How do you know if your engine is Pinging?

[dwn_boi]

Some people claim to be able to hear it. I find that difficult with road noise, loud intake and exhausts etc. Your check engine light will come on if there is significantly harmful knocking/pinging occurring in your engine. There is an excellent device called 'Knocklink' which uses a bosch donut sensor (essentially a microphone) which is fitted to your block, connected to a series of green/red LEDs that will light up according to knock levels. Effectively used by many many modified EVO/WRX owners, highly recommend it if your car is modified.

orrr you can save your money and just put the metal part of a scew driver on the block and the plastic part to your ear then you can hear wats going on inside a lil better

look at its headlights.

if its pupils have gone massive, you know its pinging

lmfao!!!!! i lke this the best can i quote u on that

[Spicey]

its pinging, rather than pinking

Proper terminology is "Pinking", over time people have started saying "Pinging"

I also found this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9d6gMYcrFk you can hear the knocking faintly in the background

[STiR]

Pinging makes more sense though, as you get a 'pinging' sound

[dwn_boi]

lol the car is pinging so hard its off its head gasket lol duznt make sense but for a second there it sounded funny

[mugsee]

I'd liken the pinging sound to a tin can with a couple of small ball bearings thrown inside and then shaken around.

[aaronng]

orrr you can save your money and just put the metal part of a scew driver on the block and the plastic part to your ear then you can hear wats going on inside a lil better

Pinging happens usually under load. So unless you are hanging on to the engine bay with a screwdriver between the block and your ear with the car driving uphill at high gear, you won't be hearing it.

[bennjamin]

lol - a DIY stethoscope with a long screwdriver (ear to head) is to listen to valves or injectors...not "pinking" as above

it will only happen when there is load on the engine , as stated by myself and others - uphill , too high gear etc.

[KLOUD9]

look at its headlights.

if its pupils have gone massive, you know its pinging

hahahaha, thats gold!

[vincikwan]

after watching the video...i still cant hear the pinging or pinking.

[Alpine]

after watching the video...i still cant hear the pinging or pinking.

I could hear it, sounded quite bad actually. And that was an older model BMW 3 Series too.

[trism]

lmfao!!!!! i lke this the best can i quote u on that

hahahaha, thats gold!

my pleasure

[LUD35]

lol - a DIY stethoscope with a long screwdriver (ear to head) is to listen to valves or injectors...not "pinking" as above

it will only happen when there is load on the engine , as stated by myself and others - uphill , too high gear etc.

My brothers turbo integra would ping its head off under any type of load IF it was a really hot day. it would ping then when it hit boost it would disappear(or maybe could not hear it vtec+turbo)

so Ben, could pinging also happen with a bad tune/heat buildup?