Found a good source for the knock sensor for our cars - thought I would share the news and link. If this violates any forum rules definitely let me know and I’ll remove the post. I am not affiliated with this company at all, but can confirm I placed the order a within a half hour later it was processed so parts are in stock for the time being.

https://conceptzperformance.com/nissan- ... patibility

I've talked on the phone with those guys. They seem legit, although they could not help me find what I was looking for.
Specifically on the KS, the keys are that they have the UNISIA stamp (JECS UNISIA was the OE supplier to Nissan), AND the hamburger logo, AND if possible, the original Nissan box or poly bag with a bar code that YOU can scan and verify 22060-30P00 pops up on the bar code scan (not just the part label). The picture in the link above shows that the first two of 3 criteria are met, unsure about the latter, but might be worth a phone call.
There are a lot of fleabay fakes out there. stickers are easy to laser print.

3Q Jay wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 24, 2021 9:06 am

I've talked on the phone with those guys. They seem legit, although they could not help me find what I was looking for.
Specifically on the KS, the keys are that they have the UNISIA stamp (JECS UNISIA was the OE supplier to Nissan), AND the hamburger logo, AND if possible, the original Nissan box or poly bag with a bar code that YOU can scan and verify 22060-30P00 pops up on the bar code scan (not just the part label). The picture in the link above shows that the first two of 3 criteria are met, unsure about the latter, but might be worth a phone call.
There are a lot of fleabay fakes out there. stickers are easy to laser print.

All great points, I can confirm the UNISIA stamp and hamburger logo as the pictures suggested - came in a sealed poly bubble bag with a Nissan genuine parts label (sticker) and verified the bar code registers as the correct part #. All in all I’m happy with their service as I received my order 18 hours from the time I submitted the order with standard shipping (granted I live all but 1 hour away from them, but still impressive that I submitted my order at 4PM and they managed to get it to the post office and in my hands today at 10AM).

My current knock sensors are not giving me any codes or trouble, but at 123k miles and doing a plenum/valve cover refresh it seems like I was better off doing preventative maintenance and keeping the current set as a backup since I was under there anyways.

Forgot to mention I am happy to provide photos if anyone needs further peace of mind before ordering.

I think I'd also be fairly comfortable taking a chance on the Hitachi knock sensors on Rock Auto for $37.99. I know they drop ship alternators right out of Hitachi's facility in KY, so I would hope the channel for knock sensors is as legitimate. Counterfeits are so common with these.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... cKJ%2BJ%2B

Thats an awesome price on the knocks, Heath!
Interesting that they are sold as Hitachi, yet the photos do indeed show the JECS UNISIA stampings. Did Hitachi buy out JECS? In picture #3 of 5, it also would appear that the hamburger has been buffed off. This would not surprise me, very common on my German OE parts that buff off the audi rings as they are not sold under the Audi brand, however very often they do still come with the Audi part number stamped on the part.
I don't know if it's Tech lore or verified fact, but I remember he used to chide that if they burnished off the hamburger it's because they did not meet Nissan QA (quality assurance) specification and were therefore "seconds".
Hey--related but slightly different question: have you actually purchased the RA sold drop ship hitachi rebuild? Wondering does the alternator case have the nissan hamburger stamp on the rear bearing cover?

3Q Jay wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 26, 2021 11:46 am

I don't know if it's Tech lore or verified fact, but I remember he used to chide that if they burnished off the hamburger it's because they did not meet Nissan QA (quality assurance) specification and were therefore "seconds".

Lots of stuff like that is "gray market", where the OEM subcontractor that made the part for Nissan is marketing the stuff directly on the side. Treatment of things like that is very lax in parts of the Far East, and much of it filters through to here. So the gray market isn't exactly counterfeit, but also not exactly above-board.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 26, 2021 1:32 pm

Lots of stuff like that is "gray market", where the OEM subcontractor that made the part for Nissan is marketing the stuff directly on the side.

