Hi, I have a 1997 grand caravan. When going up a steep hill and accelerating hard it makes an awful rattle noise that sounds just like pre ignition knock, and it seems to lose power if you keep your foot into it. Do you think this is pre ignition knock or could it be the torque converter? Would the knock sensor not take care of pre ignition?
Thanks in advance, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

The knock sensor can only retard timing so much, but if it is sensing a ton of knock it will retard the timing so much that you can feel a loss of power. Try high octane gas and see if it gets better, if so you may need some combustion chamber cleaner to get rid of the pre-ignition. I don't think its a converter issue. When they go bad the engine RPM will be higher than usual, i havent heard a converter make a knocking noise.

 

There are two ways if the torque is making a knocking sound, Loose bolts and cracked flex plate. Are driving a 3.0L or 3.3L engine? And do you have a ck engine lite on?

 

I tried high octane fuel, still the same. It is a 3.3 litre. Only does it on really steep hill. No ck engine light.
Thanks for your previous input.