I have an 02 Chevy Malibu (65,000 miles, V6, 3.1L) and the check engine light has been off and on for the last three months (maybe 1x a week for a few miles then it goes off). It has now been on steady since Thursday morning, so I took it in today to get the diagnostics test on it and it said these codes:

P0327 Knock sensor 1 circuit low input bank 1
P0717 Turbine/Input shaft speed sensor no signal

Does anyone have any ideas on how hard these are to change? My bf is great with cars and can probably do it, but he can't look at it til this weekend, and I'm wanting to figure out whether these things would best be fixed by a garage for way more money than just the parts. I know these sensors dont cost much and the labor is the big part, but I dont know how hard they'd be for my bf to take care of. Any experience with these problems?

btw, my inspection is due this month and my car is beginning to drive slightly rough with some hesitation (which is typical for the first problem listed)

Thanks!

8/8/2006 7:05:05 PM

for your first code, a loose knock sensor is usually the cause, but if it has cycled several times, it will probably need to be replaced, and the 717, is often a wiring harness problem that involves a lengthy diagnosis by a skilled technician

8/8/2006 7:16:10 PM

i guess my main question is how hard is it to change the knock sensor? the mechanic said that if that is changed, then the check engine light might go off and we wont have to change the other one, at least in order for me to pass inspection... now whether that causes engine damage, i didn't ask...

8/8/2006 7:23:03 PM

with an 01+ only one dtc is allowed to pass, so if you replace the knock sensor, and drive it until it clears, then it may pass, the knock sensor is easy to get to, its right above the oil filter with the single wire connector on it



[Edited on August 8, 2006 at 7:26 PM. Reason : be careful with the sensor, if you drop the new one, it's ruined]

[Edited on August 8, 2006 at 7:27 PM. Reason : and check to be sure the wire isnt melted onto the exhaust manifold]

8/8/2006 7:25:41 PM

yes it does look relatively easy to get to, i got the haynes book, haha... i'm wondering why the part is ~40-50 but the cost of replacement at the mechanics was $230+... i think we're going to tackle this one ourselves, thanks for your help

8/8/2006 9:19:13 PM

^

Probably because you're female. I've become extremely distrustful of garages after the last round of car repairs within the family—we were quoted parts prices over TWICE dealer retail counter quote.

8/8/2006 9:47:53 PM

Quote :

"we were quoted parts prices over TWICE dealer retail counter quote."

Most, if not all, shops do this kind of thing. Seriously, this day and time, it's pretty hard to make a decent profit margin on labor alone...most of you have no idea what kind of overhead a shop has to deal with. It's HUGE, especially if you want to remain competitive in the market.

One solution is to mark up parts and make some profit on those as well. Sometimes, that's also to cover the shop's investment in time and effort to procure the parts.

That's the way it goes. As far as buying your own parts to take and have installed? NOT a good move. For one, many shops won't use your parts. It's a liability and warranty thing. I'm not going to guarantee the repair if I use parts of questionable origin. Also...if the part YOU supply fails and somebody gets injured or killed, are you gonna hold me liable for something over which I had little to no control?

If a shop does use the parts you bring them...you can pretty much guarantee a higher labor cost.

8/9/2006 12:24:42 AM

^ especially if they have to warranty the part and labor.

However, the quote I got for the 30000 mile service on my car was $300...fuck that. And that was their "mini" 30000 mile service. I just assumed it wouldn't be much more than an oil change. I called them up and scheduled it and before I got off the phone I asked how much it would be. THEN they told me they have 2 services; $300 and $419. I'm sure they would have gone ahead and done the $419 without asking.

8/9/2006 6:56:41 AM

ok, we put in a new knock sensor a few hours ago and not a single thing has changed. think its a bad sensor or wires or maybe thats not the problem???? i'm frustrated!

8/12/2006 7:42:06 PM

Kind of a dur question, but did you disconnect the battery for a little while?

8/13/2006 3:10:39 AM

Quote :

"ok, we put in a new knock sensor a few hours ago and not a single thing has changed. think its a bad sensor or wires or maybe thats not the problem???? i'm frustrated!"

You're either gonna have to reset the ECM or drive a sufficient number of drive cycles for the light to go off.

8/13/2006 5:17:11 AM

ok, but disregarding the light... shouldn't the car run better immediately?

8/13/2006 10:37:57 AM