I recently got asked about what "pinging" is, and what the difference is between pre-ignition and detonation, what causes it, and why it is bad for an engine. Basically, both pre-ignition and ...

Pinging—that sound that resembles pebbles being thrown on a tin roof—has become familiar to all of us as a common occurance with today's low-octane fuel and reduced engine speeds. Call it pinging, ...

Like much in life, the difference between detonation and pre-ignition, and their effects, comes down to timing. Both refer to a situation when an engine's fuel/air mixture combusts at the wrong time, ...

Ignition timing is like seasoning: some is good, but too much ruins the results. Bumping up the ignition timing on pushrod 5.0s is a time-honored trick to wake up the under-hood lump. The EFI system ...

Detonation happens, and there's more than one reason why. ignition timing will do it. When spark timing is advanced too much, combustion chamber pressures can rise too high at the wrong time, ...

When your car starts making a metallic knocking sound under the hood, you'd assume it could only be one thing: the engine. However, there are two common culprits, and they're definitely not the same.