You’re driving along and your engine starts to knock; it’s been doing this all the time lately. Central Auto Care advises that it’s important to get the source of the engine knock diagnosed right away because driving your car, truck, or utility vehicle could be damaging your engine. Let’s talk about the causes of constant engine knock below and what we can do to fix them.
Bad Spark Plug Timing
There are two reasons why the spark plugs will misfire. One is that they are old and need to be replaced. The other is that the engine control module, your vehicle’s main computer chip, is malfunctioning and not firing them in the correct order. Either problem will cause poor engine timing and knocking sounds. Replacing the worn spark plugs or faulty engine control module will solve the problem.
Faulty Knock Sensor
Your automobile’s engine is equipped with a sensor that reports knocks to the engine control module. Once the module is alerted of the knocking problem, it will attempt to fix it by adjusting the air and fuel in the combustion chamber. A faulty knock sensor will be unable to detect and report engine knocking. Consequently, the engine will continue to knock. Replacing the sensor will resolve the issue.
Fuel With Low Octane
You may be indirectly causing your vehicle’s engine to knock. Check your owner’s manual to see the recommended fuel octane rating that you should be putting into the tank. If you are putting in fuel with an octane rating that is lower than what is recommended, you will cause your vehicle’s engine to knock. Make sure that you always use fuel with the recommended octane in your engine.
Lean Air/Fuel Mixture
Another cause of engine knock is a lean air and fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. A lean mixture has too much air in it. This can be caused by a faulty mass airflow or oxygen sensor, a clogged fuel filter or fuel injectors, a malfunctioning fuel pump, or an engine vacuum leak among other issues. Finding the cause of the lean fuel mixture and fixing it will restore the fuel balance in the combustion chamber.
Worn Rod Bearings
Finally, as we said above, driving your automobile when the engine is knocking could cause damage to the engine. If your engine is knocking because the rod bearings are worn, your pistons are banging against the cylinders. This can cause serious damage to the cylinder block. Replacing the rod bearings will restore the cylinder block’s performance, but this is an extensive repair.
Call Central Auto Care in Okotoks, AB, today if your vehicle’s engine is knocking all the time. We will find the source of the knock and fix the problem.