mk1-forum.net

Just wondering if anyone's had any experience with after-market Engine Knock Alarms on their Minis?

What's out there? I have done a google search and come up with a few, but interested to hear from anyones experience.

Did the late SPI and MPI's have Engine Knock Sensing? If they did, where did they locate the Sensor?

I'm just after a unit for a good friend who has at times a little trouble hearing Engine Knock, so it will be a permentant installation and prefer something that will set off an audible alarm or even a set of relay contacts. Where he is, fuel quality and age is quite variable, at times going as low as 82 RON.

Im sure lads on TurboMini's had a discussion about this awhile ago and there's to much noise in a mini engine to affectively have one working in the engine but pop in the site and do a search

Thanks chalkie, I just did a serch on there and came up with some helpful info. Seems it can (and has) been done, however sensor placement is critical and a tunable unit is essential.

I'm considering the Phormula KS3 or 4 for my friend, I'm just a little put off that they don't really seem to be made for a permenant installion.

Lumenition did a simple unit that would have been perfect, but they have dropped this from their range .

Still open for ideas and leads.

It's been done a fair bit over on turbo minis, bud666 iirc used home made det cans.

A couple of us use the gizzmo knock lite, with the sensor bolted to the stabiliser bush mount near no4 piston. Seems to work to an degree, it noticed knock that I was getting in third that then started to take the head gasket out.

I have used something similar to det cans on the dyno, great for that for sure, but not quite what my friend wants for everyday use!

gr4h4m, I did notice the Gizzmo device. You appear to have some reservations regardings it's abilities? Do you think it would need to be more tunable in terms of the detection frequency range or maybe a better location for the sensor?

I was also looking at this one;-

http://www.viatrack.ca/

however, it would appear that it doesn't have a tunable frequency.

The more I'm looking in to it, I'm now starting to consider 'rolling my own'. The 'brains' of these units only appear to be a tunable amplifier with a relay output, could be wrong on that. I may fit up a sensor and hook that up to a spectrum analyser to 'see' what its hearing, may also help work out a suitable location for the sensor. Or it may also completely de-bunk this idea!

Spider wrote:I have used something similar to det cans on the dyno, great for that for sure, but not quite what my friend wants for everyday use!

gr4h4m, I did notice the Gizzmo device. You appear to have some reservations regardings it's abilities? Do you think it would need to be more tunable in terms of the detection frequency range or maybe a better location for the sensor?

I was also looking at this one;-

http://www.viatrack.ca/

however, it would appear that it doesn't have a tunable frequency.

The more I'm looking in to it, I'm now starting to consider 'rolling my own'. The 'brains' of these units only appear to be a tunable amplifier with a relay output, could be wrong on that. I may fit up a sensor and hook that up to a spectrum analyser to 'see' what its hearing, may also help work out a suitable location for the sensor. Or it may also completely de-bunk this idea!

Not really any issues, you can tune it to you engine but it's just I haven't done any real testing in to work out if it it's working exactly, as I say it did detect knock on my engine. I guess without loads on scientific testing who knows how accurate they are?

Thanks gr4h4m for your feedback. I did see these at first in an ebay ad and well, I have to say, at first it appeared a little gimicky, but I since looked up their website and they do appear to be quite good actually. They do a number of products;-

http://gizzmousa.com/index.html

The K-lite does seem to be fairly priced for what it does and small enough, it does also suit a permenant installation.

I would however like to know what frequency ranges are available and possible have a read of their instructions. I'll drop them an email.

Cheers for the lead on that.

No worries I guess the old aseries is a noisy engine in term of modern stuff... Plus there are a lot of variance between people's engine specs. I guess if you have some det cans and setup the light on the rollers you should have enough to know if things are going a little out of focus on the road...

Glad you had success gr4h4m.

OK, tried the Gizzmo.

Have to say, quite unimpressed. Their after Sales is really poor and it would seem that they don't know how they work or how knock is detected by a Knock Sensor.

Can anyone suggest something else?