV. RTV is what you use *instead* of a pre-formed gasket. Dont use both. Gasket sealant is ok though.
Sad, but you KNOW your typical Mechanic shop wont take the time to replace gaskets, clean corrosion, replace tube clamps, or recommend other replacement work WHILE things are accessible ...to guarantee another costly visit in the future.
Quite frankly, I don't think the OEM gaskets are as good of quality. They must be doing something right if they last as long as they do, but I like the extra insurance around the water ports.
As far as I know it isn't an emission system component, nor would an inspector be able to tell that its been relocated, but I can't say for certain that it's a guaranteed pass. Sorry, I just don't know, especially with California's out of control smog rules.
That truck wasn't mine, I fixed it for a lady at my church and she subsequently moved out of state. I wish I had a better frame of reference for you, sorry.
I have a 03 Nissan Frontier. Was driving and started losing power. Started spuddering and wouldnt go over 45mph. It started running hot so I turned the heat on and it started going down. finaly got home and noticed antifreeze leaking from water pump. Any suggestions?
Are you supposed to use gasket sealer when doing the upper and lower gaskets? I'm in the middle of changing mine and some people told me to do them dry, some say to use sealer.
JAK85 I used RTV on the water passages only and spray-tack on the air passages. If/when you use rtv, use a thin layer, like 1mm spread evenly around the entire port. You don't want to use so much rtv that it ends up causing a vacuum leak issue because the layer is too thick
that is what I did. I do not, however, advocate cutting the wiring to do it and there is no way to remove it without taking the manifold off. Also, you will probably run in to things like crappy hoses and corrosion of the steel pipes and the intake manifold, which will rear it's ugly head eventually anyway.
a real hose clamp? those are real and they fail never. the one you replace it with will work but it gathers the hose where the one the factory paid more money for does not. are they a pain yes. are ther tools available to make it easy? yes.. are you telling the veiwer that you know better than the team of people who specified that type of clamp when a cheaper option would save a ton of money i have to tell you you should not be giving advice. the only good thing was the insistance of changing gaskets and not gooping it together. every bolt washer screw clamp and connector was intended to do a job. when you re engineer the car you are creating a point of failure. i have traced down thousands of these head aches some genious decided he knew better then the manufacture or sonething. that said follow the factory manual.. what ever they say is gospel and millions went into its production...
Hats off to you buddy. The 3.3 is a real turd to work on. The intake manifold is one of the worst designed messes I've had to deal with.
Absolutely. I wish he had shown a bit more detail on taking the burger off. I'm in process now and she's not going very well as I would have hoped for. Dam sure miss the older Vehicles when you had the room to get to everything..Geezers this piece of S@#t....
It's nice to find a video of someone actually doing it the correct way instead of that hack work bullshit relocation you see all over the place.
I wonder if my mechanic shop is going to do the "hack" but charge me for the "right" way ...$700
@@NightSky777 I frickin hope not! Those kind of fucks give us good ones a bad name!
Very informative video I replaced mine about a year ago if I had found a video like yours I would have saved myself a lot of trouble.
i did my timing belt and water pump and crankshaft seals on my 2000 Nissan frontier ( which is the same as this pretty much), and that was a shit load of work. this looks like a nightmare. i relocated my knock sensor on top, and one smog shop ( in california) didn't want to let it pass the visual inspection. a friend who is a mechanic, said that was BS, so he had me take it to his smog guy and he said it was fine, as long as your not throwing any codes. I was tempted to fix it like your doing, and replace the valve cover gaskets at the same time. i didn't realize you had to replace those other gaskets down there as well. Its alot of freaking work. good job.
This vid is one of the best I've seen on this knock sensor. Not because of the "how to" information - there are several available, It's your personal tips, tricks, and methods you employed during the process of the entire procedure that sets your video apart from the rest. These methods can take decades to accumulate in one's brain, and are learned thru "trial and error". I'm sure this video has helped quite a few people pull this off and resulted in the engine running without leaks and codes. Your camera work and the way you speak and deliver the content is to be commended. Keep up the good work, because you have a new subscriber. I was trained in the use of Permatex, and use it to this day, even with applications that "do not need" a swalant. Never had anything leak using Permatex, but is messy to use if u rush. I also get a plastic toothpick and use a little dielectric grease on electrical connections when assembling, since I'm in Louisiana and frequently have 100% humidity.
