P0324
Knock Control System Error
- Severity
- Medium
- Driving
- Drivable — book it in
The knock control system as a whole has faulted, without the module naming a particular sensor. Knock control listens for detonation and retards ignition timing to prevent it; with the system unavailable the module retards timing as a blanket precaution, which protects the engine at the cost of power and fuel economy.
Possible causes
- CommonFailed knock sensor or its wiring
- CommonSensor loose or incorrectly torqued to the block
- PossibleGenuine engine noise the system cannot distinguish from knock
- PossiblePoor fuel quality causing real detonation
- PossibleInterference on the sensor wiring
- RareFailed control module knock processing
What you might notice
- Noticeably less power, especially under load
- Worse fuel economy
- Pinging or knocking under acceleration
- Check engine light on
What to check, in order
- Read all codes. A specific knock sensor code alongside this one names the component and makes this one redundant.
- Try a tank of the fuel grade the manufacturer specifies. Genuine detonation from low-octane fuel is a real cause and the cheapest one to eliminate.
- Listen to the engine under load. A mechanical rattle means the system may be reporting something real.
- Check the knock sensors are tight and correctly torqued.
- Inspect the sensor wiring for damage and for routing that could pick up interference.
Read this code from your own car
Plug an ELM327 adapter into the OBD-II port under the dashboard. Pin16 reads every stored, pending and permanent code, explains each one like this page does — offline, with no account — and shows what the car recorded when the fault was set.
Where this code sits
P00xxP01xxP02xxP03xxP04xxP05xxP06xxP07xxP08xxP09xxP0AxxP0BxxP0CxxP0DxxP0ExxP0FxxP10xxP11xxP12xxP13xxP14xxP15xxP16xxP17xxP18xxP19xxP1AxxP1BxxP1CxxP1DxxP1ExxP1FxxP20xxP21xxP22xxP23xxP24xxP25xxP26xxP27xxP28xxP29xxP2AxxP2BxxP2CxxP2DxxP2ExxP2FxxP30xxP31xxP32xxP33xxP34xxP35xxP36xxP37xxP38xxP39xxP3AxxP3BxxP3CxxP3DxxP3ExxP3Fxx
Ignition system or misfire
P0300P0301P0302P0303P0304P0305P0306P0307P0308P0309P0310P0311P0312P0313P0314P0315P0316P0317P0318P0319P0320P0321P0322P0323P0324P0325P0326P0327P0328P0329P0330P0331P0332P0333P0334P0335P0336P0337P0338P0339P0340P0341P0342P0343P0344P0345P0346P0347P0348P0349P0350P0351P0352P0353P0354P0355P0356P0357P0358P0359P0360P0361P0362P0363P0364P0365P0366P0367P0368P0369P0370P0371P0372P0373P0374P0375P0376P0377P0378P0379P0380P0381P0382P0383P0384P0385P0386P0387P0388P0389P0390P0391P0392P0393P0394