Postby V2NR 3.0 » January 20th, 2011, 7:49 am
In addition to Wagonrunner's contribution - Id like to add:
What is pinging?
Pinging can be anything from a loud knocking noise to a soft tinkling sound that is emitted from the engine. If an engine has a tendency to ping it usually becomes first audible when operated in the lower rpm range and during acceleration. Pinging tends to fade away with increasing engine revolutions
What causes pinging?
An engine can ping for many different reasons. Here is a list of the most common causes for pinging starting with the most popular ones.
1.Fuel octane rating too low.
2.Compression to high. (usually caused by carbon build up inside the combustion chambers)
3.Over heating of the engine or just an individual cylinder. (Hot spots)
4.Knock detector faulty.
5.Ignition timing over advanced due to incorrect setting or erratic ignition due to a worn distributor. Most modern engines no longer have distributors.
6.Blocked exhaust, giving a high backpressure. (A significant loss of performance will be noticed)
Consequences of pinging
Pinging can lead to damage, or in the extreme case, destruction of pistons, bearings and valves. This would only happen in a situation where severe and prolonged pinging is allowed to continue. Please don't panic if you hear some pinging. Today's engines are very robust. Some pinging that occurs occasionally will not harm the engine.
Hope the information provided was useful.
