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, ...

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 ...

Some 2010-13 XK models with 5.0-liter supercharged engines may produce a pinging noise under moderate acceleration or load. According to Jaguar, the detonation typically occurs in the 1,200 rpm to ...

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 ...

Forget the promises of an "ownership society" in which a little elbow grease can get you to the top. Despite all our hard work, some of us just never seem to get our big break. The reality is that we ...

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.