CALI SPEC??? YOU NEED TO READ ThiS (message courtesy of 99se5spd)
06-04-2004, 08:53 PM
#1
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 245
CALI SPEC??? YOU NEED TO READ ThiS (message courtesy of 99se5spd)
I need to replace my knock sensor and have a cali spec 99 maxima. I had given up and decided to bring it to the dealer when a new member "99se5spd" sent me a pm with these instructions to change the knock sensors in our cars....
hey, i just bought a 99.5 se cali about 2 months ago (my first nissan..took me 8 months to find a 99 5spd, and im loving it) any way heres what i did. i had to remove the whole air box assembly(intake and all) and the battery just to get enough room to work, i also disconnected the ks harness (from in front of the valve cover) i used bout 18" of 1/4 extentions with a universal joint and a shallow 10mm (or 12mm i dont remember) socket and fished it down there and backed the bolt out that way, using a telescoping magnet to retrieve the bolt ( i had to find a pretty stong magnet) and used the harness to pull out the ks. now heres the tricky part getting it back in, well i struggled for like 4 hours after calling everyone i knew with small hands noone could fit in ther i thought i was gonna have to pull the intake manifold, and way i took a coat hanger and straightened it out and put about a 1/2" 90 degree bend on the end with the new ks plugged into the harness use masking tape (have to use masking tape) and put the bend on the end of the coat hanger on the top side of the plug on the ks and tape it on (not too much tape, maybe wrap it once around) and 2 more pieces on the harness itself put the bolt back in the ks and tape that on too (again not too much or you cant get the socket on the head of the bolt) now you can fish that into the valley, the bend is so you have control over the rotation of the ks now you can get it where it needs to be and hold it there while you get the socket down there, its tricky but not too hard, so when its all tight you just carefully pull the coat hanger off ( i had to use a long flathead screwdriver to cut the tape, but thats why you dont want to put too much on. and your all done, it took my 5 hours but 4 of that was trying to cram my hand in there. i hope this helps and questions let me know! im new here so i dont relly know how to post but if you can you have my permission to post this (but gimme some credit! good luck
hey, i just bought a 99.5 se cali about 2 months ago (my first nissan..took me 8 months to find a 99 5spd, and im loving it) any way heres what i did. i had to remove the whole air box assembly(intake and all) and the battery just to get enough room to work, i also disconnected the ks harness (from in front of the valve cover) i used bout 18" of 1/4 extentions with a universal joint and a shallow 10mm (or 12mm i dont remember) socket and fished it down there and backed the bolt out that way, using a telescoping magnet to retrieve the bolt ( i had to find a pretty stong magnet) and used the harness to pull out the ks. now heres the tricky part getting it back in, well i struggled for like 4 hours after calling everyone i knew with small hands noone could fit in ther i thought i was gonna have to pull the intake manifold, and way i took a coat hanger and straightened it out and put about a 1/2" 90 degree bend on the end with the new ks plugged into the harness use masking tape (have to use masking tape) and put the bend on the end of the coat hanger on the top side of the plug on the ks and tape it on (not too much tape, maybe wrap it once around) and 2 more pieces on the harness itself put the bolt back in the ks and tape that on too (again not too much or you cant get the socket on the head of the bolt) now you can fish that into the valley, the bend is so you have control over the rotation of the ks now you can get it where it needs to be and hold it there while you get the socket down there, its tricky but not too hard, so when its all tight you just carefully pull the coat hanger off ( i had to use a long flathead screwdriver to cut the tape, but thats why you dont want to put too much on. and your all done, it took my 5 hours but 4 of that was trying to cram my hand in there. i hope this helps and questions let me know! im new here so i dont relly know how to post but if you can you have my permission to post this (but gimme some credit! good luck
06-05-2004, 07:30 AM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 172
I have to do mine and i took my upper and lower intake off in about 2 hours. I thought about trying to fish my way in there but wanted to port and polish the plenum and lower manifold, i also think you need to take it off to do the timing chain, so i took it off anyways---not too bad of a job. hope it will fix my starting and firing problems
06-05-2004, 04:17 PM
#4
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 245
whats a plenum????? how do u get the manifold gaskets??? did you replace yours??? is it worth doing for me, my car is old (99) and it is dirty in the engine, do u polish the outside or inside of the manifold....
