In this article, you will find the best oil additives that will stop your engine knocking once and for all. No matter which of these additives you decide to stick with, you can rest assured that you’ve made the right decision.
Engine knocking is a very common issue that many car enthusiasts deal with on a regular basis. Luckily, even though this problem is annoying, you can resolve it easily if you know what you are doing. In the lines below, I will talk about the best oil additives that can stop engine knocking pretty much instantly. Furthermore, I will also talk about the main causes of a knocking engine and what you should do to address them.
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What Are the Causes of a Knocking Engine?
In order to address the issue of a knocking engine, you need to know what causes it in the first place. Whenever you hear a strange noise coming from beneath the hood, you should know that something is wrong with the engine. The sooner you look into this problem, the better.
There are several different factors that can contribute to a knocking engine and some are easier to address than others.
In general, you will most often hear the knocking sound when the air-fuel mixture is inappropriate. This inconvenience causes the fuel to burn in uneven bursts, which can lead to significant problems in the long run. If you don’t address this issue fast enough, it may even damage your cylinder wall.
Your Fuel Has a Low Octane Rating
If the fuel has a low octane rating, it is likely that it will cause problems later on. Of course, one of these problems is a knocking engine.
To prevent this from happening, you need to use fuel with an optimal octane rating. Namely, you should use fuel that has octane rating at levels recommended by manufacturers. In an even better scenario, you should aim above these recommended levels. You can also buy an octane booster to correct the fuel’s octane rating if you want. So, indirectly, octane boosters can remove the knocking sound as well.
You Have Inappropriate Spark Plugs or Wrong Spark Plug Gaps
If spark plugs come from sources other than the ones provided by the manufacturers, they may cause the annoying knocking sounds as well. Every spark plug has a fixed heat range and it withdraws heat from the combustion chamber. If the plug is not manufactured according to the latest industry standards, it can create many problems down the road. The same thing happens if the spark plug gap is not set appropriately.
While these problems, in particular, are quite complex in their nature, the solutions are (luckily) very simple. In some cases, you can even repair the damage on your own. However, if you’re not able to do that, you can consult an expert and they will certainly know what to do.
You Have Carbon Deposits
While fuels are needed for your vehicle to be fully operational, they also have some downsides as well. Namely, the biggest side-effect comes from the fact that, in the long run, they form significant carbon deposits. If these deposits are not removed, they will cause serious damage to your car. One of the first signs that something is wrong will be engine knocking.
Most often, using an additive that can remove these deposits or even a fuel injector cleaner is all you need to resolve the issue.
Engine Knocking Very Often Comes From Lifters
Many people fail to realize that lifters are one of the most common causes of engine knocking. Whenever you hear this disturbing noise, there’s a good chance that your lifters are causing the problem.
The main purpose of lifters is to keep your engine quiet and to improve its performance consistently. As a result, they ensure that your engine is healthy and durable. However, these quiet lifters will become noisy if they lack lubrication.
Oil Additives Can Solve Your Engine Knocking Issues
By far the best solution to remove the knocking engine issue comes in the form of oil additives.
There are two different things that you have to keep in mind. First, you need to maintain your engine on a regular basis. The more often you perform regular check-ups, the longer your engine will last. Second, you need to use the best oil additives to ensure that your engine is working as it should. These same oil additives will also stop the most common issues, including (of course) a knocking engine.
Oil additives that you can buy right now are significantly better than the first available oil additives. Moreover, as people now know how beneficial these products truly are, manufacturers are improving their formulas faster than ever before.
About Oil Additives
In order to understand what oil additives you should look for, you need to understand what oil additives are and how you can use them.
In short, oil additives are compounds that you can use to make your engine operational and to improve its overall durability. Some of the most common oil additive types are acid neutralizers, detergents, rust inhibitors, and dispersants.
If you want your engine to last for a long time, you need to use all of these additives. And, if you want truly profound effects, you can combine them very easily.
Different Types of Oil Additives
I’ve mentioned some of the most common types of oil additives, but I will expand the whole story right now.
Here are the most common types of oil additives and what you can expect from them:
- Viscosity modifiers: These additives will help you restore the viscosity of your oil to its natural state. A good viscosity modifier will preserve the oil’s viscosity even at extreme temperatures.
