Cant Figure Out the Knock

[Jerryl]

.......... If it is from the PCV, disconnect, clean the intake and run the car to see if there is a KR difference. ..........

Well I'll defer to you that the oil could be the cause, but I was going on the basis of the appearance of the spark plugs. They didn't seem to be oil fouled.

Thats what gets me. The plugs tell the story yet no one here knows how to look at the facts. It all a big guessing game. This thread has degraded the credibility of it's posters. Without mentioning names, people still have allot to learn.

If your getting oil in the intake, it's easy enough to unplug/block off the PCV valve and see if the supposed detonation goes away.

When your ready to get to the bottom of all this, eliminate the spark plugs, wires, coil pack, module, crank and cam sensors otherwise this is all just thread soup.

Rick

Yeah, I know what you guys mean.
The plugs are clean, but I know from limited experience that a little bit of oil can cause KR, even though it will not show up on the plugs, or in the exhaust.

My experience is based on a Non-IC'd set-up and it is entirely possible that the non IC’d cars are a lot less tolerant to oil in the intake.

Chris, Rick;
Were you able to distinguish “oil deposits” vs “carbon/soot from a rich mixture” from the pictures?
If so, what did you see in the pics to draw that conclusion?
I would really learn how you do that, based on the pictures (No pun intended)
Again, just looking to learn and futher my education.

 

[chrisgarrett]

Yeah, I know what you guys mean.
The plugs are clean, but I know from limited experience that a little bit of oil can cause KR, even though it will not show up on the plugs, or in the exhaust.

My experience is based on a Non-IC'd set-up and it is entirely possible that the non IC’d cars are a lot less tolerant to oil in the intake.

Chris, Rick;
Were you able to distinguish “oil deposits” vs “carbon/soot from a rich mixture” from the pictures?
If so, what did you see in the pics to draw that conclusion?
I would really learn how you do that, based on the pictures (No pun intended)
Again, just looking to learn and futher my education.

I don't want to give the impression that I'm an expert plug reader, especially from pictures. But my experience with oil in the chamber is that it makes the plugs greasy and oily as opposed to carbon soot which is dry.

 

[kingots2004]

oil lowers the octane rating and will cause detonation or aleast thats what ive been told

 

[Jerryl]

TTT
Got it figured out yet?

 

[BUICKTIME]

I honestly did not read the entire thread, but I'll chime in anyway. Being that it takes at least two times to crank before it starts I believe it has to do with timing. I would check the crank sensor (for proper adjustment) and make sure it is not touching the interrupter on the harmonic balancer. While your there check that the harmonic balancer is not spinning off of the pulley (top half of the balancer) and that the rubber has not deteriorated. Another culprit could be the setting of the cam sensor. These things cost nothing but a little bit of your time, hopefully you have a garage or your in hot weather!! First check the balancer then set the cam/crank sensor from the start.

As far as the fuel pump goes: do you hear the pump go on the first time you turn the ignition on without trying to start the car? What is the fuel psi. when you initially turn the ignition on without starting or cranking the car?

**Note: Just cause the coil/module is new does not take it out of the equation 100%!!

I'm hardly on, but I will try and come back to this thread as soon as I can. Let us know what you've come up with, any updates?

 

[GNBeswick]

First of all, Id like to thank everyone for all the help they have offered. You all tried hard to help me figure out what was wrong with my car.
It's been almost a year since I first posted for help.

I have finally found and solved the problem.
After a long and distressing battle with the knock and numerous little fixes I decided I'd had enough. I pulled the engine and tore it down. What I found was interesting. The RJC headgaskets I used were so thin that the pistons were actually slightly hitting the heads. This didnt happen until some carbon built up on the piston surface.
I knew the compression ratio would be high, but I never expected this to happen. I suppose it's my own stupidy for not measuring everything out exactly and doing the math. If I had done so, I might have realized how tight things were. I bought the heads I have off a member who did not know how much they were milled, so it was a bit of a guessing game with that too.
After this discovery, I bought some .60 Cometics, Morel lifters (dont know if the comps I had in before were bad, but the Morels are way quieter), and a 210/215 roller cam to replace my 218/212.
The car now runs like a champ, no knock at all. I cant put into words how liberating it was to drop the pedal to the floor and see 00 knock retard on my Scanmaster. Seven years, a new engine and lots of money have finally given me a car that works.

So thanks again to everyone that ever responded with help, hopefully this is some sort of closure for those who wondered what the issue was.

 

[Pronto]

That's good news! I'm glad you found the problem.

 

[Jerryl]

........... I cant put into words how liberating it was to drop the pedal to the floor and see 00 knock retard on my Scanmaster. Seven years, a new engine and lots of money have finally given me a car that works. . . . .

AMEN to that!!

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

I cant put into words how liberating it was to drop the pedal to the floor and see 00 knock retard on my Scanmaster. Seven years, a new engine and lots of money have finally given me a car that works.

Congratulations! I know the feeling and can't put it into words either. It took me four years to find mine. Thats why my car is not down for the winter yet! Brad

 

[meanchicken]

Congrats!!!