I've been driving my car with a known boost leak for a while and every now and then would hear a rattling noise from the engine bay. After reading through some threads last night I realised *shock horror* this may actually be the sound of detonation (det sensor has been bypassed >< ) A while ago I had the engine compression tested which showed 140-145 on all cylinders, would a compression test reveal damage caused by detonation now? is there anyway to tell the extent of the damage without pulling the engine apart? Is it even a sureity that damage has been caused or can there be detonation without causing permanent damage?
Detonation will always cause some permanent damage, from cracked ring lands, pitted piston crowns, scoring in the cylinder bores, bearing damage etc. If your engine is suffering any of these symptoms, the damage done is causing problems. Low oil pressure Oil consumption Low compression High blow by There are other symptoms, but they are the most common results of detonation. If you are not seeing these issues, chances are it is ok, but definatley get the detonation cause fixed.
