Working on my wife's 2001 Town and Country 3.8 V6 when I spotted a broken sensor(?) in the block, back firewall side below the take down exhaust tube. I know its been broken for a while but everything seems to function correctly.....for the most part. No codes, gauges seem okay, starts, runs, idles. Kind of not important (to me) at the moment as I was in the middle of replacing the power steering rack and the upstream 02 sensor (which is stripped or cross threaded ) and the downstream 02 sensor both taken out by the groundhog along with two spark plug wires, The PS rack replacement is a major PIA. Thanks in advance and here are the sensor photos and location. Though it might be a crankshaft sensor or temp sensor of some kind but can't find anything that looks close to it online?

Thanks again.

Mike

spark knock / detonation sensor

EXTREMELY common for them to be broken

IMO, dont worry about it .

THANKS Bill, that's it. I guess there wasn't any real noticeable negatives maybe because my wife and I always use the higher grade fuels? Then again maybe not as our hearing is getting worse with age


Thanks again,

Mike

That part was to tell the computer a spark knock was happening so it would reduce the timing a bit. The spark knock would have to be pretty bad to hear it inside the car. I also agree, I wouldn't worry about it much. Gene

Thanks again guys. Thinking back and not knowing when it broke there is a situation that nine out of ten times happens at the same spot just getting off of a 70 mph highway exit that I have chased for some time. After about ten or more miles of highway driving we pull off on a slight uphill grade off ramp to a stop sign and make an also slightly uphill grade left turn over the overpass,. The van will hesitate slightly or even badly and only lifting or feathering the throttle will stop the hesitation. Do you think this might be a fault of a broken or bad knock sensor? I checked and the knock sensor is around $62 on average

Thanks,

Mike

that hesitation problem sounds more like a fuel issue, but could be the knock sensor NOT sending info to the PCM.
without looking at a live data stream from a scanner, i'm just guessing out loud.

On a 2005 Chrysler T&C there is a TSB about ethanol in gasoline causing a fuel vent system part to swell,
which results in hesitation and stalling when the gasoline tank is full due to an over-rich mixture.
I seem to remember Dodge Magnums having the same issue.
I do not know if it goes back to year 2001.