What happens when a knock sensor goes bad?

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asked Aug 21, 2019 in Repairs/Maintenance by Springcircle (300 points)
What happens when a knock sensor goes bad?

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answered Aug 21, 2019 by Mechanic21 (29,150 points)
A knock sensors job on a cars engine is to detect pulsations that are unusual during the detonation process of the engine.

If the knock sensor detects any unusual knocking in the engine the knock sensor will tell the vehicles computer to retard the engine timing to stop and prevent the knocking in the engine.

The most common symptom of a knock sensor failure is pinging and or diminished acceleration of the vehicle and possible loss of engine power because the engine is not timing correctly.

You may also notice smooth acceleration when going down the road or highway but you might also be seeing a decrease in your gas mileage.

So if you notice any of the above symptoms or a decrease in fuel mileage then having the knock sensor checked out would be a good idea.

The knock sensor is usually not that expensive and are usually pretty easy to replace on most vehicles.

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