Howdy. I've lurked here for a long time but IIRC, this is my first post. Please pardon any transgressions. A few of you may know me as Mikelowe93 in the Miata Forum with my 94 turbo Miata. A few of you may know my cousin Dave Poedel in AZ who goes by Padre Dave on some PT sites. But I digress....
This morning, my PT lit its check engine light on the way to work. Of course I pulled over for a bit and did a cursory check of the worst case stuff like oil level, coolant, loose gas cap, etc. Things looked OK so I drove to work.
During lunch, I did a search here and learned how to pull codes. I did the routine and got a P0325 OBD-II error code. Much thanks to the folks here for the OBD-II info (specifically a Canadian aliased as Punch).
Per
http://www.ptcruiserlinks.com/forum/...?TOPIC_ID=4271 ,
P0325 = Knock Sensor 1 Circuit (Bank 1 or Single Sensor).
A search of this forum turns up only the page linked above (of course).
OK then. Knock Sensor 1 Circuit (Bank 1 or Single Sensor). Well, that's very descriptive. I can think of several possibilities.
1. Is the circuit fried?
2. Did I get knock once too often?
3. Did I get a bad tank of gas?
4. Is the circuit not fried but working on it?
5. Is the sensor just unplugged / loose?
6. Insert other idea here.
I'll try to offer some info and answers. The weather was cool but not cold. It's seen <40 degrees F lately. It was maybe 60 F this AM. The car is a 5-speed GT with nearly 8000 miles on it. It was built on March 03, 2003 but it was held for quite a while before delivery in May. It was used/dynoed about 45-46 miles. I think I was one of the guinea pigs for the improved ECU programming I've heard rumors about.
The car has been on 93 octane since the first fillup. The engine performance has been great since then and is still fine today. It's loving the cool air here. Yes even Texas gets cool eventually. The car's been on Mobil 1 for a while.
It never showed any signs of problems when the GF and I thrashed it hard in the Arkansas mountains a month ago. That trip is the only real thrashing the car has received. I usually use the Miata for autocrossing/track running/thrashing/etc. The PT is a great tire hauler!
Following the numbers above:
1. Is it fried? I hope not. I really yearn to deal with the dealership. (satire alert) It's a good thing my office is a block from Ron Carter Chrysler/Hummer/Chevy/everything in Alvin, TX. Does anyone local know if they have a clue? I only know of one other GT owner around here (Steve03GT, IIRC).
2. The car's been on 93 octane exclusively. I have never heard knock. I know what it sounds like since I have a (usually) highly tuned & boosted Miata with a turbo kit (FM II for those in the know). I know knock well and I know how to stop it. Of course, the PT is so very quiet vs. the Miata.
3. Bad gas? Hmm, it's about time for a transition in gas formulation. This is the first cool weather for the PT since I got it in May. The car still runs/boosts well but I didn't go flat out today since the car isn't 100%. It's not in any limp-home mode. I've used this one gas station a few times. It's a regular Shell station. I stay away from non-major-brand places.
4. I hate transitory sensor issues. Ugh!
5. Where is/are the knock sensor(s)? I've been under the car a few times but I've never hunted specifically for a knock sensor. My Miata has its aftermarket kit knock sensor on an engine mount. Does Chrysler do something similar with PTs? I guess I should get a service manual.
6. Input help here.
Any help is appreciated. A search didn't help me here. I really was hoping my PT would have better reliability than usual for Chrysler. I really hope this is a fluke thing. My girlfriend is really getting to like the PT and she wants one. I can't have her in an unreliable car though.