The answer is, yes. Once the function of a knock sensor is shifted, many drawbacks are likely to happen, such as a digression of the engine performance. Knock sensor is very important because it works as the ear to your car’s computer, in which it will detect unusual sounds or vibrations through the engine detonation.
When this happens, those small internal vibrations will be caught up and the knock sensor will automatically deliver a voltage signal, in which the control module will be triggered to adjust the timing of ignition. In other words, the knock sensor functions to make sure that your engine works accordingly and is protected from any kind of harms during the trip.
If you are still questioning about can we drive a car with a bad knock sensor, you have to be aware of this danger before you try it out. Once the knock sensor is damaged, or worse, broken, a dip will occur for every time you accelerate your car. The inner side of the engine will get hotter as there will be a malfunction in emission production. Shortly, the output of your car will not work as it should be. That being said, rather than wondering about can we drive a car with a bad knock sensor, it will be better to make sure the brake and knock sensor are functioning well to avoid a car accident. If you have no idea on how to differentiate a bad knock sensor, here are a few indications you might learn.
The easiest thing is to measure through the engine performance. If it cannot accelerate as fast and smooth as it used to be, you might need to check whether or not the knock sensor has worn out. Maybe you can go on a test drive and feel if at a specific speed it does not feel right. Or you can also try to bring heavy load on the trunk, if it feels off, you can see the engine light checker. A bad knock sensor usually has a tendency to turn the lights off without any reason.
Other symptoms are a drastic fuel reduction, in which you will often find your car’s fuel draining faster than it usually is. Aside of that, when your knock sensor is damaged, you will often hear loud knocking sounds from the engine for every drive. This happens because the sound filter is crashed, so it is not able to transmit the unusual vibrations.
In some worse cases, a bad knock sensor can also cause damages to your engine. However, this might be the last thing you want to ever happen, considering how terrible it can be to have a busted engine. The cost to buy a new knock sensor is much more affordable than the entire engine. The answer to the question can we drive a car with a bad knock sensor is definitely a yes, but it is not recommended at all for safety reasons.
