Spark KNOCK!

[freeclimber]

Sprays aren't going to work. You need to remove the throttle body and scrape out the big chunks with a screwdriver and then use carb cleaner and a brush. The throttle comes off with 4 bolts. The EGR comes off with two bolts.
Don't drop any chunks down the intake manifold.
Resetting the PCM can be done by removing power for ten minutes, but the basic programming for the specific vehicle isn't changed. I doubt if any improvement will happen. Something else is not working properly.

[2000mudder]

main cause of spark knock is when deposits build up in cylnder heads and on valves it raises compression slightly. these new engines are pushed to the max on compression so any little deposit will do that. steady doses of good fuel inj cleaner!!!

[BeachBoy]

Originally Posted by 2000mudder

main cause of spark knock is when deposits build up in cylnder heads and on valves it raises compression slightly. these new engines are pushed to the max on compression so any little deposit will do that. steady doses of good fuel inj cleaner!!!

As I mentioned previously, I am willing to try almost anything that I can do which won't cost a lot and that can be performed with regular hand tools. If after cleaning the the EGR and throttle body, how do I clean out the carbon from inside the heads (without pulling them)? I remember my Dad telling me about pouring something called "Caseite"??? into the carburator and that it burned out the carbon inside of the heads. Is there still such a thing and does it harm the catalytic converter?

[freeclimber]

I've never read any objective data stating that any particular fuel additive has enough of an effect to fix a problem (ie spark knock). I've never had much faith in any of the oil additive/fuel additive products out there, but that may be due to my lack of experience with them.
I have experimented with BG and Prestone fuel additives w/o any discernable benefit.
I have experimented with Motor Honey and Duralube oil additives w/o any discernable benefit.
I'd like to hear if anyone has had experience with an additive, etc. that really does a great job.

BTW- the little tube of aluminum powder you can add to a leaky cooling system ($1!!!!) works like a charm. Think it's called Silver Stopper?

[BeachBoy]

I did some serious reading today all over this BB and read something repeatedly. Yes carbon build-up inside the cylinders can cause knocking as well as a vacuum leak, MAF sensor build up etc. What I was wondering about was the repeated refrence to lower? intake manifold bolts getting loose and that being a cause of a vacuum type of leak, high oil consumption and a few other things in addition to knocking.

My question to all readers, have any you had this (intake bolt) problem?

If so how do you tighten the intake manifld bolts (upper? vs. lower), how much torque and what kind of socket.

Have you had a Mass Air Flow sensor problem?

How did you fix it? (I have heard that you spray electrical contact cleaner. Is this OK?

Thanx to all.

[freeclimber]

I've never had a Ranger loosen the intake manifold bolts on its own. It was probably suggested merely because it can be an overlooked cause of vacuum leak. If the manifold was never taken off, then the bolts are probably fine.
I have seen a handful of MAF sensors go bad. I hear that cleaning the element with contact cleaner can work wonders. It has to be a solvent that leaves no residue.

[BeachBoy]

Sounds like the voice of experience talking. With all of the keystrokes dedicated to 'spark knocking' Ford products, has the Company that built the engines ever provided any sound advice? After reading all of the posts dedicated to knocking Ford engines and hearing from other Ford owners about the same thing, usually tolerated and "sort of" solved by using premium, what does the factory have to say. I love the truck, but I hate the knock!

[slundy]

I see the last post was in october, so I'm guessing no one has fixed the spark knock issue as of yet.

I've done a ton of reading on it, and from this site i get cleaning out the egr, or a bad MAF.

I'm about to try new plugs, I've got an 01 ranger 6 cyl. 4.0 and it has knocked for awhile, even when it was still under warranty. But of course I couldn't get it to knock when I took it in that day, must not have been warmed up enough. It only does it under load. I remember reading somewhere else about replacing the air intake temp. sensor, haven't done that one yet, but figured I'd start with the plugs. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought that I wouldn't have to do that until 100k miles? It doesn't really bother me as I've gotten used to it, but I wonder what it does to my gas mileage. I"ve put in 93 a few times, when I had a good pay check and it seemed to quiet a bit but not entirely. Another board said to get the ECM flashed, but not sure how to go about getting a dealership to do that. Thankfully I got an extended warranty so I might take it back in after trying the plugs.

Let me know if anyone's found any solutions...I wont be getting a ford again, at least a truck if all of them knock like this unless you spend half a paycheck a week filling the tank (1.93 for a gallon where i'm at)...

Thanks in advance!

[BeachBoy]

[quote=slundy]I see the last post was in october, so I'm guessing no one has fixed the spark knock issue as of yet.

I've done a ton of reading on it, and from this site i get cleaning out the egr, or a bad MAF.

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WELL I have tried everything including chemical additives, 91 octane, and etc. What I have found is that with a high enough octane, the knock goes away. Some 91's knock (like Exxon) others do not. Go Figure?

My uneducated guess is as follows. The Ranger engine is built to be on the edge of knocking and as soon (mileage not years) you build up enough carbon inside the cylinder heads, it's 'knock city.' I went for a full month after driving 85 down a stretch of interstate for an hour. Again I see it as a carbon issue. I pulled plugs and found a little carbon too, but not enough to indicate that there might be a heavy build up inside. My guess, very uneducated is that the engineers pushed these Ranger engines to a bit more compression than is appropriate for a vehicle designed to run over 50 K miles.