salimshah

The mechanic may give you a break. The only common thing is the coolant or portion of the coolant.

Salim

USPILOT

Hi Salim, and forum group,

First off, thank you for all you provide to the forum, the information is always detailed and extremely helpful!

Wondering if you can guide me on something... I just changed out my two knock sensors and valve cover gaskets (front/rear) and everything is back together. Car started beautifully and no CELs. However; when I took it for a test drive, I immediately noticed that my transmission stuttered going into gears 2 and 3 (it was like jerk,skip and another jerk, skip, then went into gear). The transmission was fine the morning before I did the project.

I researched through many sites, and sounds like I may have missed a ground wire, or the wire is not connected well. I double checked the wires on the side of the Plenum towards the back (there are two rings connected there and are tight) and I then reach my hand through the opening on the Plenum and throttle body and could feel the other ground attached to the back of the plenum, and it is tight... First question, is there another ground somewhere? Is there something connected to the back valve cover that I didn't notice when I took off? Is there a ground on backside screw that holds the throttle body? (I don't have any wire there at least that I can see?)

Some other things I have check and tried:

I double checked the connectors that I took off the VVT solenoid and looks good and correct. I did them one at a time so could never cross them.
I numbered all the vacuum hoses, and they all look correct
Some also mentioned that I should reset the ECM, which I did, but no change.

Not sure if this helps, but when I had everything apart and was cleaning up for the day, I wanted to check my Odometer to put on my timing belt sticker from when I did that project couple of weeks ago... Not thinking, I put the key in the ignition and turned to ACC... I bet that threw a bunch of codes to the ECM! Now, I'm not sure if that has maybe done something by doing that?

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!

USPILOT

QUICK UPDATE:

I thought I would go back (again) and double checked all the grounds, which I cleaned and reconnected. I also found that on the lower intake, I loosened a bolt that goes to the fuel rail during original disassembly (thinking it was needed to remove the lower intake manifold but was not) I retightened. And finally, rechecked all the connections which looked good. During all of this, I pulled the negative terminal on the battery and also pulled the ECU fuse.

Put it all back together, and now WORKS FINE!

Love this forum, really allows me the confidence to take on these complex projects! THANK YOU TO ALL!

salimshah

Would the next person keep list of how many grounds at each location are disconnected and list them in this DIY.
I vaguely remember seeing a picture/diafram of ground of engine block.

Salim

Bmore

salimshah

Knock sensor issue is ignition/timing and indicated by GEL.

Salim

Bmore

salimshah

Did the assembly go right with fresh gaskets.
Check for bubbles in the coolant.

Salim

Bmore

Bmore

salimshah

AIC and IMA have large gasket with many holes to keep coolant/oil/air passages. People can be tempted to re-use the old, but they should be replaced with new and the during assembly the part must be torqued to spec to prevent intermixing.

Salim

jwigley

I have the P0330 code.

I pulled the code after the check engine light and VSC lights popped up a few days ago.

Today on my way in to work, my car stopped shifting into the highest gear and was revving high around 45mph while on the freeway. Would the knock sensor be responsible for this?

salimshah

0330 is a knock sensor code.

You can try clearing the code and see if it reappears.

Salim

ChrisMau

Salim - I just want to say THANK YOU. My Lexus has been rotting in the driveway for a year without being able to get smogged. I took the plunge this labor day and did this repair using your excellent write-up. It took me 8 hours but it's done. Your rundown is still super helpful and gave me the insight I needed to get the job done. The car passed smog and is driving so much better. I'll admit I'm a little paranoid I didn't torque the intake down properly or made some other mistake that will manifest into critical engine failure, or maybe some other new problem is waiting just around the corner, but for now I am pleased. The car is back on the road. I"m grateful. Cheers.

p.s. I found the 8mm Hex Key to be work instead of the torx bit. Also for the tricky hidden intake bold I put small adaptor bit in a 1/4" drive socket and then used a 1/4" gear wrench to loosen the bolt. The combo has a much lower profile and is stuff most mechanics have on hand. Works like a charm.

salimshah

Great it is fixed and you opted for repair.

Any one who takes the plunge, please amasser the question "How many wires are connected to ground by the bolt/screw between the intake and the firewall?"

This will help other in not missing any ground when they put it back.

Salim