I genuinely appreciate the feedback. Good info about the dialelectric grease, I have used it in the past but not a whole lot due to living in such a dry climate. Good tip! Thank you!
@@agent6t8 It would be unnecessary to use the dielectric grease in California, with the weather patterns tending to be dry with low humidity. I've been to California twice, and can't wait to visit again (when all of this COVID 19 illness settles down). The dry coolish temperatures are a welcome change to someone like me, who must deal with "higher than normal" moisture in the Louisiana air, thanks to the Gulf of Mexico. And the way this moisture can invade and rot away machinery, tools, and wiring cannot be underestimated enough. Humidity has caused my non-plated hand tools (esp. pullers, suspension tools, pry bars-anything with paint missing made of iron or steel) to form surface rust while in the toolchest, and the only way to prevent this is to coat them with oil OR to bring the cabinets indoors where there is A/C. Anytime the ambient temp. falls below the dewpoint, the condensation rate on coolish metal surfaces intensifies and this includes the insides of engines and trannys, as well as invading any breach or weakness within the wiring harness weather gasket. Wiring close to the 12V battery is really at risk, esp. if the battery is chronically overcharged and allowed to leak and gas. I've had to deal with that green corrosion in wiring harnesses 2 feet from the battery, esp. in early 2000's Nissan Altimas.Some of the connecting hardware items will literally rot from the inside out, and eventually lose continuity. Switching to the heavy lead "squish connector" terminals is a necessary evil. Dielectric grease (or even Vaseline) will shield these areas with exposed wires and inside of harnesses and other connectors so that they stay dry. I prefer solder, heat shrink, and 3M electrical tape for applications such as rodent damage and trailer lights/tow system wiring, but without that final step, even the soldered repairs may eventually corrode, if dielectric isn't added. I've been trying these nifty little connectors with the heat shrink on both ends and low-temperature solder in the middle, and using a small butane torch to melt them into place. One can't melt it too fast or the plastic will ignite, and are more time-consuming to use. Only time will tell.
Absolutely brilliant video. The pace of the video was spot on and the detailed info & tips were so informative. The only thing is that wished you used my truck to make the video. Thanks so much for this
Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it.
Same Here Brother. I have a 2003 Frontier with 103 Thousand miles on it and about to tear into her in a few day's. Mike did a great video on this even though I've done this before many year's ago I was just looking for extra knowledge about doing this and dam if this Video didn't bring back some memories from about 23 year's ago...well let's get busy!!
Outstanding mechanicking video. Thorough and well narrated. My 02 Xterra refused to start today (P0420, P0327 codes popped on it) and I'm viewing your video as research into possible culprits. Thanks.
Thanks for the feedback Blake. I was on the fence about making it in the first place. Corrosion is a big problem on these engines, especially on the intake manifold mating surface and thermostat housing. Good luck with your repair!
Mike Wade where do you check fuel reassure
There is a schrader valve on the fuel rail. You will need to hook up a pressure gauge to it. They may be able to rent you one at Autozone.
Hey Mike, I just replaced my knock sensor but I want to tell you how good of a job you did on your video. I'm dealing with a corroded thermostat housing, but I agree with not relocating the sensor, it's there for a reason. Thanks bud.
huy
Wrong it's better to relocate the sensor. The reason they put it there is if you take your truck to Nissan it's going to be an EYE $$$$ to change a knock sensor.
@@edvinneluis2635 the reason I was watching this video was so I could fix it myself so, 👌. Also sold this truck after I fixed it
four YEARS ago so thanks for your long game trolling. Stick with the trash pitbull videos kid
Thank you!!!! I'm working on mine right now and that hidden bolt was the thing that was stopping me
mike, i'm in the middle of this right now. very tough to get the upper intake plenum because of various hoses. but it's off now. so, I'm getting ready to get to the sensor.
Thanks for posting this! am thinking of buying a 2002 that is throwing a code for this sensor and was wondering how difficult replacement would be.
