Knock sensor wiring question

So I mistakenly pulled the knock sensor on my '88 XJ when I was trying to pull the temperature sensor (local shop said it was throwing a code for being bad) and now I want to make sure I re-install it correctly.

To get to the clips that hold the plug to the sensor I had to spin the sensor, which twisted the wire awkwardly. Once I got the sensor unplugged and out I noticed there was a loose silver wire with some sort of gold-looking tape wrapped around it (not insulated with rubber like normal wires) and it looked like it had been crimped/pinched on or around something but I'm not sure what (it was part of the same wiring loom). Where does this wire go, and what should I do about the gold-looking tape that's starting to unravel/fall off?

I'm really hoping it wasn't supposed to be part of the plug its self...

FWIW I searched, all I learned from that was to tighten the sucker down to 88ft/lbs and loc-tite it. Which explains why it took some muscle to get off.

Bump...

Anyone?

The plastic cover is missing from your knock sensor.

The knock sensor wiring is covered with gold foil as a shield to prevent false signals from being induced into the computer. There should be a ground wire attached to the foil as a "current drain".

tugalo said:

The knock sensor wiring is covered with gold foil as a shield to prevent false signals from being induced into the computer. There should be a ground wire attached to the foil as a "current drain".

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Exactly, but where does that wire go? That is, there's two wires that go to a plug that attaches to the knock sensor and there's one wire (the ground I guess) wrapped with foil but it doesn't go into the plug that attaches to the knock sensor for me.

the wire that is attached to the foil should be grounded. Make yourself a ground wire with alligator clips on both ends and attach it to ground and to the foil.

tugalo said:

the wire that is attached to the foil should be grounded. Make yourself a ground wire with alligator clips on both ends and attach it to ground and to the foil.

Click to expand...

Hmmm...do you by chance know how it was grounded before?

I didn't happen to notice where it went.

IIRC it is grounded at the other end of the wiring, and nothing needs to connect to it at the sensor end.

kastein said:

IIRC it is grounded at the other end of the wiring, and nothing needs to connect to it at the sensor end.

Click to expand...

So does it just hang loose at the end?

It hangs "free" at the sensor end. Just tape it up to keep from unraveling if you've lost part of the insulation.

FWIW, I've been running without a functioning knock sensor for a few years now.

Saudade said:

It hangs "free" at the sensor end. Just tape it up to keep from unraveling if you've lost part of the insulation.

FWIW, I've been running without a functioning knock sensor for a few years now.

Click to expand...

That simple ehh? Nice. Thanks!