Does Engine Knocking Need Repair?
3 Answers
Engine knocking needs repair. Here are the methods to avoid it: 1. Avoid lugging the engine: Driving at high gear with low speed can easily increase engine load, thereby advancing the ignition timing. Since the engine is in a higher gear, the RPM does not increase significantly, making knocking more likely to occur. 2. Regular maintenance at 4S shops: Regular maintenance at 4S shops, including cleaning the fuel system and injectors, removing engine carbon deposits, and changing engine oil, is a way to keep the engine in good condition. 3. Avoid overheating: Regularly check the coolant level, inspect and change the engine oil, avoid prolonged aggressive driving, and frequently monitor the water temperature during summer driving. 4. Use high-quality fuel additives appropriately: Some high-quality fuel additives available on the market can also help mitigate engine knocking to a certain extent.
I've encountered engine knocking several times - it's basically the engine throwing a tantrum. Last time when my car was climbing a slope, I heard this metallic rattling sound like someone was tapping the cylinder block with a wrench. This is no minor issue - leaving it untreated could crack piston rings, and melting spark plug electrodes would be the least of your worries. Focus on four key areas: whether the fuel octane rating is sufficient (try switching to 95), throttle valve carbon buildup (last time I cleaned out half a pound of black gunk), ignition timing (had it adjusted at the shop with an oscilloscope), and the knock sensor (cost me over 500 to replace). After fixing these, the noise disappeared and fuel consumption dropped by 0.5L/100km. Engine knocking is like having a cold with fever - procrastinating treatment could turn it into pneumonia.
Engine knocking is similar to premature heartbeats in humans and needs immediate treatment. My car used to make a clicking noise during acceleration, and the mechanic said it was caused by premature self-ignition of the air-fuel mixture, creating shock waves that hit the cylinder walls. It must be addressed promptly, otherwise the piston top can easily get punctured. Last time, they identified three issues for me: clogged fuel injectors causing an overly lean air-fuel mixture, replaced two aftermarket parts; leaking ignition coils, especially severe on rainy days; and the most critical issue was using low-quality fuel additives, leading to carbon deposits coating the spark plugs. The repair cost nearly two thousand, but it's much more economical than an engine overhaul costing tens of thousands. This is money you really can't save on—knocking creates a vicious cycle, where the more it knocks, the greater the damage.
