dsmisfits

So heres the deal. I work with an older lady, she owns a 1997 Es 300. Recently she has been taking the car to Lexus to get fixed. She is out of money and needs the check engine taken care of. I put it on the scanner and the code is PO330. Now I see this is related to a ignition system or ignition misfire. Now, ever one seems to point at the Knock Senor. My question is does anyone have a good write up? What does this involve to fix? Also, what would she expect to pay for a local indie shop instead of the dealer?

rkuelbs

The P0330 code is caused by a missing signal from the #2 Knock Sensor. Both knock sensors are located in the engine's valley, underneath the intake manifold. They connect to a short jumper harness that then connects to the main engine harness.

Due to the heat in this area of the engine, the harness will generally crack or fall apart when removing the knock sensors. Also, the labor to remove the intake manifold (as well as the cost of intake manifold gaskets, etc) will generally make it a smart move to replace both sensors together. Most mechanics will thus recommend the replacement of both sensors as well as the wiring harness. At the very least, be prepared to replace the #2 sensor as well as the wiring harness (nothing will make you less happy than replacing the sensor, bolting everything back together, and getting another DTC due to a broken harness).