Well after a couple months the constant intermittent code 43 I was getting while driving just went away (mostly). During this time I did change the battery and gas I was using. Now it only comes on every 1 out of 4 startups for about 10 seconds and stays off the entire drive if I don't get stuck in heavy traffic. When it does come on in heavy traffic I have also noticed a VERY BIG power drain... my gauge in my car drops from the 16 volts to almost the 8 volt mark and it sits there for more than a few seconds... I have also seen it bobble a bit when it does this back and forth and it obviously is affecting my blinker lights as well as the clicking was greatly slowed on these while having this problem. At first I was thinking possible bad EGR valve... but with this kind of power draw I'm wondering if I don't have a big short that's popping up when everything under the engine gets hot after a while sitting in traffic. Any ideas guys? Also I just had my Service Ride Control light come on the other day as well... the actuators wouldn't cause this kind of drain would they or would the gear in the FX3 be causing the noise to cause the knock sensor to pick it up or something like that??? I just find it weird that code 43 is all I get when obviously the car runs just fine when the light stays off on a cool drive. Need ideas!

 

I'm actually investigating the same intermittent code 43,in my case it comes up during some hard pull,obviously when a knock is detected,ECM takes out 20 degrees of spark advance and this cause a lost of performance...my car is now using the innovate wide band o2 sensor in place of the standard narrow band (using a specific output of innovate to emulate the narrow band).This is the only thing fisically changed since this code went on...

 

Get an amp meter, and reproduce the symptom. When the symptom occurs, grab a quick amp reading on your alternator wire. Add up what you know is running (fuel pump ~7a, ECM ~couple amps, anything else you have on...if you see a large discrepancy, you have a short somewhere. With that voltage drop (if due to a short), I'd expect to see like 70+ amps going through the alternator cable.

 

Well so far the only time this happens is when I'm stuck in traffic for a bit before it starts to surge, and probably the drive a couple hours after the initial surge. If I wait all night for the car to cool though and drive the next day... it is fine until the next time I get stuck in heavy traffic, otherwise it never shows a problem. Unfortunately I guess I'm gonna have to force the error to test it out with amp meter since usually I'm stuck in the middle of Houston traffic when the error occurs any other day... lol.

 

I don't know how the later ECMs handle the knock sensor, but on my car it advances the timing an extra 20° at startup and looks for knocks. If it does NOT see at least two knocks then it sets a knock sensor error.

Since you're seeing the error at startup you could have a problem in the knock sensor circuit such as a broken wire or bad connection.

 

ECM performs a functional ceck at start up,simulating the condition for a knock (it advances the spark with coolant temp at above 90 degrees)if a knock is detected then the test is ok.If test fails it gives a 43 code.
ECM sees a voltage lower than 6 volts for more then 6 seconds at terminal B7 on ECM connector (this is the ESC module that cut the voltage becouse of a knock signal)and it gives a 43 code...

 

Well I guess I can still replace the wiring harness... $45 from NAPA... its on the list as well... as many other things I've been reading up on... but a shorted wire I guess could have issues while cold and hot... lol thanks guys