Ping/Knock under accel...

[Suliman]

Info:
2003 Protege5, 35k on the odo
AEM Short Ram
RacingBeat Cat back
Magnacore Plug wires
ALL maintenance done by Mazda (been lazy)
Oil chnages every 3k-5k with Mobil1 10-30 or 5-30 (no proof, mostly done by me)
(pissed)
The car seems to be running a bit lean possibly, but not sure. I don't have a reader to see what the O2 sensor is tossing out. Under engine load (acceleration, uphills, etc), the damn thing is pinging.

I tossed in some 94oct today to see if this helps, so I'll know in a day or two, but there's NO REASON this engine can't run on plain ol regular 87/88 gas.

I'm going to start troubleshooting this to see what's up. What are some causes of engine knock/ping?? Spark plug gap? Bad O2? ECM flash version? That damn oil pickup issue (doubt it)?

I'd like to get some inputs before I start tearing into this cursing and swearing.

 

[SciFiMan]

It can run on 87 octane, but now in the dog days of summer I've had to move up a grade myself especially with the A/C running and a car loaded with coolers and chairs. Other things can require it. Do the plugs look normal?

 

[Suliman]

I wish I would have told the dealer to keep the old plugs for me so i could look at them (so no, no idea what the tips look like). I'm probably going to pull them anyway and check them out and also check for proper gap when I do.

The pinging happens even with only myself in the car and no a/c.

 

[GNO]

Knocking and pinging is caused by detonation or pre-ignition. Causes of detonation and pre-ignition include running too lean, extreme temps, extreme pressure (FI, high compression, or carbon build-up), and hot spots (carbon build-up or irregularities/defects in spark plug or combustion chamber).

I'd look into injector cleaning and top-end cleaning. If you think you're running lean, the injectors may be partially clogged, creating low flow and poor spray pattern. Running lean will also cause knocking and pinging. Carbon build-up also will cause detonation, which is why I suggest the top end cleaning.

For the injector cleaning. Ultrasonic works best. That requires removal of the injectors and possibly sending them out.

For a top end clean, you can just get a bottle of Sea Foam and have a vacuum line suck the contents out while idleing. Another way to top-end clean is to remove the spark plugs. Pour about a cup of transmission fluid in each hole. Turn the motor a bit and let it sit for a few hours. Replace the plugs, start the car and let it run for at least twenty minutes. Enjoy the smoke show and change your oil.

Have you changed the plugs? You might have the wrong heat range. By inspecting the discoloration in the plug threads, you can analyse if you're in the proper heat range. The discoloration should go down 2-4 threads. You can also see if you're to lean by inspecting the plugs. Again check discoloration, but at the electrode. The color change should occur near the apex of the curve. Our cars run rich, so it should be closer to the base. If it's close to the tip, you're running too lean.

 

[lcruz64]

Why would you run 87 when the dealer is recommending premium?

 

[Moeed]

Why would you run 87 when the dealer is recommending premium?

Its a p5, meant to go on 87 . I would take it to the dealer you get service from and see about a warranty fix.

 

[Suliman]

I think I'm going to check the plugs, see what they can tell me. Once I do that, I'll bring it to the dealer and tell them to figure it out.


Oh, BTW, the FS 2.0 is to run on 87 octane. If it says something higher in the Owner's Book, look to see if that is the average (pump rating which is MON + RON / 2) octance, the Motor Octane (MON), or the Research octance (RON).

Here is an AWSOME explanation, short and sweet (this is the basic stuff that is taught in HS Autoshop and Auto Mechanics Schools)...
http://www.advanceautoparts.com/english/youcan/html/ccr/ccr20030201fs.html

 

[Protege52003]

i have been running 89 from this problem.....seems to run better and i have not heard the pinging in a while. it is such a terrible sound......

-R