06-05-2004, 04:23 PM
#5
ouch that is alot of work, my mechanic only charged me $68.05 to do it. on my 99 SE-L. nice write up always nice to see people taking the time to help others, if i had seen this two weeks ago i would have gave it a shot myself.
06-06-2004, 03:46 AM
#8
Originally Posted by Kolyan
my mechanic charged 20 buck to replace KS + oil change today. at first it was 50 but i guess it took him less then he thought
That's IT!!!!! OMG that is cheap. All the cuts on my hand, man I would charge at least $50.
shibbys - Read the FAQ's
06-13-2004, 07:23 AM
#18
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 245
has anyone else tried this and had good luck??? i am still debating whether it is a project i can tackle.... i tried the other day, and got the socket on the bolt, but as much as i tried, i couldnt loosen the bolt AT ALL...
06-13-2004, 07:38 AM
#19
Originally Posted by CUSEMAX
whats a plenum????? how do u get the manifold gaskets??? did you replace yours??? is it worth doing for me, my car is old (99) and it is dirty in the engine, do u polish the outside or inside of the manifold....
06-13-2004, 08:58 AM
#21
ok guys, here's the info about 99 cali specs. (i have one)
all the california models pre 99 do not have the NLEV equipment, they only come with a stricter emissions cat converter. in 99 nissan made the California Spec Maxima (has 4 oxygen sensors as opposed to 2 in regular maxes)
the california spec emissions includes butterfly valves in the LOWER Intake Manifold (the are closed below 3200 rpm and then open to let more air in after) and an extra oxygen sensor for the front bank pre-cat in the y-pipe (that's why 99 cali y-pipes are different, they keep the front pre-cat)
now on any maxima it's relatively easy to remove the KS, on the 99 calis there's a vacuum regulator??? that is mounted in place of the hole for the KS installation unless it's possible to remove it, installing the KS can only be done by removing the manifolds.
if you want to try it: the upper is very easy to take off there are 8 bolts total but for the lower you will need to remove the injectors and the fuel rails to get it out and that's a PITA in my book.
all the california models pre 99 do not have the NLEV equipment, they only come with a stricter emissions cat converter. in 99 nissan made the California Spec Maxima (has 4 oxygen sensors as opposed to 2 in regular maxes)
the california spec emissions includes butterfly valves in the LOWER Intake Manifold (the are closed below 3200 rpm and then open to let more air in after) and an extra oxygen sensor for the front bank pre-cat in the y-pipe (that's why 99 cali y-pipes are different, they keep the front pre-cat)
now on any maxima it's relatively easy to remove the KS, on the 99 calis there's a vacuum regulator??? that is mounted in place of the hole for the KS installation unless it's possible to remove it, installing the KS can only be done by removing the manifolds.
if you want to try it: the upper is very easy to take off there are 8 bolts total but for the lower you will need to remove the injectors and the fuel rails to get it out and that's a PITA in my book.
07-31-2005, 06:54 PM
#22
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally Posted by vipervadim
now on any maxima it's relatively easy to remove the KS, on the 99 calis there's a vacuum regulator??? that is mounted in place of the hole for the KS installation unless it's possible to remove it, installing the KS can only be done by removing the manifolds.
Edit: Didn't realize this thread was so old.
EDIT 2: That part that's in the way of accessing the ks on the 99 cali specs is called the "swirl control valve actuator". I don't foresee any problems arising from moving that part. Maybe someone else thinks diff?
07-31-2005, 08:06 PM
#24
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally Posted by suicidalspd99
Honestly I have never had a problem with my KS. Is this something that should be changed with maintence, or just when it throws the code? I hear people talk about it all the time but never had a problem. IDk maybe my luck.
