Table of Contents
- 1 What causes pre detonation?
- 2 How do you fix pre detonation?
- 3 What does it mean when a motor detonates?
- 4 How bad is pre-ignition?
- 5 What is the difference between detonation and pre-ignition?
- 6 What are the symptoms of pre-ignition?
- 7 What’s the difference between pre-ignition and detonation?
- 8 Can detonation cause overheating?
What causes pre detonation?
This is generally caused by some type of glowing ignition source such as a hot exhaust valve, too-hot spark plug, or carbon residue. Pre-ignition is especially damaging to engine components like pistons and head gaskets, since excessive cylinder pressures can occur even before the piston reaches top dead center (TDC).
How do you fix pre detonation?
There are several ways to cure pre-ignition:
- Run higher octane fuel. Premium gas rated at 92 or 94 octane is best for an engine with a compression ratio between 9.25 and 10.25:1.
- Run the engine on the rich side.
- Try playing with ignition timing.
How do you know if your engine is detonating?
Moderate to severe detonation could be noticed as engine roughness, vibration or loss of power and eventually engine damage. A pilot should always be looking for unexpectedly high Cylinder Head Temperatures (CHTs) or Exhaust Gas Temperatures (EGTs) which may be a sign that detonation is occurring.
What does it mean when a motor detonates?
Answer: Detonation, or engine knock, occurs simply when fuel pre-ignites before the piston reaches scheduled spark ignition. This means that a powerful explosion is trying to expand a cylinder chamber that is shrinking in size, attempting to reverse the direction of the piston and the engine.
How bad is pre-ignition?
Damage: Damage from pre-ignition is much more severe and instantaneous than that from detonation. Typically, with pre-ignition, you will see holes melted in pistons, spark plugs melted away, and engine failure happens pretty much immediately.
What happens during pre-ignition and detonation?
Pre-ignition is the ignition of the air- fuel charge while the piston is still compressing the charge. It occurs after the compression stroke near or after top dead center. During detonation, the fuel/air charge (or pockets within the charge) explodes rather than burning smoothly.
What is the difference between detonation and pre-ignition?
Pre-ignition is the ignition of the air- fuel charge while the piston is still compressing the charge. Detonation – Detonation, as the name suggests, is an explosion of the fuel-air mixture inside the cylinder. It occurs after the compression stroke near or after top dead center.
What are the symptoms of pre-ignition?
When pre-ignition happens, something ignites the Air/Fuel Mixture during the Compression Stroke. This creates too much pressure inside the cylinder, too soon….What causes it?
- Glowing hot or melted spark plugs.
- Glowing hot exhaust valve.
- Burning carbon embers.
How is detonation diagnosed?
The best way to diagnose detonation in this situation is to install a wide-band oxygen sensor and monitor it during periods of high engine load. A lean condition under full throttle can induce knock at ratios as low as 13:1, and that should tell you not enough fuel is reaching the cylinder.
What’s the difference between pre-ignition and detonation?
“Pre-ignition” is an abnormal combustion event. Pre-ignition is the ignition of the air- fuel charge while the piston is still compressing the charge. Detonation – Detonation, as the name suggests, is an explosion of the fuel-air mixture inside the cylinder.
Can detonation cause overheating?
Engines that are detonating will tend to overheat, because the boundary layer of gas gets interrupted against the cylinder head and heat gets transferred from the combustion chamber into the cylinder head and into the coolant. So it starts to overheat.
Can you hear pre-ignition?
It becomes progressively more difficult as the pressure starts to build. A glowing spot somewhere in the chamber is the most likely point for pre-ignition to occur. You can’t hear it because there is no rapid pressure rise. This all occurs well before the spark plug fires.