Hey guys just registered here as I just bought an IX, never owned a performance car so it's definitely a big jump for me

The guy I bought it from had the car tuned at RRE on e85 previously.

Can some of you pros enlighten me on this?

So I noticed that when I'm on low RPMs around 1-2k in mid-gear and I accelerate on the gas a bit, the car feels bogged as if it's trying to pick up power to move, and the CEL would flash really quickly. If I let go, the light stops.

I've researched this on here and found out that it's the knock warning light. When I called the previous owner, he said something along the lines of "oh yah, RRE modded it to warn you that some **** might happen if you don't let go of the gas if the CEL is flashing quickly, don't worry about it, just let off the gas if you see it flashing", but he didn't tell me that's a bad thing.

Upon researching more about the knock warning light, I guess when RRE tuned this car, they set a certain threshold knock value before the warning light starts flashing, and if the knock count exceeds the threshold value, it starts flashing.

It happened again recently and I let off the gas, but I didn't hear any knocking from my engine while it was flashing.

I guess my questions are:

1. Is this "knocking" expected of a tuned car?

1. Wouldn't we not want knocking as it can cause major damage to the engine?

1. Is this something not to worry about, i.e. it's the reason why there is a warning light to prevent damage in the first place?

I recently talked to a local tuner and he says the car might need a re-tune, but I don't want to shell out money if there's nothing wrong with this.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

Get it retuned ASAP and I don't understand why a tuner will let the car be release to a customer like that find someone who know what they are doing and get it tuned properly

 

Im local to RRE & familiar w/their shop. Youre correct, the CEL flash was triggered to note knock (I have the same setup on mine)

I would call this into them ASAP & have them address the issue. The knock flash is not normal & needs to be looked at

BTW, welcome aboard & great to have you join us on EvOM

 

It would be worth having a look at the tune, for no othere reason than its good to know what you're working with. You shouldn't be driving around at 1-2k rpms anyway, unless you're in a parking lot. However you're still safely in vacuum at that point and if you're seeing knock it's not as damaging as it could be if you were in boost. I'm more concerned with you loading the engine at a low rpm in a higher gear. That puts a lot of strain on the rods.
Do you have access to a tatrix cable and laptop? If so, you can pull your rom and start the learning process

 

Knocking (also knock, detonation, spark knock, pinging or pinking) in spark-ignition internal combustion engines occurs when combustion of the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder does not start off correctly in response to ignition by the spark plug, but one or more pockets of air/fuel mixture explode outside the envelope of the normal combustion front.

The fuel-air charge is meant to be ignited by the spark plug only, and at a precise point in the piston's stroke. Knock occurs when the peak of the combustion process no longer occurs at the optimum moment for the four-stroke cycle. The shock wave creates the characteristic metallic "pinging" sound, and cylinder pressure increases dramatically. Effects of engine knocking range from inconsequential to completely destructive.

Knock (phantom knock) could also be caused by loose, rattling intercooler/exhaust pipes. Transmission noises etc etc.......

It is picked up by the knock sensor, on the back of the engine block, which looks for certain frequencies

Chances are you won't hear it..... and if you do hear knock I think it would be safe to assume that it is too late for your engine...

 

Know who tuned it at RRE? Most tunes were handled by Rick and Sam in the last 2/3 years. Rick is no longer at RRE. Talk to Sam.