What is Detonation in Car Engines? Here are the Causes and Solutions
What is detonation in a car engine? You are probably familiar with this term when performing car maintenance at a workshop. So what causes detonation and what are the solutions? For more details, let's look at the following review.
What is Detonation in a Car Engine?
Detonation is an abnormal situation that occurs in the engine's combustion chamber due to the incomplete combustion of air and fuel. This condition causes explosions accompanied by vibrations even though the spark plug has not yet ignited. This condition can also increase the temperature and pressure in the engine's combustion chamber, which can lead to damage to the piston rod bearings. Detonation is also often referred to as knocking or engine pinging.
Causes of Detonation in Car Engines and Their Solutions
There are several factors that can cause detonation to occur in a car engine. Here are the complete causes along with their solutions.
1. Using fuel that does not meet the car's fuel standards
Every car sold in the market certainly has its own fuel standards. For example, cars in Indonesia have a fuel standard with an octane rating of 90 and above, such as Pertalite 92 and Pertamax 95. These standards are based on an engine compression ratio of 10:1.
If a car with that engine compression is given fuel with an octane rating below 90, it will cause an increase in temperature and engine compression in the combustion chamber. To address this issue, it is advisable to use fuel that meets the car's fuel octane standards.
Read Also : Here are the Side Effects of Using High-Octane Fuel for Your Car
2. Using incorrect car spark plugs
Another cause of detonation is due to using spark plugs that are not suitable. As is known, spark plugs play a vital role in the success of engine combustion. This is because spark plugs function to ignite the air and fuel mixture in the combustion chamber.
If the spark plugs used do not meet the car's specifications, the combustion process will be impaired. To resolve this, you need to use spark plugs that match the car's specifications. Make sure you use original spark plugs.
3. Excessive carbon and deposits in the combustion chamber
The next cause is due to the accumulation of carbon deposits in the combustion chamber. These deposits usually occur due to the use of unsuitable fuel or lack of maintenance on the car.
When these deposits accumulate, they will reduce the volume of the combustion chamber. This condition can increase engine compression and temperature even if the spark plug has not yet produced a spark. As a result, the car engine will ping. To address this, you need to pay attention to using the right fuel. Additionally, you can clean the combustion chamber area of the car regularly, at least every six months. If that still doesn't work, you can perform a tune-up on the engine.
4. Removing the air filter
Removing the air filter can also be a cause of detonation in the car engine. This condition occurs because the airflow will easily enter the car engine, causing the incoming air to not meet the standards.
As a result, engine compression will increase and cause detonation. Furthermore, removing the air filter can cause the car's fuel consumption to become more wasteful. To resolve this, reinstall the air filter in your car.
5. Incorrect bore up
Performing a bore up on a car can indeed improve engine performance and save costs because you do not need to buy an additional engine unit. However, if the bore up is not done correctly, it can cause detonation.
This happens because the bore up will increase the engine cylinder volume, thereby changing the standard compression ratio of the car, which was initially at a ratio of 9-11:1. To address this, you need to perform the bore up at a professional workshop such as Daihatsu official workshop.