There is a hack you can easily do where you buy the sensor and harness at a dealer, then cut the existing harness and wire it to the new one, and bolt the new sensor to the block. It IS an option but I'd advise against it because chances are you're going to find other things that need replacing on a (now) 20 year old engine. Best of luck to you!
@@agent6t8 Thanks again!
Thanks so much for the informative vid. I’m about to replace both valve cover gaskets and this beast has to come off. While I’m at it I’ll replace the knock sensor, spark plugs, gaskets, and necessary tubes. What was your parts list? Thanks man!
i doing a knock sensor and gasket job on the the fuel injector wireharness thanks for all the info! i really appreciate it!
You can do Knock sensor with $20 part and wire harness you can make or purchase. Screw in on top manifold intake. Seems to work fine and 30 minute install, splice in correct location for wires. Info online works much better than resistor mod
My fuel regulator is next 😢 great video!!!!
I am wondering if it won't be easier to, chase the wiring for the knock sensor to the wire loom and wire from there to the intake ,rather than removing all that mess Nissan came up with. ?.
Bobby Tectalabyss Would be the easiest way. It leads to one of the two big connectors on top of the engine on the passenger side of the vehicle by the intake manifold.
Great video! This is going to be a big help planning my replacement of the knock sensor!
Very well done. Love the way you explained very clearly. I have same exact truck with 70,000 original miles with knock sensor issue. This is above my pay grade. Will I have the engine driving with it on? I live in southeast alaska on an island
It should drive with an intermittent check engine light, but if you want to replace it without digging into the engine you can also cut the harness and wire another one in. If you go to a Nissan dealer, they have all the parts to do it, which is just the harness and the sensor.
Video is very well done, Thank You, could use your expertise here in Penna on similar issues. I have heard the Knock Sensor Trouble Code P0328 is sometimes traceable to a defective FPR feeding the Fuel injectors marginally.? Especially when, there is another Code 171 for a Lean Condition Condition Code P0171 ? Coincidentally, Are there Any Nissan ECU Board tuners available there for the 2003-2004 Frontiers whom you could recommend ?
This is a very helpful video but how did you get to that 8mm bolt that's under the thermostat hose. I got the hose off but can't feel how I can get a socket in there
Have you done the timing belt on this? I'm doing my 02 xterra right now, about to do the knock sensor as well, but I had a question about the timing belt cam sprockets. I sort of overturned the one on the left a bit when I was trying to remove them to check the seals and I'm concerned I might have damaged something. Any idea how much play you have with turning those sprockets before you risk doing serious damage? Thanks for the excellent video though. This is going to help me a lot since the engines are the same.
If you take a 10" 1/4" drive extension with a universal joint so you can remove and replace knock sensor without doing all that hoopla. Middle of engine back by firewall and straight down,. Dealer says he has to do all that shit to charge a lot of money when it only takes about an hour doing it with extensioon
Really?
Nice video. Nissans are great vehicles but they're not always maintenance friendly and can be a royal pain in the butt sometimes! I know, I've owned 3 of them.
Don't you love the placement of the #6 plug?
DarthCuda YEAH, tell me a bout it!
I think all these idiot engineers who design this maintenance unfriendly crap should be given a set of tools and be forced to take this shit apart and put it back together after the first motor has been built. Maybe then after they've busted their knuckles, cut themselves and said a plethora of curse words in the process perhaps they'll think about that next time and design engines that are more maintenance friendly!
+Phayzyre105 I'll agree with that. I still have a scar on my hand from an exhaust manifold that was 3 inches above the oil filter in my old Geo.
DarthCuda Ouch! Yeah my friend I have a few scars as well!
Good stuff, the only think I'll like is more aftermarked support for that engine.
Excellent presentation.
Great video. What torque spec did you use for the lower intake manifold gasket? I used a metal OE gasket and torqued to the spec 7ftlbs and had a leak. I tried a FelPro with the same torque and have a bigger leak. I followed the tightening procedure and torque as specified in the manual.
