If your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s engine is knocking all the time, bring your vehicle to our shop right away. We will determine the cause of the engine knock and fix it. We are Peerless Automotive, and we are a full-service auto shop in Olathe, Kansas staffed with experienced and knowledgeable service technicians. There are five common problems that will make your engine knock. Here’s what they are.
1. Bad Engine Timing
The most common reason why a vehicle’s engine knocks is a detonation problem. In other words, instead of just one fireball resulting from the ignition of air and fuel, you will end up with multiple fireballs. These fireballs are located in the cylinders and they are what make the knocking sound. If your engine timing is off, i.e., the spark plugs are firing out of sequence and too often, you will hear a knocking sound coming from the engine.
2. Bad Knock Sensor
There is a sensor that listens for engine knock. When it hears it, it reports the problem to your automobile’s main computer chip. The computer chip can resolve an issue such as a lean fuel mixture, which we will discuss next, itself. This can help stop the knocking. This being said, the knock sensor can go bad and fail to report a knocking engine to the computer chip. Consequently, your engine will keep knocking.
3. Lean Fuel Mixture
A lean fuel mixture has more air than is necessary in it. Unfortunately, this causes multiple detonations in the cylinders because there is enough fuel to create just one fireball. Things that cause this type of fuel mixture include a clogged fuel filter or fuel injectors, a faulty oxygen or mass airflow sensor, and a faulty fuel pump.
4. Low-Octane Fuel
Many people end up with knocking engines in their cars because they put the wrong fuel in the tank. If you put gasoline with an octane rating that is lower than what your engine requires, the fuel will not fire quickly enough and you will end up with multiple fireballs in the cylinders.
5. Worn Rod Bearings
Finally, there is one cause of engine knock that is not related to the engine detonation. Unfortunately, this cause is serious and can leave you with a damaged cylinder block. Pistons crashing against the cylinder walls will make a knocking sound, and they will do this if the rod bearings are worn.
Peerless Automotive in Olathe, KS, is here to help, so give us a call today to schedule a service appointment for your automobile if the engine is knocking.