Deliberate Detonation

[Gary Derian]

Diesels can detonate and it is bad for them.  In a well running diesel, the
injector shoots a flame into the chamber, nice and smooth.  If the engine is
cold, or the fuel is hard to ignite, the fuel cloud builds up then explodes
causing the rattling sound we all know.  Diesel fuel is rated by cetane,
just the opposite of octane rating.  A high cetane rating means it is easy
to ignite.

Gary Derian <gderian at cybergate.net>

>Good point Sandy. However this is not apples and apples here.  Diesel
>engines run a much higher compression ratio, and use an entirely different
>fuel.  In fact, the whole concept of diesel engines is to _encourage_
>detonation - off the glow plug of course.
>
>Frederic Breitwieser