This document relates to petrol engines in general and is not specific to PEUGEOT.
Engine pinging also refered to as pinking, detonation or knocking
Pinging can be anything from a loud knocking noise to a soft tinkling sound that is emitted from the engine. If an engine has a tendency to ping, it usually becomes first audible when operated in the lower rpm range and during acceleration. Pinging tends to fade away with increasing engine revolutions.
An engine can ping for many different reasons. Here is a list of the most common causes for pinging starting with the most popular ones.
In the normal combustion,
process the flame front moves at a speed of
Note: Pinging is not an explosion it is merely a very fast combustion, which
exceeds the healthy limits. The propagation of an explosion's pressure wave would be far higher,
something like 2000m/s.
In order to slow down combustion we need a good quality, high-octane fuel. To keep it simple, high-octane fuel burns slower then low octane fuel. Special additives have to be blended with the distillate in order to achieve the required properties.
PEUGEOT recommends 95 RON fuel octane minimum.
We recommend: MOBIL Premium 8000 or SHELL Optimax.
Pinging can lead to damage, or in the extreme case, destruction of pistons, bearings and valves. This would only happen in a situation where severe and prolonged pinging is allowed to continue. Please don't panic if you hear some pinging. Today's engines are very robust. Some pinging that occurs occasionally will not harm the engine.
1- If it started shortly after filling up the tank, you have probably been sold a bad load of
fuel. You can add an octane booster and drive the car until the tank is nearly empty. Now fill
the tank with a premium fuel (MOBIL 8000 or SHELL Optimax) and see if the pinging disappears.
2- The pinging started after the vehicle has not been used for a long time. After one month or more the
properties of fuel, start to change significantly. Take the same action as above. Wait for the
next refuel and see what happens.
3- Should, however, the pinging be accompanied by poor performance and overheating?
We recommend you contact your mechanic or dealer and have it checked.
Source: PEUGEOTLOGIC.COM