what does detonation sound like?

[tontot77]

a gun shot?

 

[Go HoTO!]

It's hard to explain, but you will know it when you hear it.

If it's a bad case, it will sound like marbles in your engine and be very loud. Otherwise, it is not so loud. Have you ever heard an old car "knock"? That too is detonation.

It does not sound like a gun shot. That would be a backfire which is an entirely different problem.

 

[Monkie]

Every time I heard detonation on a car it sounded like popcorn popping. I've never heard the marbles thing.

 

[stallion98gt]

marbles shaking in a tin can...that's pretty much it..my old stang used to detonate pretty bad when at 4800 rpm in 4th gear

 

[streetstang03]

how bad is detonation for the engine and what exactly is it? i've heard this term a lot, but I do not fully understand it

 

[CottonBurnerz]

is it much different than sound produces by cams or loop and stuff? (getting over my head here..)

 

[White360RFnSwee]

detonation is extremely bad for your car.
and no, its much different than a cam or lope.. if you want that sound, unplug one of your spark plugs, you'll hear a lope.

 

[JCKnife]

Why do old cars do it? My 97 Ram has that problem when I get on the gas heavy.

 

[DarkHorse02GT]

Does detonation only (or most often) occur when at higher RPMs?

 

[CTGrey02]

Its really only going to happen when you get on it hard. What happens is you run so lean up top that it over heats the and ignites the fuel air mixture before it's ready too. This happens while your pistons trying to compress the mixture. When it pre-ignites it tries shoving it back down again. Your bearings, rods, pistons and pretty much the entire rotating assembly takes a beating from it. Your valves may still be open as well. Sound.. sounds like a bunch of small pieces of metal are rattling around in your exhaust manifolds/headers. Horrible sound. You have to listen for it. A few cars I was in, the owners had no idea their car was pinging. I had to point it out. If your pinging, try better gas, lower spark plug gap or replace the plugs if they're old, and if it's still happening, buy a timing adjuster and back the timing off 1 degree at a time till it stops. Chances are theres something not running properly thats causing it.

 

[slow87GT]

an older car will due it just from carbon, like the ? about the dodge ram

too aggressive timing, extreme rich or lean condition

never a good thing

 

[4.6_02_Black_GT]

Had an old 79 Z28 under load, you could hear it spark knock(detonation), detonation has recently replaced the old term spark knock, kinda sounds like a loud ticking sound tic-tic-tic-tic that will rise and fall with engine rpm.

Just so you know... the reason its called detonation is that if your engine draws fuel into the combustion chamber and the fuel/air charge is ignited too early(too early meaning not enough fuel or too much air or too hot air) The fuel and air actually EXPLODE....instead of a more controlled burn. This sudden explosion is called spark knock or detonation, that detonation is what blow the nice little holes in the tops of your piston.

Causes for detonation are many...this is not a complete list... too hot charge temperature from your blower(get an intercooler), excessive spark advance, very low ocatane in fuel, weak fuel supply(blower motor again), screwed up mass air meter.. the list goes on.

 

[White96GTinFla]

Does detonation only (or most often) occur when at higher RPMs?

No. It can happen at lower rpms as well. My car would ping BAD in the lower rpms when id get on it sometimes.

Mine sounded like the exhaust was rattling against the car real bad (marbles in the tin can) like everyone else said.