2015 F150 Ecoboost 3.5L knock sensor

[mjskidd]

Does anyone know if you need to remove the intake manifold to change the knock sensor?  Check engine light came on in my truck and dealership said a pack rat ate at a knock sensor wire and they claim to need to remove the intake to change it.  They said about a 9hr job.  I think they only looked at it for about 15 minutes and it didn't seem like the service writer was too confident in this info.  My fear is an inexperienced tech tearing apart my new truck and me having trouble with it down the road. 

I was also wondering if anyone might have the knock sensor wiring diagram I could get so I could look at the wires and see if there really is a problem. 

Thanks for any help!

[AJP turbo]

Have any mods?

What was the dtc?..9 hours damn lol...sometimes the knock sensors are in the intake valley and sometimes they are on the outside of the heads

[SHOdded]

You mean F150, right?  Per the FSM for the 2013 (probably same on 2015), you DO have to remove the lower intake manifold to get to the knock sensor.

Knock Sensor (KS)
NOTE: It is necessary to remove the lower intake manifold to access the Knock Sensor (KS). For additional information, refer to Section 303-01A .
NOTE: LH cylinder head removed in graphic for clarity.

Item  Part Number  Description 
1  —  Knock Sensor (KS) electrical connector (part of 12C508) 
2  12A699  KS 
3  W704749  KS bolt (2 required) 

[glock-coma]

Looks like SHOdded beat me to it.
This is for the transverse engine.

Post 31 in this thread.

Chaffed Knock Sensor Wires....
http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php?topic=554

[ZSHO]

Did you purchase the truck recently?it sounds like you purchased a 15 leftover which probably sat at the dealer for quite sometime along with a punk ass rat by its side!!,How do you know this wasnt caused at the dealer!!What DTC'S do you have? also 9hrs labor sounds a bit excessive.IMO.  Z

[mjskidd]

Thanks for the feed back and the pic of the knock sensor!  I bought the truck brand new and have had it about 10 months. No mods and there was a little evidence of some pack rate chewing but I checked all the wiring harness real close and haven't seen any wires anywhere that have been chewed on. 

It looks like from this diagram that the wires exit the back of the intake manifold.  I read in another post that the wires were on the driver side between the air intake plumbing.  Is this where I should look for the knock sensor wires? 

Thanks again. 

[ZSHO]

Do you have any pic's of the engine bay?you should have a harness/connector at both locations similiar to this.  Z     http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=2603726&cc=3308773&jsn=672

[mjskidd]

I'll try and locate that connector and take some pics.  Do you guys know if it hurts to drive the truck with the knock sensor not working?  I'm planning a 1200 miles trip and was wondering if I should not drive it before I get this fixed. 

[BiGMaC]

Knocking (predetonation) can of course damage an engine severely... What is the likelihood... Dunno.  It's why the ECU adjusts to the input, at least up to +/- 7 degrees of timing. I personally would not take a long trip with varied fuel an environmental conditions without having the system working. JMO.

[SHOdded]

x2 on what BiGMac says.  A) you would HAVE to keep out of the throttle, and B) EB engines are very tightly controlled, so taking away the knock sensor takes away a major amount of safety margin.  Yes, nothing may happen, but better to take a rental for the trip if you can instead, or borrow a friend/family member's ride.

[mjskidd]

Thanks for the feedback guys.