I had a coolant leak using fel pro gaskets so I replaced them with another set of fel pros but I applied a razor thin layer of RTV to both sides of the gasket around the coolant ports only. The 7 foot pounds is probably as tight as you want to go on an engine thats 15 plus years old with such small bolts holding it in place.
I have zero faith or confidence in o ring gaskets or anything with a printed seal surface, and this engine was the last straw on that. Best of luck!
Thanks Mike. The bolts are 8mm so they should be ok with well over 7ftlbs. It was leaking all over with no rtv and 7ftlbs. I may try a thin layer and torque them more. I don't want to have to do it a 4th time...
@@marcus05isu Its not the bolts that are the problem, its the aluminum heads, which would be a PAIN to helicoil if you needed to. Just be careful and maybe do the spiral a few times with 4, 7, then whatever you decide to go with. And rtv rtv rtv. Best of luck.
Another thing I noticed with the thicker Felpro gasket is that 7ftlbs didn't compress it enough to get the horizontal bolt in the front side through the timing belt cover. The manifold was too high. Did you notice this issue?
@@marcus05isu you know what, now that you mention it I did have that issue. I believe I loosened everything up on the front so I could line it all up and get the threads started, then torqued down the manifold first and the rest of the front afterwards.
Good video
Had to remove all that crap to replace faulty fuel pressure regulator which are known for going bad. Truck would run and then die out after a few miles or not start at all this went on for weeks before the owner hit me up to diagnose. You'll think it the igntion system at first buts it not. May want to replace while you're there and save yourself future trouble. Found a Nissan oem on ebay $50 your searches may vary.
Also Nissan club of America Website has many oem factory service manuals for free download and you dont have to register as a member of the site to download
Question for you Mike. What connects to the vacuum tube next to the two coolant tubes at the 7:25 mark of the video? I'm not for sure if its the fuel regulator connects to it or the other open vacuum tube to the right.
To keep from having to mess with the hard to reach coolant hoses behind the manifold or supercharge plate, could one just use a foot or foot and a half of coolant hose straight from the rear of the intake manifold to the coolant tubes going into the throttle body? Bypass the metal coolant tubes altogether? That way if the intake needed to come off, you could simply pull off the hoses at the throttle body. Would that be possible to do?
why would you go through all that to relocate the sensor?. that doesn't make sense. i had relocated mines and currently doing this same job, and i am putting sensor back in original spot. some smog guys will not visually pass your smog. the original intake seals on mines were metal, not that paper stuff. felpro is a good brand, but i didn't want to use paper seals, since the originals were metal.
Did you have any issues putting the upper plenum back on? The coolant piping in the back seems to get stuck on something and won't allow it to line up properly. Any advice helps.
@mike wade: wish me luck, i'm replacing the knock sensor today. do you need to note the wires to the distributor cap?
Hi Mike, I am not mechanic or a do it yourself guy, but need this done on my 2003 desert runner xe, really enjoyed the detail and timing of your video. Thank you. If he were not your friend, what would you charge for a job like that?
I would have yes! It was a bit of a bear, but some people have told me it can be done without removing the intake manifold. Probably true but after all those years it's probably best to open it up and swap those gaskets out.
thanks for the video. It was awesome. Here's my plan of attack. I'm going to pull the distributor out and try to get a long screwdriver or bar and see if I can break the knock sensor off the 10 mm bolt. If I can do that, I'll stick it on top of the engine. Now if I can't, I'm tearing into the intake manifold.
My engine went completely haywire and it was because of the knock sensor coming home from Oregon. I got to Sacramento and my transmission started shifting up-and-down and the engine would lose 500 RPMs then start back up. Got it home, parked it, and it was running perfect. The next day I started up, and it sound like every rod and piston was banging away. Checked the computer and I had a P0325 code. So I erased the code with my scanner pulled the batteries cables off waiting 20 minutes put them back on and everything started working. So Wednesday is the day
+Keith Lamport Did you succeed in breaking the sensor off the block?
+J Borrelli No I could not get it done I had to remove the intake manifold and it turned into a gigantic job. After putting it back together it still didn't run right so I had to send it down to the garage and for $200 they found out the problem. I had two broken injector wires number three and five injectors. But when I got in there I changed out a lot of things gaskets fuel regulator and get 100,000 mile tuneup so everything is running great
+Keith LampoOh just one more thing my mechanic said the any knock sensor even if it shows bad doesn't mean you have to replace. That's a little puzzling but he is one of the best mechanics around I have used him for about 30 years.