- Rust inhibitors: This type of oil additives is very good at creating a strong protective layer by sticking to the essential components of your car. The biggest upside of rust inhibitors comes from the fact that they’re highly effective against corrosion. So, the bottom line is that you should absolutely have at least one of these additives nearby.
- Dispersants: These oil additives can easily decontaminate any surface. They do that by attracting the harmful molecules and dispersing them. A dispersant is yet another must-have for any engine maintenance.
- Detergents: They work in a very similar way to dispersants, but instead of removing contaminants, they remove excessive carbon deposits. As I’ve mentioned earlier, it’s very important to remove these deposits occasionally if you want your engine to work properly.
- Anti-foaming agents: This type of additives will prevent your oil from starving by increasing its lubrication attributes and decreasing the overall oxidation. Using a proper anti-foam agent is crucial if you want to prevent the creation of foam and bubbles in your oil.
- Friction modifiers: As the name suggests, these additives will remove any trace of friction from your oil. As a result, your engine will work optimally without consuming too much fuel.
- Antioxidants: The best way to minimize and remove the harmful effects of oxidation is to use an antioxidant.
- Anti-wear additives: They are highly useful in preventing metal parts from touching one another.
Why You Should Use Oil Additives
Oil additives have many different benefits, but here are the most notable ones:
- They ensure that your engine has enough power. The better your oil additive is, the more power your engine will draw. With the right product, your engine will always have sufficient power and you will be able to feel that as soon as you start it up.
- They are environment-friendly. If you are concerned about the overall pollution, you can be at peace. Your oil additive will not impact your surroundings in any negative way. On the contrary, it will reduce the carbon emissions from your vehicle and increase its eco-friendly properties. If you want to reduce the harmful effects of carbon emissions quickly and effectively, you should use an oil additive.
- The additives will protect your engine and improve its overall performance. This is one of the biggest benefits of using oil additives. There’s no better way to protect the vital parts of your engine from damage and corrosion than using a proper oil additive. At the same time, there is no alternative to a good oil additive when it comes to performance-boosting qualities either.
- They have numerous economic benefits as well. Economic benefits are just as important as every other benefit. A good oil additive will remove the harmful carbon deposits and save plenty of fuel along the way. At the same time, it will provide these benefits while saving your money as well. One of the biggest advantages of oil additives comes from the fact that they are very affordable. So, as a result, you should try to maximize their positive effects as much as you can.
If you want to read more about the overall benefits, you should certainly check out the following article.
6 Best Oil Additives for Engine Knock
1. Archoil AR9100 Friction Modifier
Archoil AR9100 is a powerful oil additive that is very effective against engine knocking. Just like some of the others, it works on many different engines. Namely, it works perfectly on gasoline and diesel engines, as well as power steering systems, hydraulics, and differentials.
AR9100 can easily remove any carbon deposit, sludge, and it can even prevent varnish buildup. Furthermore, it can reduce both surface friction and fluid system wear by nearly 80%, which is astonishing.
Other than reducing the overall noise, AR9100 can reduce harmful vibrations just as effectively too. It can also lower the operating temperature of your engine by nearly 40% which can drastically improve its durability. The additive is extremely effective against corrosion and it can even minimize the harmful effects of fluid oxidations.
Overall, if you want to resolve your engine knocking issues, you can’t go wrong with Archoil AR9100.
» Archoil AR9100 (See on Amazon) «
2. Lucas Oil 10026-PK12 Octane Booster
The second entry on the list is Lucas Oil 10026-PK12 Octane Booster. If you want a universal and affordable solution that will improve the health of your engine and promote its durability, this is the product that you have to consider.
This oil additive will work on any type of engine and it will even do its magic on old vehicles. The product contains manganese fuel additive (MMT) that is much more effective than most other octane boosting components. Even though some people may warn you that using MMT is not a good idea, you can rest assured that its safety and efficiency have been demonstrated many times by both experts and other reviewers.
As soon as you add it to the fuel tank, the additive will clean it pretty much instantly. And, as a result, you should quickly see a significant improvement in your car’s mpg. This oil additive will also boost acceleration, which will make your engine work at its full capacity. The best thing is, you can get all of these benefits without having to break the bank!
