Windstar engine knock

Alright, gearheads, I'm pulling my hair out here. My 2001 Ford Windstar with a gasoline engine is giving me fits. Only 29273 km on the clock, and I'm getting a nasty engine knock. It's got reduced power, jerks like crazy when I accelerate, and blows smoke. Oh, and of course, there's an error code chilling in the memory. I'm betting it's carbon buildup in the combustion chamber causing pre-ignition. Anyone else seen this gremlin?

4 comment(s)

Sounds familiar. I've got a Windstar too, and had similar symptoms a while back. Did you check the knock sensor? Sometimes those things go haywire and mess with the ignition timing. That could definitely cause the jerking and power loss.

Good call on the knock sensor, I should've mentioned I did check that! Sensor is working as intended as far as I can tell. What exactly was your solution when you saw these symptoms?

Okay, if the sensor's good, and you're still hearing knocking then I'd bet serious money on combustion chamber deposits. Back in the day, I tried a bunch of fuel additives, but honestly, nothing really fixed it. I ended up taking it to a shop. They scoped the cylinders and confirmed the deposits, then did some kind of engine tuning and cleaning. Cost me a few bucks but solved the problem.

Thanks for the insight! I was hoping to avoid a shop, but it sounds like I'm heading that way. Just got a quote for 425€ which stings, but hey, at least the knocking should be gone. Thanks again!

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