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Ken S
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2007
15:34:39
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 Subject: Pinging Problem
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Ok, I know I have ping in my engine b/c when I put premium gas in it, it stops. Does anyone know if replacing the spark plugs would help. I don't know when they were replaced last. I've had the truck over a year and a half, and hadn't changed them. Would this help the pinging? Any comment will help.
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2007
15:46:17
|  RE: Pinging Problem
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if you go with a plug, one heat range colder than the stockers it should help a little. you may want to look down throught the TB at the inside of the intake to see if the plenum gasket is blown or not. if it's blown you'll see some oil down there. that will cause osme pinging.
also a vacumm leak will cause pinging too.
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Ken S
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2007
17:01:50
|  RE: Pinging Problem
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What spark plugs should I get to have them "one heat range colder"? I thought about putting the split fire plugs. I think that's what they're called. would this be a good or bad thing to do? I don't really have experience on working on my engine, I would probably end up taking it somewhere. I don't open up any of the engine at least. I just stick to the simple stuff.
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2007
17:46:18
| RE: Pinging Problem
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try the NGK Vpower, i think the FR5's are the ones that are 1 range colder than stock.
what motor do you have anyway? if you have a 4.7 v8 it wouldn't be a plenum gskt problem.
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little jer
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2007
18:32:31
| RE: Pinging Problem
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My Durango R/T is reccommended to use premium gas. If I put regular in it it pings. They are tuned to use a higher octane. Funny, when I put the same gas in my Dakota R/T it doesn't ping. My Dak is a 99' and my Dur is a 2001. Not sure it that makes a difference in their tuning.
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Ken S
Dodge Dakota
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3/07/2007
10:11:17
| RE: Pinging Problem
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I have a 99, 4x4, V6 3.9L
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OBIO3
Dodge Dakota
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3/07/2007
20:31:10
| RE: Pinging Problem
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Ken....... You never mentioned if the ping has been there sence you bought it or if it developed at a later date. This is important to know reguarding what will fix it
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shatto
Dodge Dakota
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3/08/2007
01:25:35
| RE: Pinging Problem
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Ken,
Listen to and answer OBIO3.
He'll need to know the mileage on the engine, if you do your own mechanic work, what repairs and modifications and so-on.
Pinging can be caused by leaky valves. Check that.
Are you using the plugs your hood sticker and manual recommend?
By the way, Splitfire plugs are a great way to spend money. They made utterly no difference on my 3.9 engine in a 100,000 mile test. Okay, maybe 50,000. Point is, I've had darn good performance from el-cheap-o Autolites in my trucks 500,000 mile run.
I recently discovered a reason for my erratic gas mileage. Costco occasionally gets a load of Premium for the price of regular. One would think that would be free performance. NO. Our engines are designed, tuned and set for the low octane stuff. Higher octane actually reduces performance.
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gen1dak
Dodge Dakota
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3/08/2007
04:22:51
| RE: Pinging Problem
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Better make sure that intake belly pan gasket isn't leaking. It may be a mild leak now, causing minimal pinging that can be covered by the higher octane gas......til the leak gets worse.
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BMac
Dodge Dakota
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3/08/2007
06:24:44
| RE: Pinging Problem
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I only run mid-grade in my 98 Dak 5.2 cause it's very sluggish and pings on regular and I see no improvement in performance running supreme. In fact, I see less performance in more than one tank of supreme.
BMac
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Ken S
Dodge Dakota
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3/08/2007
12:10:43
| RE: Pinging Problem
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I got the truck a year and a half ago. It will be two years in July. When I got the truck, it had 34K miles on it. The person that had it b/f me NEVER drove hardly. I started noticing the 'noise' about three months after I got it. I wanted to take it back to the dealer where I got it so they could check it out b/f the 3 month warranty was over. We didn't buy an extended warranty. We took it to the dealer which was about 70 miles away. We had a manager ride with me while I drove around a little. The second he heard the sound, he said "oh that's just the gearing in the rear axle, the gears make that noise when they're under strain..." BULL CRAP! I found out later when I put premium in my truck, and after many discussions about the noise on this forum that it was pinging. Once I put the premium in it, it ran like a champ.