Just when it throws a code. I checked the codes on my car one day just for the hell of it, and caught the ks code. I have reset it and have not had it come up yet. But since I've seen the code once, and I'm pretty bored at the moment, I decided to change it. Haven't had luck with it though. Will try again tomorrow.
08-01-2005, 04:25 AM
#26
Member who somehow became The President of The SE-L Club
iTrader: (19)
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 16,033
Originally Posted by 99Automagic
Bumping this, hoping someone could enlighten me on the swirl control valve actuator. Can it be removed easily without messing up the setting?
Thanks man.
08-02-2005, 02:22 PM
#30
Guest
Posts: n/a
Just got my ks done on my 99 cali spec. It was a royal biotch to say the least, but it's done. It took me 2 hours, including clean up. Unbolted the swirl control actuator and moved it out of the way. That gives you just enough room to aim a flash light in there and see what you're doing. Also removed the intake to get enough working space. The rest of the procedure was done exactly like "99se5spd" had said. Everyone with a 99 cali spec should thank this man.
10-22-2005, 07:52 PM
#31
Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Duluth, MN
Posts: 120
How hard is it to install the knock sensor with just a couple wrenches screwdrivers??
That's all I got.
Also, that sensor/valve thing thats blocking your access to the knock sensor, the "swirl valve"? It has a green plug and 3 small hoses hooked to it...I unbolted it but I couldn't get those frucking hoses off without breaking them - so I left it on there, it pissed me off big time.
What would a nissan dealership charge for installation? How much could they honestly charge, with regular technician skill?
That's all I got.
Also, that sensor/valve thing thats blocking your access to the knock sensor, the "swirl valve"? It has a green plug and 3 small hoses hooked to it...I unbolted it but I couldn't get those frucking hoses off without breaking them - so I left it on there, it pissed me off big time.
What would a nissan dealership charge for installation? How much could they honestly charge, with regular technician skill?
10-22-2005, 08:12 PM
#32
Well I should wrap this up before I start to ramble.
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,830
Originally Posted by CUSEMAX
I need to replace my knock sensor and have a cali spec 99 maxima. I had given up and decided to bring it to the dealer when a new member "99se5spd" sent me a pm with these instructions to change the knock sensors in our cars....
hey, i just bought a 99.5 se cali about 2 months ago (my first nissan..took me 8 months to find a 99 5spd, and im loving it) any way heres what i did. i had to remove the whole air box assembly(intake and all) and the battery just to get enough room to work, i also disconnected the ks harness (from in front of the valve cover) i used bout 18" of 1/4 extentions with a universal joint and a shallow 10mm (or 12mm i dont remember) socket and fished it down there and backed the bolt out that way, using a telescoping magnet to retrieve the bolt ( i had to find a pretty stong magnet) and used the harness to pull out the ks. now heres the tricky part getting it back in, well i struggled for like 4 hours after calling everyone i knew with small hands noone could fit in ther i thought i was gonna have to pull the intake manifold, and way i took a coat hanger and straightened it out and put about a 1/2" 90 degree bend on the end with the new ks plugged into the harness use masking tape (have to use masking tape) and put the bend on the end of the coat hanger on the top side of the plug on the ks and tape it on (not too much tape, maybe wrap it once around) and 2 more pieces on the harness itself put the bolt back in the ks and tape that on too (again not too much or you cant get the socket on the head of the bolt) now you can fish that into the valley, the bend is so you have control over the rotation of the ks now you can get it where it needs to be and hold it there while you get the socket down there, its tricky but not too hard, so when its all tight you just carefully pull the coat hanger off ( i had to use a long flathead screwdriver to cut the tape, but thats why you dont want to put too much on. and your all done, it took my 5 hours but 4 of that was trying to cram my hand in there. i hope this helps and questions let me know! im new here so i dont relly know how to post but if you can you have my permission to post this (but gimme some credit! good luck
