If you hear knocking sounds coming from your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s engine, drive straight to Auto Service Kingston so we can make sure there isn’t something serious going on in the engine. Generally, engine knock is caused by a detonation problem. Rather than having just one detonation in each cylinder per cycle, unusual conditions cause multiple detonations in each cylinder. This is what makes the knocking sound. Let’s talk more about this below.
Wrong Octane Rating
One thing that will cause multiple detonations in the cylinders is the wrong octane rating of the gasoline you put in the tank. For example, if you drive a sports car that requires 91 octane yet you put 87 in the tank, this fuel will fire slowly and detonate multiple times. Consequently, the fuel will make your engine knock. Always make sure you put the octane recommended by your vehicle’s manufacturer in the tank.
Faulty Knock Sensor
You may also have a faulty Knock sensor that is unable to notify the main computer chip that the engine is knocking. For example, let’s assume for the moment that you have a lean fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. This can make the engine knock. The knock sensor will notify the chip that the engine is knocking and it will add fuel to the mixture. A faulty sensor will ignore the knock.
Lean Fuel Mixture
As we just mentioned, another thing that can make your engine knock is a lean fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. This is a mixture that is starved of fuel and overrun with air. Unfortunately, this will cause multiple detonations in the cylinders and your engine to knock.
Worn Spark Plugs
Another thing that can create problems with engine detonation is worn spark plugs. They may fire multiple times instead of just one time and create a knocking sound in the engine. In some cases, the problem is caused by the main computer chip if it is malfunctioning and firing the plugs at the wrong time.
Worn Rod Bearings
Finally, as we mentioned above and as the title of this blog post indicates, an engine knocking sound could be a sign of a serious problem. If the knocking is being caused by worn rod bearings, the sound that you hear is the pistons banging against the cylinder walls.
Auto Service Kingston in Kingston, ON, can help, so call us or stop by our shop today. We can find out why your engine is knocking and repair the problem.