How do I determine what is causing my false knock (LS7)
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
How do I determine what is causing my false knock (LS7)
I just recently completed my build of a 2013 427 (LS7) convertible, here is the link of the work that I did.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...e-details.html
I installed Pfadt 1 3/4 headers, FAST intake (ported), Halltech CF112, Yella Terra RR, baby cam, and heads done by AHP with .030 milled to put my CR at 11.6:1.
Once I got everything back together I took it to Alex Pietz who is a professional tuner from the tuning school. Upon tuning he immediately noticed KR retard upwards of 7 degrees at 20 degrees of timing. We brought it back down to 18 degrees with at 12.4 AFR. Still I was getting KR which at that point he believed was false, so he turned the sensitivity of the knock sensors down 20% and still we saw 2 to 3 degrees of retard at 5000 rpm.
I drove the car for 3 more weeks and only saw KR on my HUD a few times mostly under load at low rpm (normal). I decided to buy some torco and bump my octane up to 102 to confirm once and for all if the KR was real. Once we put it back on the dyno sure enough at 5k it retarded 2 degrees and 3 degrees at 6200 rpm.
Now that I know if is a false knock how do I find it! I rechecked the header clearance and nothing is touching. I re-torqued all the header bolts, I checked the belt tensioner and anything I could think of to cause a false knock and I found nothing! Any ideas on what to do next?
Unfortunately, this is not my first experience with this, I had a 97 eclipse GST turbo that would nearly stall because the computer was picking up a knock that wasn't there. After replacing the ECU, knock sensor and a few other parts I finally moved the sensor from the block to the base of the intake manifold and it was gone! Drove it for 5 more years like that.
Thanks for the help
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...e-details.html
I installed Pfadt 1 3/4 headers, FAST intake (ported), Halltech CF112, Yella Terra RR, baby cam, and heads done by AHP with .030 milled to put my CR at 11.6:1.
Once I got everything back together I took it to Alex Pietz who is a professional tuner from the tuning school. Upon tuning he immediately noticed KR retard upwards of 7 degrees at 20 degrees of timing. We brought it back down to 18 degrees with at 12.4 AFR. Still I was getting KR which at that point he believed was false, so he turned the sensitivity of the knock sensors down 20% and still we saw 2 to 3 degrees of retard at 5000 rpm.
I drove the car for 3 more weeks and only saw KR on my HUD a few times mostly under load at low rpm (normal). I decided to buy some torco and bump my octane up to 102 to confirm once and for all if the KR was real. Once we put it back on the dyno sure enough at 5k it retarded 2 degrees and 3 degrees at 6200 rpm.
Now that I know if is a false knock how do I find it! I rechecked the header clearance and nothing is touching. I re-torqued all the header bolts, I checked the belt tensioner and anything I could think of to cause a false knock and I found nothing! Any ideas on what to do next?
Unfortunately, this is not my first experience with this, I had a 97 eclipse GST turbo that would nearly stall because the computer was picking up a knock that wasn't there. After replacing the ECU, knock sensor and a few other parts I finally moved the sensor from the block to the base of the intake manifold and it was gone! Drove it for 5 more years like that.
Thanks for the help
#5
Team Owner
It has happened before and it's not unheard of - I had a very similar issue on my C5 with the aftermarket valve train (Harland Sharp RR's)
It's worth giving it some thought and maybe in the long run a try "If" you have exhausted all other avenues
Thanks,Matt
Last edited by madmatt9471; 02-27-2017 at 11:02 AM.
#6
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St. Jude Donor '15
Asks for advice
Gets advice from very well respected shop
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Gets advice from very well respected shop
Doesn't accept advice
#7
Le Mans Master
#8
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St. Jude Donor '15
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#9
Safety Car
Thread Starter
What about the balancer? I noticed with the naked eye it seems to wobble just ever so slightly. Part of it is the bolt is not perfectly symmetrical so it gives the illusion of it wobbling. Could an unbalanced dampener cause a false knock?
#10
Le Mans Master
Originally Posted by vertC6
What about the balancer? I noticed with the naked eye it seems to wobble just ever so slightly. Part of it is the bolt is not perfectly symmetrical so it gives the illusion of it wobbling. Could an unbalanced dampener cause a false knock?
No....... how do you know it's false knock and not real knock?
#12
Le Mans Master
#14
Burning Brakes
#16
Drifting
How is your oil pressure?
IS it low for a new build.
Is this LS7 one of the LS7's that came in the 427 that went bad in less than 7000 miles? I ask because most of those engines lost bearings. If you have a reconditioned crank or reconditioned rods or mains. The clearance may not be as perfect as it should be. What was your bearing oil clearance and you rod side clearance. Those are the things that saw the most damage on those engines. The mains can have large oil clearances and never make a knock audible to the human ear.
Just Curious.
other than that, my first thought was piston slap as was mentioned. And I would have to try the rocker change. Only takes a little while.
IS it low for a new build.
Is this LS7 one of the LS7's that came in the 427 that went bad in less than 7000 miles? I ask because most of those engines lost bearings. If you have a reconditioned crank or reconditioned rods or mains. The clearance may not be as perfect as it should be. What was your bearing oil clearance and you rod side clearance. Those are the things that saw the most damage on those engines. The mains can have large oil clearances and never make a knock audible to the human ear.
Just Curious.
other than that, my first thought was piston slap as was mentioned. And I would have to try the rocker change. Only takes a little while.
#19
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Thread Starter
Not at all but for a 2013 with only 10k miles it has very little wear and my oil analysis came out perfect, so my question is why would my LS7 be any different from the thousands of other ones that don't have this issue?
#20
plugs