What Does Detonation Sound Like???

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ViperRichRT10

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Well, I guess my sounds are detonation! JD made a couple of new cards for me adjusting the timing. I'll give them a try and hope it is fixed.

Thanks guys!

Rich
 
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Detonation is not always audible, hence, also known as the silent killer!

Here are some ways to check for detonation:

Installing new plugs and reading them after a 1/4 mile pass or dyno run;
The naked eye is not the most efficient way to inspect your plugs. Use a magnifying glass and light. Look for evidence of tiny specs on the plugs.
Tiny specs that appear like those from a "pepper shaker" (carbon deposits) are not good ...Tiny specs that are bright and shinny (piston and chamber particles) are extremely bad, immediate attention to correct the problem is priority, or catastrophic engine damage could occur.

Utilizing a "knock-meter" is a very good way to detect spark-knock.

Turn off the radio, ac, and while your in 3rd gear listen carefully for a rattling or pinging noise.

Most importantly, don't be confused that perfect air / fuel readings totally prevent detonation - you can have the best target a/f numbers and still have detonation. Find the cause, fix it, and prevent the inevitable of serious engine damage.

Ps. JD's the man!

I hope this helps and best of luck! :2tu:
Doug
 

dansauto

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yep, I did not hear mine and know it was happening. I was getting a lot of blow by and dropped the pan to find pcs of piston...
 

KenH

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Has anyone had any luck with detonation detectors or knock meters? If so, which brand do you use?
I too would be interested in knowing what the options are out there on the aftermarket.
 

Viper Specialty

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I think the best way to sum up the sound of audible detonation in a Viper is by taking a handfull of glass marbles, and dropping them onto flat, smooth concrete from shoulder level. The noise they make as they bounce around sounds exactly like detonation in the Viper V-10.
 

newredrt10

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Light detonation can sound like sand or broken glass in a can. Stronger detonation can sound like a diesel running under load. If you are hearing the stronger detonation, stop running the car. You could be causing really bad damage. Call roe with the info on your car and they will give you a good starting point for your car's setup. I am having the same problems getting it tuned and roe has been real helpful in getting it running.
 

KC

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I had that problem for some time. To me it sounded like it was coming from my trany. But I new it was pinging. It mainly did it when the engine was hot. I ran some octane boost in it and it stopped most of it. But i knew that was not how to fix it. I felt I was running to lean. I had my computer re-mapped to run more fuel and the pinging has stopped. It only pinged when I ran it hard, (that is most of the time!lol)
 

Warfang

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Most importantly, don't be confused that perfect air / fuel readings totally prevent detonation - you can have the best target a/f numbers and still have detonation. Find the cause, fix it, and prevent the inevitable of serious engine damage.

Don't mean to resurrect an old topic, but the above quote got me wondering: What ARE the causes of detonation if it's not a/f or spark plug related? And how would you detect them, especially if it's a "silent killer"? I'm getting more detonation on hard acceleration recently. What are the steps to troubleshooting it?
 

carguy07

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Lots of things will help promote detonation.

Lean A/F mixture
Rich A/F mixture that gets the headers so hot they light off fuel
Compression Ratio too high
Carbon build up that makes the compression ratio too high
Hot spots in the chamber due to carbon build up
Low Octane
Too much timing
High temperatures
Wrong (hot) spark plugs
Blow by/oil getting into the intake

I'm sure there are more.
 

Warfang

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"I'm getting more detonation on hard acceleration recently. What are the steps to troubleshooting it?"

What mods do you have?

TNT 3in catback exhaust
68mm billet throttle bodies
1.7 roller rockers and pushrods
Nitrous, but has been disconnected
brake upgrade and adjustable suspension
 

Joseph Dell

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best thing to do is to fill up with 100 unleaded (or 104 unleaded) and see if that fixes it. you may have had some bad gas. but with the weather cooling off, the car will tend to run leaner anyway... so try this first. then time to see if you are really detonating or not...

JD
 

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