Scanning vs. Engine Reliability

From: https://rivperformance.editboard.com/Other-Stuff-c3/For-Sale-f22/1998-buick-riviera-Black-on-Chrome-for-s-p1743.htm#1743

i've got 125k and i drive HARD in the city. i know mine will not last as long as some others b/c i dont scan as much as i should. but i am willing to put in another engine once this one dies (way cheaper than a new car)

quote: "i know mine will not last as long as some others b/c i dont scan as much as i should."

I don't think you should worry that much. If you've scanned with your current set up, you know when your car knocks, and you know approx how much. Now you either fix the problem, or you drive appropriately. Our engines are very resiliant to moderate levels of knock. You have to push the envelope pretty often to do any damage.

Scanning often doesn't qualify as reg maintanence, imo. It isn't like giving your engine vitamins. You scan when you're testing new mods, tuning, changing variables such as gas, air temps, driving style, etc. If everything looked good last year, and it still looks good this year, there's no reason to think your engine is any worse off.

tru but the temp changes so often its impossible to run 0 KR

Zero is optimum, but very few cars (even stock) run with zero KR all the time. Only by tuning can you achieve that. 2-3º at WOT isn't the end of the world. Even brief spikes of 3-5º don't worry me too much. After all, KR is the PCM's response to knock. It tells you the computer is aware, and is doing its best to fix the problem.

It's those prolonged periods of 5º KR, or spikes of 8º or so that cause me concern. Some diehards will disagree, saying always zero all the time, but knock is a normal thing that happens in our engines, hopefully at low levels and only under extreme load. The reason it's good to shoot for zero KR is so when the temp changes, you'll have a buffer and don't have to worry. Maybe scan on a very hot day this summer and see where you stand? Your problem could be smaller than you think.