So, I started hearing the sound pretty loudly at about 35-36K miles. Now, it has 79k miles on it. Yes, I drive it...Alot. Never really put premium in it, put mid grade every once and a while. But mainly just regular.
-Shatto, you said that your gas mileage is poorer when you put premium in your truck, mine gets incredibly good gas mileage when I do.
I have done no modifications to my engine, exhaust, etc.
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shatto
Dodge Dakota
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3/08/2007
13:18:51
| RE: Pinging Problem
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Ken S,
I've had the same experience with my Volvo, Cadillac, Pontiac, Sonoma. You should be able to comfortably use the lowest grade gas available in any car...unless it pings. Most vehicles, including the "Use HI-TEST ONLY" bunch, rarely use the engine under conditions requiring premium gas.
What you describe could be fixed by cleaning out the carbon.
Pop over to Costco, or your choice of high-volume, low-cost store, and get the 4-pack of Techron. Dump it all in at once. Or, go to Steve Roarks' postings on this site and get some Amsoil PI Injector cleaner. That has worked best for me. Or, if you know what you are doing mechanically, slowly, very slowly, pour a pint of water into the throttle body with the engine running at a fast idle. Steam cleans carbon really good, as anyone who had a water leak and had to pull the head knows. Don't worry, you won't cause hydro-lock. There is enough room in the bottom of the intake for a couple of quarts of water and not pick up anything. The reason you do it running, is so it vaporises.
The best performance improvement to my 3.9 was Gibson headers. They substantially improved performance and MPG where I drive, 2,000 RPM.
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Ken S
Dodge Dakota
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3/08/2007
15:37:41
| RE: Pinging Problem
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Thanks for the help shatto. I have put that techron full system cleaner in my truck and I've put it in an 88' Buick. It seemed to help and keep the engine running smoothly. I probably need to change my spark plugs out as well.
Thanks.
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OBIO3
Dodge Dakota
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3/08/2007
17:49:08
| RE: Pinging Problem
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Ken........ Sounds like you got things figured out. Knowing what you do now, I would run 1 can of autoRX in the oil and the second can partly into your throttle body as per instructions and the rest into your full gas tank. . Follow the instructions on the can closely, other then your going to poor a whole can in oil. This stuff works slowly over a period of 1500 miles driving. AutoRX is the best you can buy and is only available over the net far as I know. Type it in and order it. Your looking at 20 bucks a can. Gap your new plugs 10 thousandswider then posted under your hood unless your a grany driver.
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ping
Dodge Dakota
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3/08/2007
23:26:12
|  RE: Pinging Problem
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ping can be caused by a number of things, vac. leak, plen gasket leak, carbon build up, timing issues, EGR valve (if so equip.) bad plugs, bad plug wires, bad cap an rotor.
have fun
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Ken S
Dodge Dakota
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3/09/2007
16:30:14
| RE: Pinging Problem
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Thanks for all the help!!!
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kj
Dodge Dakota
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3/12/2007
15:31:13
| RE: Pinging Problem
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Stick with the stock heat range Champions in your Mopar and you shouldn't have any trouble.
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QQQ
Dodge Dakota
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3/12/2007
16:18:57
| RE: Pinging Problem
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From my own observation, I believe it's ethanol and carbon. I bought my truck new (2000 4.7) Didn't ping until 25000 miles. I change the spark plugs around 20000 miles, usually a little less. (18k) I moved from Missouri (5% ethanol) to Florida (no ethanol) and it has never pinged once down here. I think the slightest carbon build up sparks off the ethanol.
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old dak
Dodge Dakota
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3/12/2007
16:49:23
| RE: Pinging Problem
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If those are the original plugs, can,t be much left of them after 79,000 miles. Even if they had been changed right before you bought it - past time for plugs. Start there.
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STS
Dodge Dakota
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3/12/2007
17:51:44
| HMMMMM
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I've got a massive vaccume leak so there is quite a bit of pinging!
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Ky_man
Dodge Dakota
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3/13/2007
01:19:17
| RE: Pinging Problem
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I thought engines naturally ping as they get older / have more
miles on them. Like carbon build up causes more compression
which causes the lower grade of gas to detonate before its
supposed to. That's just what i've heard about it.
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