It's not "gray market", it's common practice worldwide for parts manufacturers to sell the same parts to the public that they produce for car makers. You can purchase Bosch, Hella, Lemforder, etc. for German vehicles without going through a dealer for them, same with Denso, Aisin, and scores of other OEM brands for Japanese vehicles. For GM vehicles you can get Delco parts, although you have to make sure you get the correct part as they make several different parts "grades" - the highest quality is what meets GM specs, but they have lower quality level "consumer grade" parts available for the same application as well.

3Q Jay wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 26, 2021 11:46 am

This would not surprise me, very common on my German OE parts that buff off the audi rings as they are not sold under the Audi brand, however very often they do still come with the Audi part number stamped on the part.

Ryantzer wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 27, 2021 4:54 pm

It's not "gray market", it's common practice worldwide for parts manufacturers to sell the same parts to the public that they produce for car makers.

Stuff with the OE markings buffed out, which was made for the OE but not sold under the label of either the OE or the licensed manufacturer, is gray market. Bosch can buff out Bosch markings and market under their own name, but that's rarely done, a mold insert is far less labor intensive. For the most part, it only occurs in cases of gross over-production. Nor can the licensee sell such parts as "genuine OE", that makes them legally counterfeit even if the source is legitimate. Parts made for a different market with possibly-different specifications and then imported to another market by a third party are also considered gray, even though they generally have a real OE label. Many Mexico and Far East parts reach the US that way and are sold as genuine at deep discount, even though they may not meet specs for the US market. Lots of all those scenarios go on, even though most of them are borderline-legal at best.

To be precise....I should have said "my German OEM parts". They are sold as OEM, not genuine Audi.
peace

Is it possible to confirm the current knock sensors on the car are good? I have confirmed the knock sensor connectors have continuity - and prior to maintenance the ecu found no codes via an OBDII reader that pointed towards faulty knock sensors. Just trying to confirm whether it’s worth shelving the old ones as a backup or not.

Y33TJPN wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:47 pm

Is it possible to confirm the current knock sensors on the car are good?

Knocks are completely passive piezoelectric devices, i.e., they turn mechanical energy directly into electricity. You might notice on a wiring diagram that the only ground on them is a shield and there's no power supply. That's because the "tuned" piezo element simply produces a "spike" in response to the specific audio frequency for detonation, while ignoring all other frequencies. For you audiophiles out there, it's basically the equivalent of a very narrow notch filter. However, since piezos are only responsive to mechanical energy, there's really no way to verify they're working other than to make your engine detonate. You can check if they're open-circuit using an ohmmeter, but that won't necessarily verify that they're working properly.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 28, 2021 9:22 pm

Y33TJPN wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:47 pm

Is it possible to confirm the current knock sensors on the car are good?

Knocks are completely passive piezoelectric devices, i.e., they turn mechanical energy directly into electricity. You might notice on a wiring diagram that the only ground on them is a shield and there's no power supply. That's because the "tuned" piezo element simply produces a "spike" in response to the specific audio frequency for detonation, while ignoring all other frequencies. For you audiophiles out there, it's basically the equivalent of a very narrow notch filter. However, since piezos are only responsive to mechanical energy, there's really no way to verify they're working other than to make your engine detonate. You can check if they're open-circuit using an ohmmeter, but that won't necessarily verify that they're working properly.

As always your insight is appreciated by me and the Q you are helping keep on the road!

You're welcome as always!

I would also add that while the device is completely passive, it is subject to heat cycle ageing and ultimately cracking. Many of the knox I've removed can ohm in the 400k-600k range, but have visual signs of cracked case, etc. some will throw code 33 and some won't.
If you are going into the engine valley, especially after more than 10 years and/or 100k miles, I'd definitely replace them (with the good stuff).
I imagine your PHX summers have beat the crap out of them, would be surprised if they are NOT cracked, unless previously changed without you having a record of it.

3Q Jay wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 01, 2021 8:24 am

I would also add that while the device is completely passive, it is subject to heat cycle ageing and ultimately cracking. Many of the knox I've removed can ohm in the 400k-600k range, but have visual signs of cracked case, etc. some will throw code 33 and some won't.

Yep, the casings are mostly high-temp epoxy, durable but not invulnerable. The silicon can age as well, throwing the device off frequency and essentially making it useless.