1988 Oldsmobile 98 Knock Sensor

I have a 1988 Oldsmobile 98 3.8L FI OHV 6cyl Regency Brougham. Her name is Olivia (lovingly given to her by my daughter). She has 206,000 miles on her odometer. As far as I know the engine and transmission is still original.

The transmission has issues and I think it causes the Knock Sensor to send a signal to the computer during certain instances. Particularly when it downshifts when I accelerate hard. It will "clunk" into the lower gear. Most of the time when this happens I notice a considerable loss of power from that moment on. If I shut the car off (at a stop light say) then turn it right back on the engine runs fine again.

I also have a little bucking in the drive train when I'm running right at 45 MPH, the MPH where the transmission shifts into overdrive. I'll get the same loss of power (sometimes) if the bucking is severe and long enough.

I haven't definitively proved that the knock sensor is to blame, but my researching and testing makes it the probable cause.

So what I would like to do is remove the knock sensor from the equation somehow. Can I just unhook the wiring from the sensor or no? Can I leave the wiring hooked up to the sensor and remove the sensor from its mounting position and secure it somehow inside the engine compartment so it won't sense the bucks from the transmission?

I know I need a new transmission but until I can get one can I disable the knock sensor somehow without affecting the computer?

Thanks in advance for any advise.