Wow! Thanks for the quick response. I'm out in the garage with a flashlight trying to spot it under the plenum but can't seem to be able to so far. Thought that with the distributor cap off I could see it and give it a whack with long screwdriver and mallet.
+J Borrelli From the distributor back about three quarters the way you should see it.I would hit the knock sensor and then I'd put the meter back and delete the code and see if that works. Are you having any engine problems
Hey Mike, I have subscribed based on this very informative video alone. Although I may have found you one week too late. My VG33e Pathfinder is using coolant but not leaking out anywhere. I believed for a long time that it was a head gasket or crack allowing coolant into the cylinder. Last week for an unrelated issue, I recently stripped the motor down to clean out the Upper Plenum and pipes due to a loss of power (did not remove Lower Plenum) and it runs like a dream again. However, I am now back onto this coolant issue. After watching this video I have a question if you don't mind. Do you think I would get these same symptoms of disappearing coolant if the lower plenum gasket leaked internally ?
Coolant is always a hard one because it evaporates and doesn't leave a pot of evidence, and unfortunately Nissan loves to have little lines running all over. If you took the upper plenum off, there isn't much left besides the intake to head, heater, thermostat, and radiator. I know its not easy to pull a plug from each cylinder, but it could be worth your time to see if there is evidence of it burning.
The obvious things like checking the oil notwithstanding, your best bet is to look for coolant residue on all joints and the radiator and evidence that its entering the combustion chamber. Best of luck, please let me know if/when you find it and what it is.
If you are using a pre-formed gasket you don't use RTV. RTV is what you use *instead* of a pre-formed gasket. Dont use both. Gasket sealant is ok though.
Out of curiosity how much should this job cost? Is this something that you do for other people?
I have a supercharger, how much more difficult will it be with that in the way?
I have supercharge and need to replace same sensor due to bad i use half of a gas tank a day.do not know how im going to do it
same process, just have to take the superchager out and the lower intake, pretty straight forward.
Sad, but you KNOW your typical Mechanic shop wont take the time to replace gaskets, clean corrosion, replace tube clamps, or recommend other replacement work WHILE things are accessible ...to guarantee another costly visit in the future.
I there only a single wire coming out of the back of the knock sensor?
Mike i would be happy to share my experience to fix Japanise car`s/ Nissan Infiniti Toyota
what's the cost for a knock sensor repair for a 2001 Nissan xterra?
hi can you do a video or tell me where is the crank sensor in a 1999 Frontier? please
Great video dude
I have the same truck, but Mines an 02, is it the same process for my truck as it is on the 03?
Honestly I am not sure. Its just a VG33E engine. I'd assume its the same as long as the parts are the same.
Why OEM $3 upper and $9 lower intake gasket are cheaper than AutoZone and other's local Auto parts???
Quite frankly, I don't think the OEM gaskets are as good of quality. They must be doing something right if they last as long as they do, but I like the extra insurance around the water ports.
@@agent6t8 u recommend to buy the OEM gasket ??
No, I exclusively use Fel Pro gaskets.
@@agent6t8 thank you 👍 I almost make a mistake buy OEM intake gaskets
Any problem with passing California smog if you relocate the knock sensor?
As far as I know it isn't an emission system component, nor would an inspector be able to tell that its been relocated, but I can't say for certain that it's a guaranteed pass. Sorry, I just don't know, especially with California's out of control smog rules.
@@agent6t8 Did you have any problems when you smog it? I think you mentioned in the video that you live in California. Thanks.
That truck wasn't mine, I fixed it for a lady at my church and she subsequently moved out of state. I wish I had a better frame of reference for you, sorry.
@@agent6t8 OK.
Good video but you didn't show how to relocate the knock sensor.
What hooks up to little vacuume hoses mine had gas coming out
Which hoses? There's a fuel feed, fuel return, evap emissions lines, that's about everything that should have fuel in it.
