Knock Sensors On 2002 Silverado 5.3l

paull390 · March 8, 2009

I have a 2002 Silverado 1500, V8, 5.3L with the Service Engine Light on. A local repair shop pulled the codes—P0332. They found water intrusion and replaced both sensors, sealing the knock sensors with RTV according the bulletin. Four days later the Service Engine Soon Light came back on and I returned the truck to the shop. The same code came-up. They checked it out and said the knock sensors were within resistance tolerances and working fine. They sent me to the Dealer as they did not know what was wrong. The dealer diagnosed the problem as a faulty wiring harness going to the knock sensors. The Dealer said the 1week old knock sensors were probably fried and need to be replaced. I returned the truck to the local shop and they replaced a wiring harness. They tested the resistance on the sensors again and insisted they do not need to be replaced. Now 2 days later, the Service Engine Light is back on.

Any suggestions on next steps?

MarkD · March 8, 2009

Did they remove the intake to check the sensors individually?

killterrorists · March 8, 2009

I had that same problem with the knock sensors on my 2001 5.3L and I just started using 89 octane or higher gas instead of 87 octane and the problem went away after a tank or two of

gas. I now run 89 or 91 octane gas and I haven't had the problem reappear. My truck supposedly has a performance tune but I don't know what kind so that may have been a factor.

Sometimes asking around can save you alot of money and unneeded repairs. Try running a higher octane gas and see what happens after a tank or two. I don't remember if I used a scan

tool to turn off the SEL or if it just reset itself.