hey, i just bought a 99.5 se cali about 2 months ago (my first nissan..took me 8 months to find a 99 5spd, and im loving it) any way heres what i did. i had to remove the whole air box assembly(intake and all) and the battery just to get enough room to work, i also disconnected the ks harness (from in front of the valve cover) i used bout 18" of 1/4 extentions with a universal joint and a shallow 10mm (or 12mm i dont remember) socket and fished it down there and backed the bolt out that way, using a telescoping magnet to retrieve the bolt ( i had to find a pretty stong magnet) and used the harness to pull out the ks. now heres the tricky part getting it back in, well i struggled for like 4 hours after calling everyone i knew with small hands noone could fit in ther i thought i was gonna have to pull the intake manifold, and way i took a coat hanger and straightened it out and put about a 1/2" 90 degree bend on the end with the new ks plugged into the harness use masking tape (have to use masking tape) and put the bend on the end of the coat hanger on the top side of the plug on the ks and tape it on (not too much tape, maybe wrap it once around) and 2 more pieces on the harness itself put the bolt back in the ks and tape that on too (again not too much or you cant get the socket on the head of the bolt) now you can fish that into the valley, the bend is so you have control over the rotation of the ks now you can get it where it needs to be and hold it there while you get the socket down there, its tricky but not too hard, so when its all tight you just carefully pull the coat hanger off ( i had to use a long flathead screwdriver to cut the tape, but thats why you dont want to put too much on. and your all done, it took my 5 hours but 4 of that was trying to cram my hand in there. i hope this helps and questions let me know! im new here so i dont relly know how to post but if you can you have my permission to post this (but gimme some credit! good luck
11-05-2005, 05:02 AM
#33
Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 92
The plenum is the manifold. You can get a manifold gasket at a nissan dealership. (7-8bucks) only if your getting a ghost code 0304 from your ECU should it be worth doing. polish the outside, and port the inside.(flush)
what do you mean a ghost code 0304? im getting that along with a 0303(front left heated 02)
what do you mean a ghost code 0304? im getting that along with a 0303(front left heated 02)
11-05-2005, 05:06 AM
#34
Originally Posted by mjb95maxse
what do you mean a ghost code 0304? im getting that along with a 0303(front left heated 02)
Ghost code = a code that does not trip a cel light but is stored in the ecu. If you didnt have you o2 code, your cel would not be light up, but if you pulled codes, you'd get an 0304. Since you have the o2 code, you'll find both the ks code as well as the o2 code.
11-05-2005, 07:11 AM
#35
Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 90
Originally Posted by mjb95maxse
polish the outside, and port the inside.(flush)
11-05-2005, 07:33 AM
#36
man... I must have done something wrong.... all i did was get a u-joint and extension, shine a light down there and slap the socket on the bolt and pull it off. put the bolt through the new KS and shove it back down there.. took me 5 minutes. serriously... did I forget something?
11-05-2005, 07:50 AM
#37
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally Posted by the_3d_man
man... I must have done something wrong.... all i did was get a u-joint and extension, shine a light down there and slap the socket on the bolt and pull it off. put the bolt through the new KS and shove it back down there.. took me 5 minutes. serriously... did I forget something?
11-09-2005, 04:17 PM
#38
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 27
Originally Posted by 99Automagic
It's only the people that own a 99 cali spec that ends up running into trouble. Even with the swirl valve control actuator in the way on the 99 cali spec, you should not have to remove the IM. I personally did not.
I suddenly got depressed that I couldn't even see the damn thing to save my life! I flashed lights in the area where the KS should be located but to no avail. I traced the sub-harness but it leads to somewhere below the manifold.
I thought I've read in the posts that the KS is visible, although not readily. I thought I was armed with all the info needed to replace the KS.
I just ordered a service manual only to find out that it recommends taking out the manifold.
Can anybody confirm that the KS can be seen on a 99 Cali Spec Max?
Thanks.