If you decide to give Lucas Oil 10026-PK12 Octane Booster a try, you will certainly not regret it.
» Lucas Oil 10026-PK12 Octane Booster (Amazon) «
3. 104+ (10406-6PK) Octane Boost
If there is one product that can remove engine knocking issues in the blink of an eye, that would be 104+ 10406-6PK Octane Boost.
The bottle is very smartly designed and you can easily pour the additive without any spillage and without being overrun by the harmful fumes. As the fumes are very bad for your health in the long run, I believe this is a very good safety measure.
Not only is this additive highly effective against engine knocking, but it can also reduce and prevent carbon deposits from being formed. On top of that, the product can easily clean your entire fuel injector as well. And, just like every booster that I’ve mentioned above, it can work on pretty much every engine.
If you want a quick solution that will stop your knocking engine, feel free to give this product a try.
» 104+ 10406-6PK Octane Boost (See on Amazon) «
4. Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer
Lucas has yet another very powerful oil additive that can eradicate engine knocking – Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer.
One full gallon will ensure that you won’t need to buy another additive for quite some time. If you use it properly, it may even last for more than three years on average. This additive can easily remove any engine knocking issues while boosting the overall durability of your engine along the way.
Again, with proper use, the life expectancy of the engine can be increased by as much as 50%!
Other than promoting long term durability, this additive will also decrease the overall oil consumption of your engine. As a result, the engine will be fully optimized at every given moment.
Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer is a product that I can recommend to every car enthusiast. If you want to remove your engine issues and optimize every vital component on top of that, this is the product for you.
»Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer (See on Amazon) «
5. Bar’s Products Rislone Engine Treatment
The last product on the list is Rislone Engine Treatment. If noisy lifters are causing your engine issues, this is the additive that you should look into.
This product can easily resolve any engine knocking issues that come from noisy lifters. But, even more importantly, it will give you the first results very quickly.
Other than removing engine knocking issues, this additive can effectively reduce friction and wear as well. Furthermore, it is quite effective in preventing sludge as well. The product can also significantly improve the durability of your engine as well as all vital components. All you need to do is use it on a regular basis!
Simply put, you won’t find a better product than this one if the engine knocking is coming as a result of noisy lifters. A superb mix of price and quality is enough to make this additive one of the best overall solutions for engine knocking removal.
» Rislone Engine Treatment (See on Amazon) «
6. Sea Foam SF-16 Motor Treatment
Sea Foam SF-16 is an optimal additive for any car that runs on diesel, gasoline, 2-stroke, and 4-stroke engines. It’s a very unique fuel injector that uses natural solvents as both cleaners and lubricants. That way, it provides a whole range of benefits for your engine, pistons, cylinders, and even carburetor.
Sea Foam SF-16 is a very powerful fuel system cleaner and it can significantly improve your engine performance. At the same time, it can improve the engine acceleration quite a lot as well. It does that by cleaning excess dirt as well as moisture in your fuel over a fixed time period.
The best thing about this additive is that no matter if you have a low-mileage or high-mileage car, you will experience the same benefits. And, if you treat your engine on a regular basis, you can be sure that any engine knocking issue will quickly become a thing of the past.
Of course, Sea Foam SF-16 is not a universal solution for every single issue with your engine. But, it is still one of the best additives that you can use to remove the engine knocking problems.
» Sea Foam SF-16 (See on Amazon) «
Try to Prevent Engine Knocking Problems
While oil additives are certainly the best way to get rid of your engine knocking issues, you still need to ensure that they are completely gone. Some of these tips are also valuable when it comes to prevention of engine knocking problems:
- Always listen to your engine and act as soon as you notice that something is wrong.
- Examine every component under the hood on a regular basis.
- Feel free to use more than one oil additive.
- Don’t hesitate to consult with an expert if you feel that you can’t resolve the issue on your own.
I hope that you’ve found all the instructions provided in this article useful. The bottom line is that, if you use each of these oil additives on a regular basis (and properly), you will remove engine knocking before it becomes a big issue. If you want your engine to perform properly and to last a while, you should look into these six products very seriously.
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