Yeah, it's almost impossible for a knock sensor in any condition to cause an engine to stall.
As for the catalytic converters, there are four (yes, FOUR) cat's. Two on each side, stacked right after the manifolds. When you look down beside the engine you can see them. The little round canister-lookin thing close to the muffler is a resonator. It's like a mini-muffler. It's just there to reduce noise.
As far as I know, it would have to be an extreme exhaust problem to cause a stall, something like the exhaust being crimped shut.
The fuel sending unit on these rigs is electrical, not mechanical, so it's as susceptable to shorts and poor connections as anything else, and can therefore cut in and out. It could be responsible for the problem.
How long as this been going on for again? Is it possible you just got some really rotten fuel?
I'm sorry, it's just a difficult problem to troubleshoot when you haven't identified whether it's fuel or spark related.
Ok...lets get all the info out here again including what I've done and the symptoms.
This started happening about a month or so ago. At first it was few and far between. My X would just stall when stopped and in gear (automatic). Since then it has become very frequent having an episode one or two times during my daily drive. Two days ago it stalled as I was going 45 down a street.
This is what I've done so far:
Replaced the fuel filter. Replaced all six (yeah...even number 6) spark plugs. Replaced the rotor button. Replaced the wires. Replaced the battery. Cleaned the MAS. I have run fuel injection cleaner through it. I have run water remover through it. I have "tapped" the condenser on the distributor. I have checked the distributor for any metal shavings or any clue that there might be an issue with it.
I have not seen a check engine light however I had my local Auto Zone guys hook up their computer to it. It shows a knock sensor error. That's it. That's all I got...I have no clue where to go from here except to some shop so they can run a full diagnostic on it.
Having said all that, I did find a recall on the first gen X's for the fuel pump. In some states its mandatory for the dealer to replace the sending unit however, in my state all that they are required to do is inspect it and put some sealant around it. Go figure.
Ok. Now something else has come to light tonight that I was unaware of. We have Passtime installed on the car. Yeah yeah last wife screwed my entire world up including my credit...anyway...we found this excerpt:
"The devices (Passtime) used in the subprime market have spawned lively debates about their value and appropriateness, along with Internet chatter about how to disable them -- a move sure to send the repo teams into action. There have been a few lawsuits and scattered complaints about devices SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGINE WHILE THE OWNER IS DRIVING. Manufacturers attribute the incidents to mechanical problems unrelated to the devices."
Tomorrow I'm going to the dealer to have a chat about the X...it might not go so well.
