When the accessory belt gets too loose in your European automobile, it may flap around inside the engine. You may think your engine is knocking when it’s actually the belt knocking up against things. Whether you have a loose belt that needs to be tightened or an actual engine knock, East Coast EuroWerks can help. Let’s talk about the causes of a knocking engine.
Bad Engine Timing
Your European automobile’s engine timing can make knocking sounds if it is bad. What you are hearing is the spark plugs misfiring and multiple detonations in each cylinder. There should only be one detonation in each cylinder per spark plug fire. Multiple detonations will make your engine knock. This can be caused by old spark plugs or a problem with the main computer chip.
Bad Knock Sensor
There is also a knock sensor in your European automobile’s engine that is programmed to detect engine knocking. If this sensor goes bad, it will be unable to hear any knocking sounds coming from the engine. Consequently, it will not report the engine knock to the main computer chip and the main computer chip will not resolve the problem. As such, your engine will continue to knock.
Lean Fuel Mixture
One thing that can make the engine knock that the main computer chip can fix if it is made aware of it is a lean fuel mixture. A lean mixture is one that has an overabundance of air in it. Unfortunately, this prevents the air and fuel from firing only once. Instead, it will fire multiple times and you will end up with a knocking sound coming from the cylinders.
The Wrong Fuel
Speaking of fuel mixture, if the wrong fuel is in the mixture, the engine will knock. What we mean by this is the incorrect octane rating. For example, you cannot put low-octane fuel in a high-performance engine. The low-octane fuel will not fire quickly enough, and, consequently, this will cause it to fire multiple times. This, too, makes the knocking sound in the engine.
Worn Rod Bearings
All of the above, aside from the accessory belt, are considered detonation knocks. There is also what is called rod knock. This is a knocking sound that occurs when the rods are unable to move the pistons up and down in the cylinders without making contact with the cylinder walls. If the rod bearings are worn out, the pistons will make contact with the cylinder walls.
East Coast EuroWerks in Wilmington, NC, advises that this, too, will make an engine knocking sound. Call us today if your European automobile’s engine is knocking.
