You do not want to hear knocking sounds coming from your engine. Getz Automotive advises that this can be an indication that there is a problem with the detonation in the combustion chamber. It can also be a sign that you’ve got a serious problem in the cylinder block. If your engine is knocking all the time, bring your car, truck, or utility vehicle to our shop right away. Let’s discuss the causes of engine knock below.
Bad Engine Timing
As we said above, engine knock can be caused by faulty detonation in the combustion chamber. Specifically, if the spark plugs have gone bad or the engine control unit is firing them at the wrong time, you may have multiple detonations in each cylinder. When this happens, the fireballs crashing against each other are what make the knocking sound you hear coming from the engine.
Faulty Knock Sensor
There is a sensor that is manufactured to detect engine knock so it can alert the engine control unit. The reason why it notifies the unit of a knocking engine is that the unit can often correct things such as bad engine timing and a lean fuel mixture. If the knock sensor goes bad, it will be unable to notify the engine control unit that the engine is knocking. Consequently, the engine will continue to knock.
Lean Fuel Mixture
A lean fuel mixture is one that is heavy with air. When this happens, your engine becomes fuel-starved. When there is too much air and not enough fuel in each cylinder, the combination will fire multiple times instead of just one time. This creates the colliding fireballs that make your engine knock.
Low-Octane Gasoline
The same happens if you put gasoline in your automobile that is a lower octane than what is recommended in the owner’s manual. For example, a high-performance engine will knock if the tank is filled with gasoline that has an octane rating of 87.
Worn Rod Bearings
As we mentioned above, engine knocking can also be a sign that there is a serious problem in the cylinder block. Specifically, the pistons are knocking against the cylinder walls. This is caused by worn rod bearings that are unable to move the rods and pistons straight up and down in the cylinders.
Loose Accessory Belt
Finally, a loose accessory belt can make knocking sounds in the engine. Specifically, the belt can flap around and collide with surrounding engine parts. Tightening the belt can solve the problem.
Getz Automotive in Fuquay-Varina, NC, would be happy to get to the bottom of your engine knocking problem. Call us today to set up an appointment.