@agent6t8 it got 2 small lines on back of intake fuel was leaking out hose was broke
Thanks man
Would u do my frontier?
I have nissan frontier 2006 and I can’t find the knock sensor
What parts will I need to buy to do this, is it just the knock sensor?
Itll be the knock sensor, intake gasket set, and you may as well do spark plugs and thermostat while you're in there.
Really good...thank you so much... this helped me of lot..... :)
Let me know what you guys think of this, or if you have any questions
hey Mike you still around have a weird question for you on 2000 xterra vg33e engine
What is your question?
Tony Harrison A
I have a 03 Nissan Frontier. Was driving and started losing power. Started spuddering and wouldnt go over 45mph. It started running hot so I turned the heat on and it started going down. finaly got home and noticed antifreeze leaking from water pump. Any suggestions?
Mike Wade where did you relocate the KS to?
Hi, where in California are you?
I'm out in the Imperial Valley but moving out of state soon.
Are you supposed to use gasket sealer when doing the upper and lower gaskets? I'm in the middle of changing mine and some people told me to do them dry, some say to use sealer.
JAK85 I would highly recommend using a gasket sealer, even RTV around the coolant passages. They corrode badly and need it.
Mike Wade how is the spray on stuff you used in the video, compared to the normal rtv sealer?
JAK85 spray on stuff is ok for the intake ports, not the water jackets. I had to take mine apart and do it over because the spray tack wasn't enough.
Mike Wade would it hurt anything to use rtv sealer? The factory service manual says to do them dry.
JAK85 I used RTV on the water passages only and spray-tack on the air passages. If/when you use rtv, use a thin layer, like 1mm spread evenly around the entire port. You don't want to use so much rtv that it ends up causing a vacuum leak issue because the layer is too thick
Can u help me to locate please
Is this the same on a 2004 ?
I replaced mine in 2016 , then timing belt pretty easy , then EGR
Plenum? Intake manifold? Is there a difference?
the big silver piece on top is the plenum (upper intake). The big part that he pulled off last was the intake manifold (lower intake).
I'm at 43k and my code scanner says mine is bad
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Lot's of unrelated information some wrong.eg the sensor is a piezoelectric microphone.
why not just relocate it and save all the hassle with the tear down. on the top of the throttle body.
that is what I did. I do not, however, advocate cutting the wiring to do it and there is no way to remove it without taking the manifold off.
Also, you will probably run in to things like crappy hoses and corrosion of the steel pipes and the intake manifold, which will rear it's ugly head eventually anyway.
good worck
This motor was designed from hell
amen to that
Why do you say that?
I hate to tell you that Nissan isn’t Japanese anymore it’s owned by Renault the France automaker
What's the point if don't show the actual job
It does, if you pay attention.
I dropped a socket down the plenum ):
don't do it that way just relocate it way easier by far takes fifteen minutes
That's some shadetree mechanic half assed nonsense. Smh
Antoniio orellana
G
a real hose clamp? those are real and they fail never. the one you replace it with will work but it gathers the hose where the one the factory paid more money for does not. are they a pain yes. are ther tools available to make it easy? yes.. are you telling the veiwer that you know better than the team of people who specified that type of clamp when a cheaper option would save a ton of money i have to tell you you should not be giving advice. the only good thing was the insistance of changing gaskets and not gooping it together. every bolt washer screw clamp and connector was intended to do a job. when you re engineer the car you are creating a point of failure. i have traced down thousands of these head aches some genious decided he knew better then the manufacture or sonething. that said follow the factory manual.. what ever they say is gospel and millions went into its production...
At what point on this video does it talk about the knock sensor? Holy shit
Its a repair on a Japanese engine. If you don't like that, my video isn't the problem.
😡 I give you a them 0 star the most difficult part u cut it 👎🏽
Bro this was a horrible video great rough draft
I'm sorry it bothers you so much. It's not easy being the tool guy, camera man, and narrator.
Mike Wade I hear you
Im so not excited for this.
If you have some experience wrenching it's not that bad. It's time consuming but not horribly difficult.
@@agent6t8 thanks buddy! that makes me feel a little better, haha.
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