chekbaka

Hello everybody I just have a quick question. I have posted a few messages in the past regarding an ESC code that I am getting on the computer. I don't remember that number of the code but I know its the ESC. Supposedly you get this code wken there is knocking and the computer retards the timing . Well, this is exactly what is happening. You can distinctly sense the retarded timing as the car is terribly underpowered, and sometimes driving at a constant speed the motor suddenly revs down and you have to step on the gas all the way in to get some acceleration. The problem is that I don't hear any knocking?. This is supposed to be loud right?. Well, The motor seems to run perfectly O K no shakes, noises or shuddering etc. Is this right?. Maybe I am mistaken. There are a few theories that I want to consult you guys about. Either the knocking sensor is faulty sending wrong signals or the ESC is faulty. I don't think this is right but I want to get a second opinion. The secons theory that I have is that I have faulty spark plugs. I installed the four prong Bosch Platinum spark plugs which are supposed to be so great according to the vendors at Autozone. This was three months ago. After two months the car start having these symptoms. Yes I have been living with this problem for about a month now. I don't believe in taking the car to a shop. I am stubborn in finding ou all the problem in my car and fixing them myself. So what do you guys think. Could the spark plugs be causing the actual knocking?. Maybe the ESC is getting the right signals from the knock sensor. But if that is the case, shouldn't I hear and feel noises and shuddering and stuff from the motor?. The SES light is on all the time from start to end. Every once in a while it goes out only to return again after a few seconds so its kind of intermittent. Help, please.

TPI

One thing for sure, 4 prongs are garbage

I think everyone here should agree with me on this one.

IT might not cure the knock, but all I can recommend is you pull the plugs, put some standard autolites JUST to see if it drives .. If it knocks ..then there is more going on in there.

It could be alot of things ..

Air_Adam

Platinum +4 plugs are a total waste of money and total garbage. Don't go near them. They cause nothing but problems. For some reason, they are worse in american engines (ie. sbc, sbf, etc) than in japanese engines. I dunno why though.

But, regardless of what engine you have, they are garbage and should never be used.

You'll be much happier with the proper set of basic AC plugs for your engine. They are pretty much bulletproof and work great.

AJ_92RS

And no, you won't hear the knock. The knock sensor is way more sensative than your ears will ever be.

Ask the guys at AutoZone to use their scanner and take a drive with it. See how many knock counts you get. That will give you and idea if there really is knocking going on, or if the knock sensor is bad.

Red Devil

Why not reset the engine, drive a bit and then pull the codes again? As stated you won't hear the knock. Do you have the correct sensor?

As far as the +4, the only thing I could accept them in is a centrally located plug, otherwise they impede the flame front. Regular Bosch or Bosch platinums, Delcos, champions etc. are all better in our applications.

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

The esc code will either set when lots of knock is present or no knock at all can be detected.

Possible causes of excessive knock picked up by the ecm are things like mechanical problems triggering the sensor and causing false knock, too much base timing, lean fuel mixture, blocked egr, etc.

The ecm will also perform a forced knock test during moderate to high load. There you could probably hear the knock if the ecm didnt pick it up since the ecm will add from 14 - 20 degrees of advance to test the sensor.

Your problem sounds like the ecm is picking up lots of knock or getting lots of false knock and setting the code. At that point the ecm will pull most of the timing for the duration that the motor runs. That code can either be lots of detonation or a wiring fault or mechanical problem thats causing it to get lots of false knock. At this point Id get a manual and start doing some diagnostics to find the problem.

As for the plugs, all bosch products are garbage so take them and throw them in the garbage where they belong ASAP.

chekbaka

Thanks for the information. It seems i have been getting fals knocks all along. today I was working on my car when I noticed some subtle noises I haven't heard before. They were very faint, it sounded like "tick, tick" or like marbles hitting each other. Trying to pinpoint this noises I finally zeroed on the alternator. yes, it didn't seem to be coming from the engine at all. I got my ear close to the alternator and it defintiely was coming from that area, nowehere else. I started making arrangements to change the alternator, initially i took the serpentine belt off and test the alternator by turning the pulley and yes there was some scratching noise or something coming from the alternator. The alternator has been charging fine though. After realizing that I was not able to complete the job today I put the serpentine belt back on and drove my car to park it back on the street. this time though I notice that the noise had disappeared!. There were no more ticks or anything and the SES light wasn't coming on at all. The car ran as champion for the first time in weeks and for a couple of hours as I went to test drive it. I must have dislodged or did something when pulling the serpentine belt of and then on again. Something was making a ticking noise and my theory is that the knock sensor was picking it and sending the signal to ESC. Does this seem a reasonable theory?. Is this the false knock you were reffering about? I hope tomorrow my car will still run O K. I will still change those darn spark plugs though. Thanks.