Aftermarket knock sensor for Rover V-8

Contact the people at

and they can help you out or even do the work for you if you're not too sure what to do.

Not really much help. They're nowhere near me.

Presumably the mod consists of an additional boss on the block casting drilled and tapped to suit the sensor.

Can you not fit an adaptor as I suggested, in the same place as the manufacturers have done with the later block? TBH I can't see the position being critical. Sound travels through steel eztremely well. If the V8 only has one sensor, that would appear to support that idea. Even so, I would have thought a sensor on each bank might be better.

One type

That was the type I thought you'd be using, as the thread for the retaining bolt can be a nominal size. Probably 6mm. Mike.

I presume so.

Thing is I'll be changing the engine shortly so don't want to go to too much trouble with this one. So something that just bolts on would be more convenient. The construction guide for the ignition unit shows a sensor mounted on a bracket attached to the cylinder head as a suggestion - but not with 'my' engine of course. I was just hoping someone had already found a solution with this particular engine.

My thoughts too. Although you may need to keep it clear of the valve gear noise.

It's all ally. ;-)

There are two. But the solution for one will apply to both. FWIW some modern inline designs use more than one sensor.

The other common type is a bit like an oil pressure switch and screws into a threaded hole.

The thing is, generally with screwed into a blind hole KS, you have to do them up to a specific torque, as tightness affects the frequency range that it 'hears', or rather doesnt hear.

A bolt on one may be less than useless...

Tim..

Ah. Now I understand the problem. My suggestion is not practical if the engine is still in the car.I can see now why you're thinking in terms of a using a bracket. or glueing something. How about an ally disc or a plate of at least 1 square inch in area, about 10mm thick. Predrilled and tapped for the sensor, and glued to the block, using a metal based epoxy. Something like this :-

[www_modelsforsale_com]Providing the gluing area on the block is clean, and the platehas a reasonable area, it should be strong enough to stay putwhilst the sensor is bolted on.

I knew that. Must be old age creeping up. :-) But ally is a good sound conductor as well.

That type is not as practical to fit, using my idea of inserts. The threaded hole will almost certainly be larger, meaning the screwed in adaptor would need a bigger dia thread in the block to keep it compact. Another problem with the screw in type, could be the thread itself. If it's something like 1/8 BSP, no problem, but if it's an oddball thread, there is the problem of finding a suitable tap. Mike.

Great - other thing being if it doesn't work too well due to the positioning there's little lost.

I've bought a 'hole in the middle' type off Ebay so will work with that.

Now you have managed to confuse me, yes I know it's easily done :-))

If it doesn't work too well surely that will confuse the ECU and it won't set the timing correctly? Presumably you either have another ECU or the one you do have knows when it has a knock sensor connected.

If it helps, let me know what the thread size is for the sensor bolt, and I'll knock you up a pair of plates. No charge. It's only a 5 minute job with the right equipment. Mike.

I meant that drilling holes in the block is sort of final. Gluing on a lump of ally isn't - if the position is wrong it can be moved.

The sensor is just an eye - as it were - that the bolt goes through so no thread involved. Thanks again for the offer - I'll have to look at the proposed position to see what's the best arrangement. I have some ally plate so can probably knock something up here.

Right, I've caught up with you now, carry on :-)

That might apply if you were fixing it to a glued bracket, but surely it's better if it's bolted directly to a flat plate glued to the block. That would give a much more solid fixing, and is why I suggested the plate would need to be quite thick. Say 8-10 mm. Mike.

just a thought but what about what about the one on the APC equipped saab 900 turbo models.

Don't know the fitting feasability but it is a single bolt mounting and

3 pin plug for both Lucas and Bosch LH. Is there a bolt that could be extended through a block mounted accessory? Something on the front or the back of the block rather than on one or the other bank might allow the use of one sensor to be used at least for a test fit.

Well, you could wire it to an led and wire it up as a tell tale first to see what knock you are getting surely.

Elder gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

It's bolted to a cast boss, IIRC.

The thing that makes me wonder about the feasibility is that the Saab documentation is _very_ particular about the fitting - even down to the rotational angle the sensor has to be fitted to the block at.

Turbo models use a different type due to the pressure generated by the turbo - although it's possible the electronics in my unit have enough adjustment to cope.

I think that's similar to the one I've got - it has a central hole that a bolt goes through.