I noticed both yesterday and today that something in my car would make a pleasant sounding bell noise, like one of those triangle instruments.

Ive only heard it twice, but is this bad news?

Im not even entirely sure it came from my car, but it was pretty noticeable both times.

 

Imagine shaking an empty can of spray paint, that's how detonation sounds like.

 

That is exactly how I would describe it.

 

so more like a metal clickity-clack sound rather than a pleasant bell?


I hear that spray-paint can-like sound when my car is just idling. Is that normal or is that detonation as well?

 

The pleasant doorbell sound is your cell phone :P

No, detonation definately doesn't sound like a ringing bell.

- Steve

 

You probably heard the tweeters of the guys sound system driving next to you. Preignition goes tick, tick,...tickticktick,,tick,,,tickticktickticktickt ick....tick. Like that. And it is obviously frmo under the hood or in front of you.

 

gotcha. So, then, im pretty sure my car wasn't detonating while i was driving

But that brings me to another question: I do here that ticking sound when my car is idling. But, i didn't think a car could detonate while it was idling? What gives?

 

Throw a couple of coins in a metal coffee can.. rattle it at different rates and intensities.. Those are basically the sounds of detonation..

 

That is the valvetrain.

 

It depends on how bad it is. Detonation can go from sounding like a pleasant bell to something resembling "Copa Cabana" by Barry Manilo quite quickly, but by that time the rod is usually trhough the side of the block.

Detontation will usually sound like theres someone beating on the block with a ball peen hammer under heavy load. Pleasant bell, well that depends on what you consider pleasant.

 

While it could be the valvetrain, I don't think we use mechanical/roller parts. I think it is probably the fuel injectors clicking. Also, my A/C makes an ungodly amount of noise at idle also. But not clicks.